????幾年前，烏克蘭經(jīng)歷了一場(chǎng)爆炸式的外包業(yè)務(wù)繁榮。2011年，烏克蘭甚至被歐洲外包卓越獎(jiǎng)（European Outsourcing Excellence Awards）評(píng)為“年度外包目的地”。然而，隨著烏克蘭近期的政治動(dòng)亂和與俄羅斯的沖突，美國的小公司開始逃離烏克蘭，對(duì)烏克蘭的信息技術(shù)、圖形設(shè)計(jì)和其他重要工作不再抱有信心。

????這種猶豫可以理解，但卻并不是明智的做法。

????我對(duì)烏克蘭有著天生的偏愛；因?yàn)槲以跒蹩颂m長(zhǎng)大，所以，我非常關(guān)心那里的人民。祖國人民有機(jī)會(huì)找到工作，獲得可支配收入，對(duì)我非常重要。如果能幫助烏克蘭擺脫對(duì)俄羅斯的依賴，我愿意做任何事情。因此，我的員工有許多是烏克蘭人。

????但經(jīng)商并不是搞慈善。企業(yè)家投資烏克蘭，不只是為了支持民主，幫助有需要的人們。他們是在為自己的公司投資成本劃算的勞動(dòng)力和創(chuàng)新思維。

????最近，讀者朋友們可能聽說了人工智能領(lǐng)域的一個(gè)驚人突破：第一個(gè)通過圖靈測(cè)試的計(jì)算機(jī)程序。這個(gè)程序模擬了一個(gè)13歲烏克蘭男孩的性格，而事實(shí)上，程序的開發(fā)者之一就是出生在烏克蘭的尤金?杰姆琴科。烏克蘭有久負(fù)盛名的技術(shù)院校和技術(shù)創(chuàng)新的優(yōu)良傳統(tǒng)，每年可培養(yǎng)出16,000名IT專業(yè)人才，杰姆琴科只是其中一員。

????烏克蘭的現(xiàn)狀有它的獨(dú)特性。幾十年來，烏克蘭一直是蘇維埃社會(huì)主義共和國聯(lián)盟（USSR）的技術(shù)中心。雖然國家經(jīng)濟(jì)面臨困難，但烏克蘭依然擁有雄厚的科技基礎(chǔ)和出色的教育制度（是歐洲教育制度最完善的國家之一）。烏克蘭有發(fā)達(dá)的電信通信、法律與稅務(wù)制度，以及穩(wěn)定的市場(chǎng)增長(zhǎng)率，對(duì)全世界的公司來說，烏克蘭都是極具吸引力的外包選擇。

????Several years ago, Ukraine was enjoying an explosive outsourcing boom. In 2011, they were even named the “Outsourcing Destination of the Year” by the European Outsourcing Excellence Awards. But with the country’s recent political turmoil and conflict with Russia, small businesses in the U.S. have begun to shy away from trusting Ukraine with their information technology, graphic design, and other vital work.

????The hesitation is understandable, but it’s also a mistake.

????I’m a bit biased; as someone who grew up in the Ukraine, I obviously care a great deal about its people. It’s important to me that the people in my home country have opportunities to find employment and a dependable income. I’ll gladly do what I can to help them become less dependent on Russia, which is part of the reason that I count several Ukrainians among my own employees.

????But it’s not just about charity. Entrepreneurs who invest in Ukraine are doing more than just supporting democracy and helping people in need. They’re investing in cost-effective labor and innovative minds for their own business.

????You might have recently heard about a surprising breakthrough in artificial intelligence: the first computer program to ever pass the Turing test. That program simulates the personality of a 13-year-old Ukrainian boy, and in fact, one of its developers was Ukrainian-born Eugene Demchenko. Demchenko is just one of the 16,000 new IT professionals that Ukraine produces every year, thanks to its prestigious technical schools and long history of technological ingenuity.

????Ukraine’s situation is somewhat unique. For decades, the country served as the USSR’s technology hub. Although their economy is currently struggling, a solid tech infrastructure and a fantastic education system (one of the finest in Europe) is still firmly in place. Ukraine’s well-developed telecommunications, legal and tax systems and a stable rate of market growth make it a very attractive outsourcing option for businesses worldwide.