中国城市的发展就像森林里生长的蘑菇一样迅速蓬勃——访飞机噪声工程技术专家谢里

文/Jessica

谢里（Breard Cyrille，美）是飞机噪声工程技术专家，现任中国商用飞机有限责任公司飞机噪声团队项目经理。也是中国政府友谊奖获得者。自2011年起，谢里带队参与ARJ21飞机和C919飞机噪声技术攻关，通过一系列关键技术的突破，在几乎从零起步的条件下开创出中国民机噪声工程的一片新天地。

问：请谈谈您的成长经历，如何成为“世界公民”和科学家的？

谢里：自从我去了希腊，我意识到国家之间的边界变得越来越不重要了。在科学和工程中，我们了解到问题的国际化知识对于获得最佳解决方案至关重要。我相信这也适用于我们周围世界的任何领域。我们在很多方面都是相通的，无边界思考是我们家的座右铭。与文化渊源的亲和力仍然会对你的思维方式产生很大的影响，但这并不意味着别人是错的，“全球公民”对我来说意味着创新思维的多样性和富有同情心的发展。

问：请讲讲您眼中的中国。

谢里：我对中国的早期记忆来源于电影和新闻，以及20世纪80年代我祖父母到中国旅游的记忆。后来我娶了一位中国妻子，她向我展示了很多与我之前想法很不同的情况。我也感受到了自己与这经久不衰的古老文明的链接。这方面思考得越多，我就越想了解它。于是，2011年，我们全家搬到了上海。在过去的九年里，我目睹了中国的许多变化。我向妻子的哥哥和嫂子描述，中国城市的发展就像森林里生长的蘑菇一样迅速、蓬勃。

问：您有丰富的跨文化经历，比如在希腊、英国、美国、中国等，那么您是如何处理所谓的“文化冲击”的呢？您的跨文化交际能力是如何培养的？

Being an aircraft noise engineering and technical expert, Breard Cyrille now works for Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China(COMAC) as aircraft noise team project manager. As an expert from the United States, Breard Cyrille won the Chinese Government Friendship Award. Since 2011, Breard Cyrille has actively directed his team to participate in the noise research of plane ARJ21 and C919 almost from scratch and created a new situation for China civil aircraft noise projects through a series of key technology breakthroughs.

Q: Would you please tell a story of yours? What makes you a “Global Citizen” and a scientist?

Breard Cyrille: Since I went to Greece I realized that the borders between countries became less and less important. In science and engineering, we learned that global knowledge of the problem is critical in resulting in optimum solution. I believe that it also applies to the vision of our surrounding world in any field. We are linked to each other’s in so many ways, and borderless

thinking is a motto in our family. Affinity with culture of origin

still affects a lot your way of thinking, but it does not mean that others are wrong and “global citizenship” means for me the diversity in innovative thinking and development with compassion.

Q: What is your impression of China?

Breard Cyrille: My very early memory of China was from movies and news about China, and the memories from my grandparents who travelled to China in the 1980s. Then I married my Chinese wife and she showed me many merits that were very different from what I assumed, and I felt a kind of link to this long lasting civilization. The more I thought about it, the more I want to know about it. Therefore, in 2011, I moved my whole family to Shanghai. During the last nine years, I have witnessed so many changes in China. I described the urban development to my wife’s brother and his wife, like mushrooms growing in the forest.

2019年5月21日，谢里在“外国专家科学讲堂”上讲授“魅力声学”

谢里：体验是根本。前6个月真的很困难，这就是所谓的文化冲击。然而，学习、适应和理解人民并没有那么困难。学习是关键。假定别人不是你所期待的，这完全是基于你自己的想法，你成长的文化决定了你的行为准则。

2009—2010年，我回到学校攻读工商管理学硕士。我的同学们都觉得很奇怪：我居然想要取得硕士学位，因为我已经有博士学位了。对我来说，重要的不是学位，而是经历，是推动我走出舒适区，以及如何把自己从一个“内向”的人打造成一个相对容易进行公开演讲的人，从纯技术型转向商业型，从管理项目转向领导国际化团队工作。

对他人的同理心是与人打交道的关键因素，因为人们很难理解高技术的主题。对我来说显而易见的事情对别人来说可能并不明显。

最后，发现问题是容易的，但找到解决方案却比较困难。我在工作和生活中关注点都在解决方案这方面。在任何情况下，尤其是跨文化交流方面，挑战和问题都会创造机会。这正是我关注的地方。

问：2019年5月在全国科技活动周上，您的“魅力声学”讲座很成功。在外国专家科普方面，您个人有什么打算和期待？

谢里：教学是中国商用飞机有限责任公司的日常活动之一，但这是我第一次给这么年轻的听众讲课。如何使演讲有趣且鼓舞人心是至关重要的。

我的演讲风格是就主题进行讨论和反思。现在年轻人可以从图书馆的纸质书或者网上的电子书学到很多知识，所以教学也必须适应这种新的环境。

Q; In view of your broad cross-cultural experience in Greece, UK, USA and China, how did you successfully handle “cultural shock”? How did you develop your intercultural communication competency?

Breard Cyrille: Experience is primordial. The first 6 months is really difficult, and it is called culture shock. However, learning, adapting and understanding the people is not that difficult. Learning is the key. Assuming that others are not what you expect is all based on your own and norms are defined by the culture where you grow up.

In 2009－2010, I went back to school for a MBA. All my classmates felt very strange that I wanted to graduate for a master degree, as I already have a doctorate degree. For me, it is not about the degree but the experience and pushing myself out of my comfort zone, from “introvert” to relatively easily giving public speeches, from pure technical to commercial, from managing project to leading people from different cultural backgrounds.

Empathy for others is the key element in dealing with people struggling to comprehend highly technical subjects. What is obvious for me might not be obvious for others.

Finally finding problems are easy, but finding solutions is more difficult. And I focus on this aspect at my work and in my life. In any situation and especially with intercultural aspects, challenges and problems create opportunities. This is where I focus.

Q: In May 2019, You gave a successful speech named “Introduction of Acoustic and its role in C919” during the 2019 National Science Week. What do you think of the foreign experts’ roles in popularizing scientific knowledge?

科学不仅仅是关于知识，而是通过研究发现和增长知识的持续努力的过程。因此，科学的基本技能，如观察、交流、分类、测量、推断和预测，允许任何人进行客观调查，并根据数据、分析和结果得出独立的结论。

问：作为中国商用飞机有限责任公司噪声工程技术领域高水平的技术专家，您如何理解中国的“大飞机梦”？

谢里：在所有人的共同努力和政府的大力支持下，中国商用飞机事业取得了长足的发展。我很荣幸看到它发展得如此之快，并持续发展。我们仍有许多问题需要解决，许多困难需要克服，但正如我所说的，机遇与挑战并存，我对我们持之以恒、不辞辛苦和坚强有力的领导充满信心，这个梦想在不久的将来就会实现。

问：据了解您一直比较关注和支持科技部（国家外国专家局）的外国专家工作，在这方面您有什么具体的意见和建议吗？

谢里：有一种说法是，如果你不付出就没有收获。对于科技部（国家外国专家局），我非常渴望回报他们为生活在中国的外国专家提供那么多的支持和帮助。所以我总是很荣幸地参与到讨论中并给出一些建议。此外，在过去的10年里，中国对外国专家的居留权进行了很大的改革，比如颁发了永久居留证，也就是所谓的绿卡。在这一个问题上，绿卡还处于起步阶段，需要对它的使用有更多的了解，特别是在火车、微信支付、支付宝、税务、银行等方面的使用，通过沟通政策和员工培训，真正了解与绿卡相关的政策。工作已经取得了进展，我相信中国在这方面已经作出了很多努力。

问：对于未来的工作、生活、孩子的教育方面，您有什么期待？您的心中也有一个“中国梦”吗？

谢里：无论我个人的梦想、中国的梦想还是世界的梦想，我认为都应该是一致的。我们最终的梦想是要有目标，更具体地说，是让世界变得更美好。

在“外国专家科学讲堂”上，谢里准备的多米诺骨牌实验

Breard Cyrille: Teaching is one of the daily activities at COMAC,however it was the first time I gave lecture to such young audience. How to make the lecture interesting and inspirational to this young audience was crucial.

My style of lecture is about engaging a discussion and reflection about the subject. Nowadays youths can learn so much from books in library or e-books online as well, so teaching must also adapt to this new environment.

Science is not only about knowledge but a continuing effort to discover and increase knowledge through research. Thus basic skills for science, such as observation, communication, classification, measurement, inference and prediction allow anyone to conduct objective investigation and reach independent conclusions based on data, analysis and results.

Q: As a top expert in the field of noise control in COMAC, what do you think of the Chinese “large aircraft dream”?

Breard Cyrille: Thanks to the hard work of all of people involved and the tremendous support from the government, Chinese commercial aircraft development has made significant progress. It is my honor and privilege to see it grow so fast and sustain growth. There are still many issues to be solved, many difficulties to be overcome, but as I said challenges come with opportunities and I’m very confident with our persistent, hardworking and strong leadership, this dream will come true in the very near future.

Q: It is said that you have given much passion and support to the foreign experts work led by the Ministry of Science and Technology (State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs). Do you have any advice or suggestions in this regard?

Breard Cyrille: Well there is a say, you can’t get if you don’t give. With MOST (SAFEA) I felt so much the desire to give back for so much they provided to foreign experts living in China. So I am always honored to participate in discussion and suggest some advice. The reform about the residency of foreigner experts in China has evolved so much in the last 10 years with for example the permanent residency card, the so called Green Card. On this specific topic, Green Card is still in the infant stage and it requires more understanding of the use, especially in train, wechat pay, Alipay, tax, bank, etc.. through communication policies and training of staff to really understand the policies related to Green Card. Progress has been made, and I am confident that a lot of efforts have been made in that direction.

Q: What are your expectations of future work, life and kids’ education? Do you have a Chinese Dream as well?

Breard Cyrille: No matter my personal dream, Chinese dream or the dream of the world, I believe they should all be align. Our ultimate dream is to have a dream with goals, and more specifically is to make the world a better place for everyone.