Kalpana Saroj’s life is a classic rags-to-riches story. Kalpana was not just born poor. She was born into a Dalit family. Dalits, also known as untouchables, are at the bottom of society according to the traditional Indian caste system.
Kalpana says that girls were seen as a burden on their families. And educating girls was seen as a waste. The norm at the time was for Dalit girls to get married young. Her father buckled under the pressure of the community and took her out of school in the 7th grade. He then married her off to a 22-year-old man. Kalpana was just 12 years old.
Her in-laws forbade her from writing home, and they had no telephone. She felt completely alone. If the house wasn’t clean enough or if the food was burnt or too salty, she was beaten. She was regularly kicked, punched and emotionally abused.
Six months after her marriage, her father came to visit. He was shocked to find her starved with ripped clothes and tangled hair. Her husband’s brother told him “See what she’s like? If she doesn’t shape up, we’ll strip her and hang her from a tree.”
Her father was horrified and said he would take her home, but her new family refused. They said that Kalpana was theirs. Kalpana’s father returned the next day and took her home.
One day, while her aunt was cooking dinner, Kalpana went into another room and drank three bottles of rat poison. Her aunt found her frothing at the mouth and screamed. Kalpana fell into a coma but eventually recovered.
Kalpana moved to Mumbai where she got a job at a factory. She was unable to work the sewing machines, so she picked lint off the fabric. She was paid just 15 cents a day, but she was ambitious. While her co-workers went to lunch, she practised on the sewing machines. After some time she was promoted to a tailor making $5 a day. “It was the first happiness in 15 years,” she said: “I’ve earned millions. But that initial $5 was the most satisfying.”
Kalpana saved her money and eventually was ready to start her own business. Together with some other poor, but ambitious women, she got a business loan from the government. They opened a furniture business, and it thrived. Kalpana started to make a name for herself as a savvy businesswoman.
Kalpana next invested her money into real estate and development. Kalpana moved from real estate to invest in a sugar company and finally, her most audacious deal, buying Kalpani Tubes. It was a company with 24 million dollars of debt and mired in lawsuits. She said, “Only a mad person would sink 116 billion rupees in a company with no profit in sight, and that person is me.” Kalpana’s Midas touch turned the company around, and it’s now worth over 100 million dollars.
Kalpana isn’t in it just for herself. She takes pride in giving back to her community. She has returned to her village and set up schools and given jobs to abused women. And she has created an NGO teaching poor people how to get business loans. She says: “Ivy League degrees and fancy MBAs are not what makes an entrepreneur. Grit, perseverance, and a superhuman ability to have faith in yourself do.”
【关键词】
1、 rags-to-riches （adj.） 白手起家的
2、 untouchable （n.） 贱民；不可接触者（指印度种姓制度中最低层的人）
3、 Indian caste system （phr.）印度种姓制度
4、 punch （vt.）拳打，殴打
5、 loan （n.） 贷款
6、 savvy （adj.）有见识的，
7、 real estate （n.） 地产；不动产
8、 audacious （adj.） 无畏的；放肆的
9、 Midas touch （phr.） 点物成金术；挣钱的本领
10、 entrepreneur （n.） 企业家
【译文】卡尔帕纳·萨罗吉的经历
卡尔帕纳·萨罗吉的经历是一个经典的由赤贫变富有的故事。卡尔帕纳不仅仅是天生贫穷。她出生在一个达利特家庭。根据传统的印度种姓制度，达利特人，也被称为贱民，处于社会的底层。
卡尔帕纳说，女孩被视为家庭的负担。教育女孩被视为浪费。对于达利特女孩而言，当时的规范就是早婚。她的父亲屈服于社区压力，在她7年级时将她带离学校。然后，将她嫁给了一名22岁的男子。 卡尔帕纳当时只有12岁。
她的姻亲禁止她给家人写信，他们没有电话。她感到孤独无助。如果房子不够干净或者食物被烧焦或太咸，她就会挨打。她经常遭受拳打脚踢和情感虐待。
结婚六个月后，她的父亲来探望。他惊讶地发现她面黄肌瘦，破衣烂衫，披头散发。她丈夫的哥哥告诉他“瞧瞧她这鬼样子？！如果她不收拾利落，我们就会扒光她衣服，将她吊到树上。“
她的父亲吓坏了，说他会把她带回家，但她的新家庭拒绝了。他们说卡尔帕纳是他们家的。卡尔帕纳的父亲第二天又来，才将她带回家。
有一天，她的婶婶正在做饭，卡尔帕纳走进另一个房间，喝了三瓶鼠药。她的婶婶发现她嘴里流淌出泡沫，尖叫起来。卡尔帕纳陷入昏迷但最终还是康复了。
卡尔帕纳搬到了孟买，她在一家工厂找到一份工作。她不会使用缝纫机，所以她从织物上摘线头。她每天的报酬只有15美分，但她雄心勃勃。趁同事去吃午餐的时间，她练习使用缝纫机。过了一段时间，她被提升为裁缝，一天挣5美元。 “这是15年来的第一次幸福感，”她说：“我如今赚了数百万。但最初的5美元是最令人满意的。“
卡尔帕纳省下了她的钱，并最终着手开创自己的事业。她与其他一些贫穷但雄心勃勃的女性一起获得了政府商业贷款。她们开版办了一家家具企业，它蓬勃发展。 卡尔帕纳开始为自己赢得名声，被誉为有见识的女商人。
卡尔帕纳接下来将资金投入房地产和开发。 卡尔帕纳从房地产转向投资糖业公司，最后，她最大胆的交易，就是购买卡尔帕尼管业。这是一家拥有2400万美元债务并陷入诉讼的公司。She said, “Only a mad person would sink 116 billion rupees in a company with no profit in sight, and that person is me.” Kalpana’s Midas touch turned the company around, and it’s now worth over 100 million dollars.
卡尔帕纳赚钱不仅仅是为自己。她回馈社区并感到自豪。她已回到自己的村庄，创办学校，并为遭受虐待的妇女提供工作。她创建了一个非政府组织，教穷人如何获得商业贷款。她说：“常春藤联盟文凭和令人羡慕的MBA并不能产生企业家。坚韧不拔，坚持不懈，以及对自己有信心的超人能力才是一个企业家应具备的基本素质。“
问题：She said, “Only a mad person would sink 116 billion rupees in a company with no profit in sight, and that person is me.” Kalpana’s Midas touch turned the company around, and it’s now worth over 100 million dollars. 这两句话如何翻译？
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