(微軟的windows 95大獲成功)

在老喬離開蘋果后,這家曾經(jīng)具有強大革新力和創(chuàng)造力的公司,已經(jīng)毫無創(chuàng)新可言并陷入了停滯不前的狀態(tài)。喬布斯曾希望蘋果成為一家出色的消費品公司,(“to become a wonderful consumer products company”)將喬布斯趕出蘋果的約翰.斯卡利卻發(fā)表言論稱:“蘋果永遠不會是一家消費品公司?!?更甚的是,面對微軟,蘋果節(jié)節(jié)敗退。這一切都讓喬布斯對個人電腦產(chǎn)業(yè)沮喪失望不已,(he despaired about the personal computer industry)甚至說出了“臺式電腦進入黑暗時代”的話。(”The desktop market has entered the dark ages”)且讓我們看他是如何評價蘋果的現(xiàn)狀的吧!

【英語原文】

Jobs was appalled, and he became angry and contemptuous as Sculley presided over a steady decline in market share for Apple in the early 1990s. “Sculley destroyed Apple by bringing in corrupt people and corrupt values,” Jobs later lamented. “They cared about making money—for themselves mainly, and also for Apple—rather than making great products.” He felt that Sculley’s drive for profits came at the expense of gaining market share. “Macintosh lost to Microsoft because Sculley insisted on milking all the profits he could get rather than improving the product and making it affordable.”As a result, the profits eventually disappeared. It had taken Microsoft a few years to replicate Macintosh’s graphical user interface, but by 1990 it had come out with Windows 3.0, which began the company’s march to dominance in the desktop market. Windows 95, which was released in 1995, became the most successful operating system ever, and Macintosh sales began to collapse. “Microsoft simply ripped off what other people did,” Jobs later said. “Apple deserved it. After I left, it didn’t invent anything new. The Mac hardly improved. It was a sitting duck for Microsoft.”(Chapter 23 THE SECOND COMING Apple Falling)
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【滬江譯文】

喬布斯十分震驚。同時他對于20世紀90年代初,蘋果在斯卡利的管理下市場份額持續(xù)下降變得愈加氣憤和蔑視。喬布斯惋嘆道:“斯卡利給蘋果引進了惡劣的人 和低下的價值觀,這毀了蘋果。他們只顧著讓公司賺錢,更多的是讓自己賺錢,而非造出上乘的產(chǎn)品。” ?喬布斯感到斯卡利對利益的追逐是以市場份額的減少作為代價的。“麥金塔在與微軟對決中敗下陣來正是因為斯卡利堅持榨取能夠得到的每一分利潤,卻沒有想過 改進產(chǎn)品和降低價格?!?結(jié)果自然是利潤全無。 微軟用了好些年來模仿麥金塔的圖形用戶界面,直到1990年它推出了Windows 3.0系統(tǒng),從此走上了統(tǒng)領(lǐng)臺式電腦市場的征程。1995年發(fā)行的Windows95系統(tǒng)成為了有史以來最成功的操作系統(tǒng),然而麥金塔此時的銷量已幾近崩 盤。“微軟只會抄襲別人的東西。” 喬布斯后來說:“但是蘋果活該被打敗。我離開之后,它再也沒發(fā)明什么新的東西,Mac操作系統(tǒng)幾乎沒有任何改進,面對微軟,它只能坐以待斃。”

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【翻譯筆記】

1 preside?v. 主持,管理

Pre-代表“before”,side這個詞根代表“sit” 即“坐在前面”。可以設(shè)想管理或者主持都需要坐在前面。?

相關(guān)詞匯:

president n. 總統(tǒng),會長,(大學)校長?

presidency n. 總統(tǒng)的職位,總統(tǒng)的任期

presidential adj 總統(tǒng)的,管轄的,支配的?

But the real motive is that these leaders didn't want to preside over the first EU default.
但其真實動機是,這些領(lǐng)導人不想為歐盟首例債務(wù)違約負責。

Within a few years, however, Samaranch had transformed the Games into a multi-billion pound industry and he would go on to preside over some of the greatest sporting occasions of modern times.
盡管如此,在短短的幾年內(nèi),薩馬蘭奇還是把奧林匹克運動變成了一個幾十億英鎊的產(chǎn)業(yè),他也能夠繼續(xù)主持當代世界上一些最偉大的運動會。

And surveys of American judges who preside over trials indicate their overwhelming and enthusiastic support for the jury system.
對主持庭審的美國法官的調(diào)查也表明他們中的絕大多數(shù)人大力支持陪審團制度。

2 milk v. 榨取,白蹭?

milk sth?

當某人milk sth時,意思就是這個人想盡辦法從某件事情或人身上取得最大利益, 這個短語也帶有白蹭或榨取利益的意思。?

He milk his rich aunt until she hadn't a penny left.
他將其富有的姑姑榨取的一分不剩。

Martha's mother won a lot of money in the lottery and her daughter has been milking it and buying the most expensive clothes she can find.
瑪莎的媽媽買彩票贏得了大筆錢。自此后瑪莎就不斷榨取母親的錢財,總是買她看到的最貴的衣服。

3 affordable adj. 負擔的起,買的起?

短語?

economically affordable housing 經(jīng)濟適用房

affordable fair?價格實惠公道

affordable products 價格實惠產(chǎn)品

affordable fees 平價收費

Affordable的動詞形式為afford,其用法如下

afford to do sth

負擔得起;有能力做某事(常與can/can’t連用)

The firm can not afford to pay such large salaries.
公司支付不起這么龐大的工資開支。

She has to work, so that she can afford to live independently.
她必須工作,這樣她才能獨自生活下去。

afford sth

買得起;花得起 (常與can/can’t連用)

My parents can't even afford a new refrigerator.
我父母甚至買不起一臺新冰箱。

He is rich enough to buy an Audi while I can only afford its little brother-Alto.
他很有錢,買得起奧迪。我只能買它的弟弟-奧拓。

4 rip off 扯掉;偷竊;欺詐;剝削

He ripped off his overcoat.
他突然脫掉大衣。

Someone ripped off my wallet.
有人偷了我的錢夾子。

That store is known for ripping off the customers.
那家百貨店以敲詐顧客而聞名。

其他有關(guān)rip的短語

let rip 毫無拘束地講話;自由自在地行動;縱情歡樂 , 讓(感情等)奔放

rip out 扯掉;狠狠地發(fā)出

rip up 撕碎,撕毀

5 sitting duck 易被欺騙的對象,坐以待斃

sitting duck是美國畫家Michael Bedard在上世紀70年代設(shè)計的卡通形象。后來還有了系列動畫片,卡通書。轟動一時,這個卡通形象就是容易上鉤的,后來用來形容人。?

I feel like a sitting duck for crime working the night shift at the convenience store.
在便利店做夜間工作,我感覺自己像是罪犯容易選定的襲擊目標。

Be A Sitting Duck 坐以待斃

It was early on a Sunday morning and the Americans had no warning. So the battleships and destroyers were sitting ducks when the Japanese bombers swept in from the sea."
那是一個星期天的清晨,美國人根本沒有得到警告。所以當日本轟炸機從海上飛來的時候,那些戰(zhàn)艦和驅(qū)逐艦只能束手待斃。 ?

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