When talking about India, what comes to mind? Do you think of centuries-old1 cultural relics2, fairy tales about Buddha3, and crowded streets with cows and people moving together? You should update the image by adding computer companies and a fast-growing IT industry. The mix of old and new is eye-catching4, at least in Bangalore, the “Silicon Valley5” of India.
Don't be surprised to find your latest computer software comes from India. Bangalore is the world's biggest R&D (research and development) centre outside the US. Almost all big IT companies are sending their requirements to Bangalore engineers. India is playing a software role in the IT industry similar to what China did in manufacturing.
IT servicing is another Bangalore specialty6. It has become common practice7 among computer giants to build call centres in Bangalore. Intel, IBM, Dell, and Motorola are there. Like hospital emergency rooms8, software engineers work 24 hours to solve computer problems from around the world. You may hear a Hinglish9 voice if you call Microsoft with a computer problem; you've been linked up with10 Bangalore.
Bangalore's secret is more than low labour costs. Every year tens of thousands graduate from India's 700 engineering colleges and technical institutes. Their advantage is the language they speak. English, the working language of the industry, although with Indian accents11, helps attract IT companies. Youth also helps. More than half of India's people are younger than 25, the largest population of young people in the world.
It's interesting that in Hindi12 Bangalore means “Boiled Beans”. Nowadays, young computer science talents are boiling the city a hotter bean than anywhere else in the world.
说起印度，你脑海中会浮现出什么景象呢？你是否会想起历史悠久的文化遗产，佛陀的神话故事，以及人畜混行的拥挤街头？你该更新思想了，在这种印象之外加上电脑公司和快速发展的IT产业。新旧文化的交融显得格外抢眼，至少在印度 “硅谷”班加罗尔是这样。
当你发现自己最新的电脑软件来自印度时，请不要惊讶。班加罗尔是美国之外世界上最大的软件研发中心。几乎所有大型IT公司都会向班加罗尔的工程师送去定单。印度在IT软件业研发方面扮演的角色，正如中国在制造业方面扮演的角色一样重要。
IT服务业是班加罗尔的又一特色。电脑巨头们在班加罗尔建立服务中心已经成为惯例。英特尔、IBM、戴尔和摩托罗拉都出现在那里。就像医院的急救室一样，软件工程师们24小时提供服务，解决世界各地的电脑难题。如果你因电脑问题致电微软公司，你也许会听到一口印度英语，因为你已经接通了班加罗尔。
班加罗尔成功的秘诀不仅是有廉价的劳动力。每年都会有数万名大学生从印度的700所工学院和技术学院毕业。他们的优势就是他们所说的语言。英语，作为IT行业的工作用语，尽管带有印度口音，但仍有助于吸引IT公司的进驻。人才年轻化也起了作用。印度一半以上的人口年龄不超过25岁，年轻人口数量为世界之最。
有意思的是，班加罗尔在印地语中的含义为“煮豆”。现在，年轻的电脑天才们正将这座城市煮成世界上最烫手的豆子。
1. centuries-old 悠久的
2. relic n. 遗迹，废墟
3. Buddha n. 佛陀
4. eye-catching 抢眼的，引人注目的
5. Silicon Valley 硅谷，美国加利福尼亚地名，以IT行业和高新技术闻名。
6. specialty n. 特点，特征
7. common practice 惯例
8. emergency room 急救室
9. Hinglish 印度英语，夹杂印度语或印度腔的英语。
10. link up with 和…连接，联结起来
11. accent n. 口音
12. Hindi n. 印地语
13. populous adj. 人口多的
14. assassinate v. 暗杀
15. Sikh （印度）锡克族人，锡克教
16. extremist n. 极端分子
17. Hindu adj. 印度的
18. sacred adj. 神圣的
19. renowned adj. 有名的