When Liz Elting, 44, one of the owners of TransPerfect, a translation company, started her business 18 years ago with Phil Shawe, both were attending New York University’s Stern School of business. They never realized just how many situations would require their services, “We have translated black box data after planes crashed,” says Elting. “Translating Hooked on Phonics into eight languages was especially challenging because we were doing sounds, not words!”
Elting had once worked for a translation company and she knew how important it was to get things right—like the instructions for medical devices. Ad companies, too, needed accurate translations that took cultural differences into account. She and Shawe were certain that if they delivered a quick, reliable service, they could build an international business that would stand out.
They started their business in Shawe’s dormitory room. While Shawe finished his MBA, Elting employed some linguists(语言学家) and made hundreds of cold calls seeking clients（客户）. One of their first jobs was to translate an 800-page study research of a Russian gold mine in 30 days. Once the partners were out of survival mode, they hired people to help grow the company and told them to run their area as if it were their own business. “If they did well,” says Elting, “they owned that success.”
Elting and Shawe paid themselves $9,000 a year each. Their ambition, however, at times threatened the company’s growth. several years ago, a client promised $15 million in business— more than double their earnings. They opened an office in Miami, but when the Internet suffered its burst, says Shawe, “the client pulled out. Today we get money up front; we share risk. Commonsense things.”
TransPerfect’s 4,000 linguists cover more than 100 languages. Last year, the company had earnings of $225 million; the average annual growth rate is 30 percent. Elting and Shawe still work together. “Phil is good at developing systems and creative sales ideas,” says Elting. “I focus on operations and making sure that our clients are happy.”
With more than 1,100 employees, and offices in 57 cities in 18 countries on four continents, they still focus on the details. They keep an exact list of client preferences: soda or soft drink, sofa or couch. Even now, at the top of the world’s largest privately held language company, Elting refuses to be complacent and would prefer a slightly different translation: “We want to be the world’s premier language company.”
67. From the first two paragraphs, we can infer that TransPerfect _______.
A. prefers accuracy to speed
B. has a broader range of clients
C. specializes in translating difficult documents
D. thinks highly of clients’ special requirements
68. The underlined part in Paragraph 3 probably means Elting and Shawe ______.
A. couldn’t solve the survival problem of their company
B. needn’t worry about the survival of their company
C. went out to seek new clients for their company’s survival
D. didn’t know which survival mode was fit for their company
69. According to the passage, Elting and Shawe get along well in their business because they ______.
A. trust each other in business
B. share the same ambition and goal
C. complement(补充) each other in business
D. are both responsible for their common business
70. The underlined word “complacent” in the last paragraph means _______.
A. proud B. stubborn C. self-critical D. self-satisfied