Grant Hilbert always wanted to be a farmer.
格兰特·希尔伯特一直梦想成为一名农民。
Today, the 26-year-old owns 250 acres of farmland.
如今，这位26岁的年轻人已经拥有了250英亩的农田。
How did he make his dream come true? By playing video games!
他是如何实现这个梦想的呢？靠打电子游戏！
And by getting more than one million online followers.
还有靠吸引了超过一百万的网络粉丝。
You might say Hilbert is a farmer with a game plan.
你可以说，希尔伯特是个“有游戏计划”的农民。
Hilbert spent summers and school breaks on his grandparents’ farm.
希尔伯特在暑假和学期间的假期都会待在祖父母的农场里。
There, he imagined the day when he would have his own farm.
在那里，他常常幻想有一天自己也会拥有一座农场。
“Even as a little kid, it was my dream to farm,” Hilbert told the Farm Journal.
“我从小的梦想就是当农民，”希尔伯特在接受《农业杂志》采访时说。
He started working toward that dream in high school.
他在高中时就开始为这个梦想努力。
When Hilbert was in 10th grade, YouTube was taking off.
希尔伯特上十年级的时候，YouTube开始流行起来。
So was a video game called Farming Simulator.
一款名为《农业模拟器》的电子游戏也正在走红。
This game lets players grow virtual crops.
这款游戏让玩家种植虚拟的庄稼。
Hilbert came up with an idea.
希尔伯特想出了一个主意。
And he began to plough a path to success.
他开始为通往成功之路“耕耘”。
What did he do? He created a YouTube channel called The Squad.
他做了什么呢？他创建了一个名为“The Squad”的YouTube频道。
He posted videos of himself playing Farming Simulator.
他上传了自己玩《农业模拟器》的视频。
People started following Hilbert online.
人们开始在网上关注希尔伯特。
He earned money from YouTube when his followers clicked on ads.
当粉丝点击广告时，他就能从YouTube上赚到钱。
Hilbert kept posting videos through high school.
在整个高中期间，希尔伯特一直在上传视频。
Then he went to college at Iowa State University.
之后，他进入了爱荷华州立大学。
Hilbert studied agriculture there.
他在那里学习农业。
He graduated in 2020.
他于2020年毕业。
By that time, he had more than one million online followers.
到那时，他已经拥有超过一百万的网络粉丝。
He also had enough money to buy land for real.
他还赚到了足够的钱，真的买下了一块农田。
Today, Hilbert grows corn and soybeans.
如今，希尔伯特种植玉米和大豆。
He is growing his online followers, too.
他的网络粉丝数也在持续增长。
How is he doing it? He created a second YouTube channel.
他是怎么做到的呢？他又创建了第二个YouTube频道。
On it, he posts truckloads of videos.
他在上面上传了大量的视频内容。
He shows his daily life as a new farmer.
他分享了自己作为新农民的日常生活。
But Hilbert didn't stop there.
但希尔伯特并没有止步于此。
He also started a software company called SquadBuilt Inc.
他还创办了一家名为SquadBuilt Inc.的软件公司。
The company released a new video game in 2023.
这家公司在2023年发布了一款新游戏。
It is called American Farming.
游戏名叫《美国农业》。
The game is like Farming Simulator,
这款游戏类似于《农业模拟器》，
but it's all about farming in the midwestern United States.
但它专注于描绘美国中西部的农业生活。
Hilbert is an online success.
希尔伯特在网络上取得了巨大成功。
But his heart remains in agriculture.
但他的心依然属于农业。
He wants to farm alongside his brother one day.
他希望有一天能和弟弟一起务农。
And he hopes to help others with his videos.
他也希望通过自己的视频帮助他人。
Hilbert is bringing his dreams to life.
希尔伯特正在将梦想变为现实。
==
Grant Hilbert always wanted to be a farmer. Today, the 26-year-old owns 250 acres of farmland. How did he make his dream come true? By playing video games! And by getting more than one million online followers. You might say Hilbert is a farmer with a game plan.
Hilbert spent summers and school breaks on his grandparents’ farm. There , he imagined the day when he would have his own farm. “ Even as a little kid, it was my dream to farm,” Hilbert told the Farm Journal.
He started working toward that dream in high school. When Hilbert was in 10th grade, YouTube was taking off. So was a video game called Farming Simulator. This game lets players grow virtual crops. Hilbert came up with an idea. And he began to plough a path to success.
What did he do? He created a YouTube channel called The Squad, He posted videos of himself playing Farming Simularor. People started following Hilbert online. He eared money from YouTube when his followers clicked on ads.
Hilbert kept posting videos through high school. Then he went to college at lowa State University. Hilbert studied agriculture there. He graduated in 2020. By that time , he had more than one million online followers. He also had enough money to buy land for real.
Today , Hilbert grows corn and soybeans. He is growing his online followers , too. How is he doing it? He created a second YouTube channel. On it, he posts truckloads of videos.
He shows his daily life as a new farmer. But Hilbert didn't stop there. He also started a software company called SquadBuilt Inc, The company released a new video game in 2023.
It is called American Farming. The game is like Farming Simulator, but it's all about farming in the midwestern United State.
Hilbert is an online success. But his heart remains in agriculture." He wants to farm alongside his brother one day. And he hopes to help others with his videos. Hibert is bringing his dreams to life.
==
“YouTube was taking off.” 的意思是：
👉 YouTube 正在迅速发展 / 变得非常流行 / 起飞了。
拆解一下：
-
take off 是一个英语习语，原本指飞机“起飞”。
-
在这里是比喻用法，表示某事开始迅速流行、成功或成长。
举例说明：
-
The new singer's career really took off after her first hit song.
这位新歌手在第一首热门歌曲之后，事业就真正起飞了。 -
TikTok started to take off around 2019.
TikTok 大约在 2019 年开始迅速流行。
所以，
“YouTube was taking off.”
可以翻译为：
👉 YouTube 当时正在迅速走红。
或
👉 YouTube 当时正在起飞，越来越火。
==
