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《经济学家》读译参考(55):不进则退—知名PC公司举步维艰

[日期:2008-07-24]   [字体: ]
TEXT 55

Evolve or die

不进则退(陈继龙 编译)

Jul 27th 2006
From The Economist print edition


(1)THE personal computer spawned[1] a new industry. But many of the firms that initially flourished in the PC era are now finding life difficult.Dell, the leading PC-maker, issued a profit warning last week that sent its share-price to a five-year low. Intel is trying to regain ground lost to AMD, its increasingly confident competitor. Microsoft has just announced that it will buy back 8% of its shares for around $20 billion—a sign that its high-growth days are behind it.


个人计算机(PC)造就了一个新产业。然而,众多最初在PC时代兴盛一时的公司如今却发现举步维艰。头号PC制造商戴尔公司上周发布了一则利润警报,造成其股价跌至五年来最低水平。因特尔也在设法夺回被其信心与日俱增的对手——AMD所占领的市场。微软则刚刚宣布将以200亿美元左右的价格回购其8%的股份——这意味着它曾经的高速增长时代已成过眼烟云。
(2)But none of these firms is in mortal danger.That is more than can be said for many of the smaller firms of a similarvintage[2]to the PC. Novell's two top executives departed in June following a string of poor results. Silicon Graphics filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May. 3Com replaced its boss earlier this year followinglacklustre[3]performance. Borland shed one-fifth of its workforce and is preparing to sell the best-known part of its business; this month its finance chiefr_______①.
不过,这些公司还没有哪一家面临灭顶之灾,而许多同期开始生产PC的小公司就说不准了。Novell公司的两位最高执行官由于一连串糟糕的业绩已于6月份离职。硅谷制图公司则于5月份申请了《破产法》第11章规定的破产保护。3Com公司的老总也因无出众成绩而于今年早些时候被免职。Borland公司则裁减了五分之一的员工,并拟转让公司部分知名业务;其财务主管也已在这个月辞职。

All four firms arec_______②of the IBM PC, the creatures of a distant era when only around 200 institutions were connected to the internet. (3)Each had a bold vision of technology, but then failed to evolve as the very innovations they pioneered became commonplace.
这四家公司与IBM个人计算机均处于同一时代,都出自那个久远的年代——当时只有200家左右的公共机构接通了互联网。在技术上,它们个个都曾有着大胆的洞察力,可当它们开创的新技术广为应用时,自己却止步不前了。


Novell prospered by selling networking software to link up computers and enable group-working. Yet the firm failed to keep up with its rivals,c_______③Microsoft and IBM. It then shifted strategy and acquired an open-source software company in 2004, leaving users of its earlier products feeling neglected.
Novell依靠销售连接计算机并实现群组工作的网络软件获得成功,可是最终却被它的对手(主要是微软和IBM)甩到了后面。后来,它又转变战略,于2004年接手了一家开放源代码软件公司,这又让其前期产品的用户有一种被怠慢的感觉。]


Silicon Graphics, founded in 1982, makes sophisticated computers for modelling things such as cars and aeroplanes. But as PCs became more powerful, the firm waswrongfooted[4]by the shift to commoditised hardware: its last profitable year was 1999. (The firm has kept itself afloat by selling its lavish office buildings to Google, the technology industry'sd______④today.)
成立于1982年的硅谷制图公司生产用于绘制汽车、飞机之类模型的高尖端计算机。但是随着PC功能日趋强大,硬件商品化的转变将该公司逼入了尴尬境地:它最近一个创收年还是1999年。(该公司已将其奢华的办公大楼卖给了当今技术产业新宠Google公司,从而得以走出困境。)


Similarly, 3Com, which makes computer-networking gear,floundered[5]as such products turned into low-cost commodities. (4)And Borland, which makes programming tools, was squeezed between industry giants on the one hand and free software on the other.
同样,生产计算机网络设备的3Com公司由于此类产品沦为廉价商品而感到不知所措。还有生产程序设计工具的Borlan公司可谓腹背受敌,一边是各大公司,另一边则是自由软件。


(5)Companies that start off with a wildly successful product often fail to stay the course, explains Jim Collins, the author of “Built to Last”. “If you have a GREat idea, it creates a false sense that you are stronger and more successful than you actually are,” he says. Failure to evolve can then lead toe_______⑤.
《以建设谋持久》一书作者吉姆•科林斯解释说,依靠某种红极一时的产品发家的公司常常都无法坚持到最后。(译注:按照Longman注解,wildly一词有两个意思,一是“in a very uncontrolled or excited way”,即“失控地,兴奋地,狂热地”,二是“extremely”,即“极度,非常”。这句话的意思是指:有些公司刚开始推出一种产品并大获成功,从而得以扬名立万,可由于缺乏与时俱进的意识而原地踏步或者干脆倒闭。这句话为后面的引语作了铺垫。“有了一个好主意”是不够的,不能吃老本,要不断“想出好主意”,不断进步。)他说:“如果你想出一个好主意,就会给你一种错觉,以为你自己很强大,很成功,其实并非如此。”不进则退啊(不能进化就会走向灭绝)。


[QUIZ]
1. 根据上下文和英文释义,补全单词:
①r_______(v.to officially announce that you have decided to leave your job or an organization)
②c_______(n.someone who lived or was in a particular place at the same time as someone else)
③c________(adv.mostly but not completely [= mainly])
④d________(n.used when speaking to someone you love;the most popular person or thing in a particular group or area of activity)
⑤e________(n.when a particular type of animal or plant stops existing)
2. 英译汉(将划线部分英文翻译成中文):

[NOTES](LONGMAN)
1. spawn v.产卵,大量繁殖后代;造成,产生
2. vintage n.葡萄酒酿造年期;制造年期
3. lackluster adj.无光泽的;黯淡的,不活跃的
4. wrongfoot v.to surprise and embarrass someone, especially by asking a question they did not expect使难堪;使窘促不安: Woo's political skill and ability to wrongfoot the opposition
5. flounder v.挣扎;踌躇,不知所措;有很多问题且极有可能失败


[KEY TO QUIZ]
[replyview]1. ①resigned 辞职(表示“to leave a job or organization”:leave • quit • resign • retire • hand in your notice/resignation递交离职通知/辞职书 • pack/jack it in辞掉;离开;停止)
②contemporaries 同时代的人(物)
③chiefly 首要地;主要地(用于表达“the main reason for something or the main part of something”的词有:mainly • largely/chiefly • primarily/principally • above all • first and foremost)
④darling 心爱的人;宠儿
⑤extinction 消灭;灭绝
2.(见译文,仅供参考,欢迎指正)
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