赴英留学成绩优异
　　
　　身材窈窕，秀发飘逸，第一眼见到从比利时回国探亲的张莉，不由感到眼前一亮。张莉出生在山东青岛市一个知识分子家庭，读中学时她的愿望是当一名外交官，所以对英语就有种近乎狂热的喜爱。张莉的口袋里每天都揣着小录音机听英文磁带，骑车听，走路听，吃饭也听；她读英语小说，听英文歌曲，看英文电影，所有的闲暇都被英语占领。
　　1998年大学毕业后，因种种原因张莉最终未能当上外交官，但得到了去英国普利茅斯大学留学的机会。她念的是大众传媒，当时许多中国留学生劝她转专业，因为理科专业将来好找工作，文科相对比较艰难。但她的想法是“我来英国不是为将来能够混口饭吃，我要成为一名出色的国际记者，让全世界听到中国强大的声音”。
　　她所学的大众传媒专业，对英语水平要求极高，班里全是能说会道的英国学生，老师讲课根本不会顾及她这个中国人，她只好把老师的讲义录下来，课后再一遍又一遍地听。她面对着厚厚的一叠专业书，是边流泪边苦读攻克下来的。梅花香自苦寒来，后来每次考试发试卷，张莉的名字总是被教授最先念到：作文课上她的文章常常被老师作为范文朗读，期末考试时有的课程被免考，其他的许多课程都获得了满分。
　　张莉以优异的成绩走出普利茅斯大学后，成了伦敦《经济观察时报》的记者。一年多的记者生涯是一个“非常有价值的培训”，对欧洲人的心理、社会生活、家庭了解到很多，张莉说这是她做记者最大的收获。
　　
　　过五关报考欧盟
　　
　　2002年春天，欧盟要招聘一批公务员。欧盟是个仅次于联合国的重要机构，在世界上的影响力很大，张莉非常渴望走上这个“高不可攀”的大舞台，找到适合自己扮演的角色。
　　欧盟公务员是西方公认的“金领”职业，不仅年薪是普通人的数倍，还拥有令人羡慕的社会地位和福利待遇，终身都不会被解雇，而且还可以到英、法、德、意等成员国中的任何一国定居。因此，欧盟公务员的竞争相当激烈。
　　尽管张莉一向很自信，但这次进考场还是让她吃了一惊：她得在两个小时之内完成120道考题！考试令张莉喜出望外，她在十分残酷的竞争中顺利闯过第一关，接下来便是面试。当时有8位考官，都是欧盟的专家，每人问两道题，涉及面很广。第一位考官的问题是如何提高欧盟产品在世界上的竞争力？接着又有考官问她欧洲人的失业率和劳工方面的问题。面对考官们挑剔的目光和连珠炮似的发问，张莉用一口流利的英语沉着应对，她的回答不仅有自己独到的见解，并极富条理和逻辑。考官们很快就被这位中国女孩出色的学识“镇”住了，他们频频点头，露出了满意的神色。
　　张莉是个善于创造奇迹的人，这一次尽管录取率只有3％，但她还是力挫群雄，最终梦想成真了！
　　
　　眼花缭乱的欧盟总部
　　
　　走进设在布鲁塞尔的欧盟总部，张莉发现欧盟的欧盟理事会、欧盟委员会、欧洲议会等三大机构内部装修都相当气派。尤其是欧洲议会内部，邮局、银行、书店、咖啡厅、小卖部、健身房、桑拿房、体育馆等一应俱全。
　　经过两周的培训，张莉被分配到欧盟委员会翻译总司术语库实习。实习结束后，她出色的才干和敬业精神受到翻译总司官员的好评，最后被留在这个部门担任中文翻译。张莉平时的主要工作，是为欧盟接待来访的中国官员和贸易代表做翻译。她的口译准确而生动，加之对中国文化十分了解，即使对方说出“叶公好龙”、“画蛇添足”之类令西方翻译极为头疼的成语，张莉也能结合谈论内容十分传神地脱口译出。欧盟官员对她的机智和才干十分欣赏，不少人经常指名请张莉做翻译。
　　
　　午餐时间被张莉视为一天中最惬意的时光，在总部的自选餐厅里，可以品尝到厨师现场烹饪的各国美食。张莉的最爱是现烤PANINI，一种内夹各种馅料的意大利热三明治，周围放有4种不同酱料以适合不同口味的人群。在这里一边享受国际化的美食，一边和来自欧洲各国的同事谈天说地，分享各国的奇闻趣事和工作经验。那种感觉真是妙不可言。
　　提到薪水和福利，张莉坦率地说，一般来说做同样的工作欧盟公务员拿的钱要比当地人高出几倍，比如一名欧盟打字秘书的月薪是2800欧元（1欧元折合10元人民币），而比利时打字秘书的月薪仅有1300欧元左右。欧盟A级公务员的月薪从5000至1.55万欧元不等，而比利时一名工作了30年的国家公务员，月薪也不会超过3000欧元。
　　此外，欧盟公务员还享受各类名目繁多的福利津贴。他们刚刚步入工作岗位，就会得到相当于两个月基本工资的“安家落户”费：除公共假日、病假、婚假、产假等之外，欧盟公务员每年还可享受24天至30天的休假，这期间全家都可以得到一笔足够度假开销的补贴；凡是不在本国上班的欧盟公务员，每月还可以领到相当于工资16％的“离乡补贴”——欧盟认为，为了工作，许多人都“背井离乡”，他们的“乡愁”应该得到补贴。以上所有工资收入，都无需向各成员国纳税。
　　
　　搭建中欧桥梁
　　
　　近年来由于西方媒体片面宣传，使欧洲人对中国有很多误解，作为在欧盟供职的华人，张莉也会面对形形色色的“攻击”。欧洲议会中有位法国籍议员曾当面向她发难，说中国廉价的鞋子、服装像洪水般四处泛滥，“掠走”了欧盟数目惊人的财富。
　　张莉笑着说，去年中国出口到法国的鞋子几乎够贵国人均一双，可是中国赚到的钱，还没有你们卖到中国一架“空客A380”的利润多，而且中国进口你们的飞机一次就是数十架！且不说大型客机、磁悬浮列车及核电站技术，就从最受中国白领喜爱的路易威登手袋为例，动辄七八千甚至上万元人民币一件，贵国利润何止几倍？！
　　张莉还在《欧洲日报》上撰文说欧盟与中国的贸易，是天下最划算的买卖。“中国为我们生产最没有赚头的产品，而且价值奇低。欧盟却能够集中精力提升产业的层次和劳动生产率。现在的问题不是担心便宜的中国货，而是要操心这样的好买卖能持续多久！”
　　真是一语惊醒梦中人，听了她的观点，就连一批向来主张对中国廉价商品“设限”或“实行惩罚性关税”的官员，都渐渐地似乎悟出些道理来。
　　张莉说欧洲人办事非常注重现实利益，而且思维是直线型的，你只要用西方人的观念讲中国的事情，他们就会接受。所以从上班第一天起，她就经常和欧盟的贸易官员、欧洲议会议员等，就有关中国的问题进行辩论和解释。“不打不成交”，过去戴着有色眼镜看中国的人，许多都成了张莉的好朋友。
　　张莉自称在欧盟“打工”，但年收入却高达数万欧元，这在国内应该属于“金领丽人”了。去年，她在布鲁塞尔郊区买了一套带私人花园的住宅，还利用业余时间写了《中国——被欧洲忽视的财富金矿》以及《怎样与中国人做生意》两本书，该书在伦敦出版发行后，成了令西方读者称赞的畅销书！
　　
　　张莉说现在真正了解欧盟的中国人还不多，普通欧洲民众对中国也缺乏足够的了解和认识，而自己能够在这两种文化之间进出自由，所以张莉很乐意为中欧搭建一座沟通的桥梁。为此张莉利用自己当过记者的优势，经常奔走在欧洲各媒体之间，激情满怀地宣传和介绍中国，就连人称“铁娘子”的欧盟轮值国主席默克尔，都被张莉的行为所感动，称她是位“了不起的东方女性”！
　　
　　Chinese Girl Works at EU
　　By Xie Haiyun
　　
　　Zhang Li dreamed of becoming a diplomat when at middle school. To realize her dream, she was nearly mad about the English language. The portable recorder player became a part of her. She listened to tapes wherever she went. The first setback came in 1998 when she graduated from college. For reasons she was not recruited as a diplomat, but she acquired a good chance to study at University of Plymouth, UK. She majored in mass communications. Many of her fellow Chinese in UK advised her to shift her major and find something else to study for better job opportunities. Zhang persisted, for at that time, she dreamed of becoming an international journalist so that she could help the world hear the voice of China.
　　
　　Mass communications calls for perfect mastery of English and her classmates were all voluble speakers. In classes the teachers would never slow down a bit for her alone. She had to record all the lectures and listened again and again later. She drove herself at a big heap of textbooks. Sometimes she found it too hard and wept. However, she gradually excelled. Teachers soon found she was one of the best achievers. Her essays were often read to the whole class as models and her scores were often perfect. Some of her final exams were even waived. Having graduated as a top student, she worked as a journalist for a London-based business newspaper for a year where she learned a great deal about Europe.
　　Zhang’s opportunity came in the spring of 2002 when EU wanted to recruit employees. Jobs with EU are generally regarded as “golden-collar” The life-long employment provides first-rate fringe benefits and an opportunity to live in member countries. She found the written test devilishly difficult. One was supposed to answer 120 questions within 2 hours, but she did well enough to progress to the next text. At the interview, she faced eight examiners, each of whom gave her two questions. She answered to their satisfaction.They were convinced by her knowledge and the way she handled questions and answers. The cut-throat competition eliminated ninety-seven percent of the candidates and Zhang Li was one of the few lucky.
　　The EU headquarters in Brussels dazzled Zhang Li. The interior decoration of the Council, the Commission and the Parliament look just magnificent. Inside the parliament building are a full range of services. After a two-week induction course, Zhang was assigned to work as an intern at the Directorate General for Interpretation (formerly known as SCIC). With her talent and dedication fully recognized by officials at the DG Interpretation, she was formally employed after the internship was over. Now Zhang interprets for Chinese officials visiting the EU headquarters and Chinese trade representatives.A highly qualified interpreter, she is able to do her job well. Many officials at EUappreciate her talent and some seek her out as an interpreter for important meetings.
　　Zhang Li does more than just enjoy her dutiful work. She speaks economic truths about China whenever possible. As a Chinese working at the EU, she often finds harsh questions coming at her, questions that are somewhat based on misunderstanding about trade relations between EU and China. On one occasion, an EU parliament member from France complained to her that shoes and garments from China swamped France, making big money from EU. Zhang explained that France imported about 200 million pairs of shoes from China per year, but the profit China earned from all the shoe exports a year was nothing compared with that of a single Airbus A380 and dozens of other airbuses China bought from France. In addition to buying big planes, nuclear power stations and magnet levitation trains from France, China also imports a large quantity of Louis Vuitton handbags.
　　
　　Zhang argued in a newspaper article that China produces the things with least profit while Europe is able to concentrate on updating its industries and maximizing productivity, and that instead of worrying about products from China, EU should worry about how long EU can enjoy such a good bargain. This argument convinced many officials at the EU and they began to rethink their proposals to set limits to or levy punitive taxes on products from China.
　　A “golden-collar worker”with a salary and fringe benefits of 80,000 Euro a year, Zhang Li has bought a house with a garden in a suburb of Brussels. She has also authored two books on how to do business with China.
　　(Translated by David)