With over 10,000 libraries opened worldwide and 7.4 million books already distributed to children in its 10 years, (46)Room to Read—a nonprofit that promotes global literacy— aspires to curb the staggering figure of 759 million illiterate adults living in emerging nations.
"If every charity was run with more of a business focus, the world would be a better place,", says John Wood, a former senior executive at Microsoft before founding Room to Read in 2000. "We’ve created what I consider to be a hybrid organization——the best of charity merged with the best of business."
The organization’s goal is to raise $30 million in 2010. In 2009, Room to Read raised $28.3 million in cash and stock—well above its $23 million goal and a 28% increase over its 2008 contributions.
Technology is key for the company to achieve its goals. The Salesforce.com Foundation has donated Salesforce CRM licenses to help Room to Read build their Global Solutions Database (GSD). (47)The GSD pay close attention to Room to Read’s implementation timeline, the number of students and teachers being supported, and the percentage of community contribution. This technology helps the company report figures to its donors.
(48)"Technology has been an invaluable tool that’s allowed us to reach out to our current investors as well as introduce ourselves to new supporters," explains Wood. "Twitter has opened the door to an entirely new base of supporters for us—now almost 430,000 p—and we like being able to reach out to them on a real-time basis about our latest news or stories they may find interesting." Room to Read was Twitter’s first corporate social innovation sponsor.
(49)The not-for-profit also aims to implant effective education programs in the developing world through its School Room program, along with improving literacy equality among the genders. Two-thirds of all illiterate adults are female. Already, over 9,000 female students are enjoying scholarships thanks to the Girls’ Education program.
Wood says Room to Read’s importance has only grown in light of the world’s struggling economy: "If there has been an upside to the financial crisis, it’s that people are being more careful than ever before about how they invest, and this applies also to their charitable investments," he explains. (50)"I think the markets are efficient, in the sense that a lot of business leaders see in Room to Read an organization that is run like a business and they therefore continue to invest in us."
(48)"Technology has been an invaluable tool that’s allowed us to reach out to our current investors as well as introduce ourselves to new supporters," explains Wood.
参考答案：
“技术一直以来都是一种极有价值的工具，它既让我们与现有的投资人保持沟通，同时，也可以让新的资助者认识我们。”伍德解释说。
解析：
[原文再现] "Technology has been an invaluable tool that’s allowed us to reach out to our current investors as well as introduce ourselves to new supporters," explains Wood.
[结构分析] 本句为直接引语，引语部分主干结构为Technology has been an invaluable tool...。表语tool后紧跟定语从句that’s allowed us...supporters。
[译点分析]
(1)Technology has been...tool: 此处谓语为现在完成时has been，表示持续的状态，翻译时应体现出这一时态，将其译为“一直以来都是”。考生还应注意invaluable一词，切不可望文生义，将其理解为“毫无价值的”，相反，其意为“极有价值的；极为宝贵的”。
(2)that’s allowed...new supporters: tool后紧跟由that引导的定语从句，且此处的that’s=that has，由于该从句比较长，所以可单独翻译为一句话。另外，定语从句中包含一个as well as结构，连接的前后两部分分别为reach out to our current investors和introduce ourselves to new supporters, reach out to sb意为“努力与某人保持沟通；想要帮助某人”，此句中是前一种释义，故译为“与现有的投资人保持沟通”，在翻译introduce ourselves to new supporters时，考虑到句子的连贯性，可以采用“正话反说”的翻译方法，不直接翻译为“介绍我们给新的资助者”，而是译为“使新的资助者认识我们”。