微博

ECO中文网

 找回密码
 立即注册

QQ登录

只需一步,快速开始

ECO中文网 门户 优秀译文推荐 商业 查看内容

[2011.08.06] 克隆人来袭

2011-8-8 16:47| 发布者: Somers| 查看: 5248| 评论: 15|原作者: zhanyisky

摘要: 租房网站Airbnb的某位房东曾投诉其公寓遭租客洗劫。8月1日,该公司承认对这起事件处置失当
互联网企业

克隆人来袭
(注1)

美国网企正与一群看来极为相似的外企作战


Aug 6th 2011 | BERLIN AND SAN FRANCISCO | from the print edition



租房网站Airbnb的某位房东曾投诉其公寓遭租客洗劫。8月1日,该公司承认对这起事件处置失当,老板Brian Chesky请求原谅,并宣称自8月15日起,只要符合某些条件,就会承担租客造成的损失,金额高至5万美元,但条件为何尚未公布。其后不久,Airbnb在柏林的对手9flats称也会提供保险。

Airbnb一位高管牢骚满腹,称9flats大肆抄袭Airbnb,这一行为便是典型之举。9flats承认受美国电子商务“启发”,但坚称其网站和定价模式与Airbnb不同。其他美国网企巨星,如团购企业Groupon及艺术技术项目众包融资网站Kickstarter,也遭到“克隆企业”攻击。“克隆企业”是指那些立足海外却跟美国原创公司提供几乎相同服务的企业。随着计算力成本骤跌,热门新兴企业估价剧增(像Aribnb近期估值就高达13亿美元,令人大跌眼镜),克隆企业之战将变得血雨腥风。

中国将是一大战场。此地规则晦暗不明,令许多美国企业不敢进入,一任中国企业在无对手竞争的情况下发展相似业务。如“点点网”好似美国博客平台Tumblr,而问答服务网站“知乎”看起来有点像美企Quora。

德国则是另一大战场。该国Samwer三兄弟(Alexander,Oliver与Marc)已荣膺欧洲抄袭之王。这哥仨有门本事,能找出硅谷的优良商业模式,继而迅速在欧洲创立类似业务,然后再卖掉这些“克隆企业”,而买家有时是其效仿的企业。

1999年,Samwer兄弟凭借Alando首获成功,这家在线拍卖网站后来卖给了eBay。打那以后,他们搞定了其他几项大买卖(见表)。除了借助自己的投资工具——风投企业European Founders Fund ,Samwer兄弟还于2007年创立了Rocket Internet,这一创新孵化平台利用自身的精英团队(现约90位专家),每年提携推出数家新兴企业。瑞典风投企业Kinnevik亦持股该平台,并在其投资组合中拥有投资。



Samwer兄弟现已牢牢锁定了Airbnb。今年6月,这家美企收购了德国汉堡一家新兴企业Accoleo,以图进军欧洲市场。Airbnb所面临的激烈竞争,不仅来自9flats,也来自Wimdu,这家“克隆企业”既有Samwer兄弟撑腰,又有老手出谋划策。其老板Arne Bleckwenn第三次出山,为Samwer兄弟的新兴企业效力。他首次掌管Gamegoods,竟遭遇罕见失败,第二次统领网络游戏虚拟币平台GratisPay,去年却卖给了其德国对手SponsorPay。

Wimdu并非小本经营,今年6月,它从核心投资者那募集了9000万美元。7月,Samwer兄弟又为类似亚马逊Zappos的网络鞋店Zalando筹措了更多资金。Wimdu与Zalando也许最终都可能被其他公司抢购,不过Samwer兄弟也有可能选择不放手,或者采取持股买家的方式部分放手。后一策略,Rocket Internet去年将CityDeal卖给团购网站Groupon时,就曾用过。Rocket Internet与Samwer两兄弟一道,一直在帮助Groupon发展国际业务。Groupon计划上市,它预备从中大赚一笔。

Rocket Internet老板Florian Heinemann对克隆行径毫无悔意。他称,互联网创意很少有专利保护,也理应如此,专利引发暂时性垄断,而这往往会遏制竞争。Wimdu老板Bleckwenn先生也为抄袭好创意辩解,他提到:“宝马可没发明汽车。” 在改进现有发明方面,德国机械工程师技艺非凡。在其看来,Samwer兄弟只不过正将同一天赋应用到互联网而已。

模仿或许是最由衷的赞美,但某些被模仿者可不当这是一种恭维。他们讨厌被迫花大钱买回自己的创意,也相当不满克隆军咄咄逼人的进攻手段。Airbnb声称,“克隆企业”让租客去看自己网站上发布的待租房,以此跟屋主套近乎,搞行销。这些小把戏让那些硅谷的榜样们被自己榨出的新鲜芒果汁呛到了。但这些花招又完全合法。

Atlas Venture公司的风投资本家Fred Destin曾在欧美工作过,他发现两地存在一种双重标准,“若有新的商业点子在美国做成功,马上就会招来八家企业竞相模仿,风投资本家也会予以资助。但并没人称其‘克隆企业’。”Groupon一直愿与Samwer兄弟合作打造业务,这一事实传递了另一种信号,表明某些企业的愤愤不平过头了。

尽管如此,新兴企业确须考虑到威胁。美国法律事务所Goodwin Procter的知识产权专家David Goldston称,起诉克隆企业很难。许多国家专利注册费用高时间久,还可能难执行。更好的做法是在创新上超越对手。最有能力击退克隆者,是那些能利用强大的网络社交效应、让用户鼓励亲友参与某项特定服务的企业。而别的企业,则只能高举光剑,期望原力与自己同在(注2)。



注1:Attack of the clones
出自美国2002年上映的影片Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones,一般译为《星球大战前传2:克隆人的进攻》、《复制人的侵略》、《复制人全面进攻》、《复制人的袭击》、《克隆人来袭》。

注2:Others will just have to draw their light sabres and hope that the Force is with them.
The Force is a binding, metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the fictional universe of the Star Wars galaxy created by George Lucas. Mentioned in the first film in the series, it is integral to all subsequent incarnations of Star Wars, including the expanded universe of comic books, novels, and video games. Within the franchise, it is the object of the Jedi and Sith monastic orders.
The expression "May the Force be with you" has achieved cult status and is symbolic of the Star Wars legacy. The line has been said by at least one character in each of the Star Wars movies.
这句话出自电影Star Wars,呼应标题,微带讥讽。表示新兴企业在面对克隆企业进攻时,若不能从创新上超越对手,借助网络社交效应,就只能听天由命,徒呼奈何了。

 
 
感谢译者 zhanyisky 点击此处阅读双语版

2

鲜花

握手

雷人
1

路过

鸡蛋

刚表态过的朋友 (3 人)

发表评论

最新评论

引用 yannanchen 2011-8-8 19:09
本帖最后由 yannanchen 于 2011-8-8 19:54 编辑

ON AUGUST 1st Airbnb, an online marketplace that helps people rent rooms, admitted that it had mishandled a complaint from someone whose apartment was ransacked by one of its renters. Brian Chesky, the firm’s boss, begged forgiveness and announced that from August 15th Airbnb would cover up to $50,000-worth of damage caused by its customers, subject to certain (as yet unannounced) conditions. Soon afterwards 9flats, a rival based in Berlin, said it, too, would offer insurance. 租房网站Airbnb的某位客户曾抱怨其公寓遭租客洗劫。8月1日,该公司承认对这起投诉处置失当,老板Brian Chesky请求原谅,并宣称自8月15日起,只要符合某些条件,就会承担客户造成的损失,金额高至5万美元,但条件为何尚未公布。其后不久,Airbnb在柏林的对手9flats称也会提供赔偿金。
评论: Airbnb实际上是掮客, 它的生意面对两种人,一是customer (上文的damage caused by its customers), 这也称renters (上文的ransacked by one of its renters)另一种是 有房子要出租的人  也就是 someone whose apartment(someone who has an apartment), 又称owners (见下文)
至于上文的 helps people rent rooms中的people,我想既可是前者,也可是后者,rent是租出,也是租入。

文末的一句:
Airbnb claims that clones have sent people to rent its properties so they can give owners a sales pitch.

这里的people指的是租入者, 即上面的customer, renters。
its 指Airbnb
owners 指有房子要出租的人


原文的指代不是太清楚, 翻译过来也没有详加区别
引用 yannanchen 2011-8-8 19:15
One battleground will be China. There, opaque rules have kept many American firms at bay, leaving the field open for Chinese ones to develop similar services. Diandian, for example, resembles Tumblr, an American blogging platform. Zhihu, a question-and-answer service, looks a bit like Quora, an American firm.中国将是一大战场。此地规则晦暗不明,令美国企业大受牵制,却对中国企业发展相似业务不加干涉。如“点点网”好似美国博客平台Tumblr,而问答服务网站“知乎”看起来有点像美企Quora。
评论:令许多美国企业不敢进入,一任中国企业在无对手竞争的情况下发展相似业务。
引用 yannanchen 2011-8-8 19:19
a rare flop
罕见的失败
引用 lh1710 2011-8-8 19:29
译得很流畅,语言功底很扎实,拜读了!

有些小地方可以讨论一下:

Soon afterwards 9flats, a rival based in Berlin, said it, too, would offer insurance.
其后不久,Airbnb在柏林的对手9flats称也会提供赔偿金。
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
insurance 是指保险,跟直接提供“赔偿金”还是有差别的。

Other American web superstars, such as Groupon, a discount firm, and Kickstarter, which crowdsources funding for arts and technology projects, have also been attacked by “clones” (services set up in foreign markets that are almost identical to the American originals).
其他美国网络巨星,如团购企业Groupon及艺术技术项目众包融资网站Kickstarter,也遭到“克隆企业”攻击。“克隆企业”是指那些创立于国外市场又近乎等同于美国首创者的服务。
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other American web superstars 加上“企业”两字,意思会更清楚一些,如“其他美国网络企业巨星”,或是“其他美国网络巨星企业”。“其他美国网络巨星”一开始读上去感觉对象是在说人。
后一句这么说更顺:克隆企业是指那些立足于海外却跟原创公司几乎提供相同服务的企业。

As the cost of computing power plummets and the prices of hot start-ups soar—Airbnb was recently valued at an eye-watering $1.3 billion—the clone wars will get bloody.
随着计算力成本骤跌,热门新兴企业估价剧增(像Aribnb近期估值就高达13亿美元,令人大跌眼镜),克隆人之战变得血雨腥风。
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
As the cost of computing power plummets我的理解是“随着依靠电脑来运营的企业成本骤跌”

There, opaque rules have kept many American firms at bay, leaving the field open for Chinese ones to develop similar services.
此地规则晦暗不明,令美国企业大受牵制,却对中国企业类似业务发展不加干涉。
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
后半句我会翻成“眼睁睁把这片市场拱手让给中国企业发展一些与美国公司相似的业务”。

an incubator that uses its own pool of experts—now around 90 people—to help launch several start-ups a year.
这一创新孵化平台利用自有专家池(现约90位专家),每年提携推出数家新兴企业。
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Its own pool of experts “自有专家池”有点别扭,我会说是“自身的精英团队”

It faces stiff competition not just from 9flats but also from Wimdu, a clone backed by the Samwer brothers and staffed with experienced hands.
它所面临的激烈竞争,不仅来自9flats,也来自Wimdu,这家“克隆企业”既有Samwer兄弟撑腰,又有老手出谋划策。
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“它所面临的激烈竞争”的“它”明说是“Airbnb”比较清楚。

Internet ideas are rarely patented and rightly so, he says: patents create a temporary monopoly which tends to stifle competition.
互联网点子难获专利,现实也确实如此,他称:专利引发暂时性垄断,这往往会遏制竞争。
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
很少有人为互联网点子申请专利,这也确实是正确的做法。


Such tricks make Silicon Valley types choke on their freshly squeezed mango juice. But they are perfectly legal.
这些小把戏让硅谷的楷模们被自己榨出的新鲜芒果汁呛到了。但这些花招又完全合法。
----------------------------------------------------
Silicon Valley types 我理解成“the types of people work in Silicon Valley”, 比喻那些善于创新的人,这里我会译成“那些互联网点子的原创者们”。


Fred Destin, a venture capitalist at Atlas Venture who has worked in both Europe and America, sees a double standard. “When something works in America”, he says, “eight companies immediately go after the same opportunity and venture capitalists fund them. But nobody calls them clones.” The fact that Groupon has been willing to work with the Samwers on building its business is another sign that some of the outrage is overdone.
Atlas Venture公司的风投资本家Fred Destin曾在欧美干过,他发现两地存在一种双重标准,“当某样东西进入美国时,八家企业会立即谋求同一机会,风投资本家也会予以资助。但无人会称其‘克隆企业’。”Groupon一直愿与Samwer兄弟合作打造业务,这一事实释放了另一种信号,表明某些义愤过头了。
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See a double standard 发现两地存在不同标准
When sth works in Ameriac, eight companies immediately go after the same opportunity
若有新的商业点子在美国做成功,马上会招来八家企业竞相模仿。
最后一句后半句,“这从另外一种意义上表明有些企业太大惊小怪了。”



引用 yannanchen 2011-8-8 19:30
Wimdu is no shoestring operation: in June it raised $90m from its core investors. In July the Samwers raised more money for Zalando, an online shoe-shop that resembles Amazon’s Zappos. Both Wimdu and Zalando may ultimately be snapped up by other firms, though the Samwers could choose to hang on to them or to take some equity in the buyer—a strategy Rocket Internet adopted when it sold CityDeal, an online-discount firm, to Groupon last year. Rocket Internet has been helping to develop Groupon’s international business, along with two of the Samwer brothers. It stands to make more money from Groupon’s planned stockmarket listing.      Wimdu并非小本经营,今年6月,它从核心投资者那募集了9000万美元。7月,Samwer兄弟又为类似亚马逊Zappos的网络鞋店Zalando筹措了更多资金。而最终,Wimdu与Zalando或许都会被其他公司抢购,哪怕Samwer兄弟可能选择不放手,又或者采取持股买家的方式。后一策略,Rocket Internet去年将CityDeal卖给团购网站Groupon时,就曾用过。Rocket Internet与Samwer两兄弟一道,一直在帮助Groupon发展国际业务。Groupon计划上市,它预备从中大赚一笔。

评论:Both Wimdu and Zalando may ultimately be snapped up by other firms, though the Samwers could choose to hang on to them or to take some equity in the buyer而最终,Wimdu与Zalando或许都会被其他公司抢购,哪怕Samwer兄弟可能选择不放手,又或者采取持股买家的方式。
这句逻辑不对。
may ultimately be snapped up 可能最终被收购, 这只是可能, 这里的收购指的是100% 股权的转让。
因为完全收购只是一种可能性, 所以才有底下两种别的可能: 不让收购, 部分收购。
the Samwers could choose to hang on to them 这就是不让, 一点也不让。
or to take some equity in the buyer 这就是部分让出, 仍然持股。
所以这里的though 不应当译成  哪怕 , 哪怕是 despite 的意思, 也是徒劳。
应当这样译:
Wimdu与Zalando也许最终都可能被其他公司抢购,不过Samwer兄弟也有可能选择不放手,或者采取持股买家的方式部分放手。

引用 yannanchen 2011-8-8 19:36
Florian Heinemann, the boss of Rocket Internet, is unrepentant about cloning. Internet ideas are rarely patented and rightly so, he says: patents create a temporary monopoly which tends to stifle competition. Mr Bleckwenn at Wimdu also defends copying good ideas: “BMW didn’t invent the car,” he observes. German mechanical engineers are brilliant at improving existing inventions. From their perspective, the Samwer brothers are simply applying that same genius to the internet.  Rocket Internet老板Florian Heinemann对克隆行径毫无悔意。互联网点子难获专利,现实也确实如此,他称:专利引发暂时性垄断,这往往会遏制竞争。Wimdu老板Bleckwenn先生也为抄袭好点子辩解,他提到:“宝马可没发明汽车。” 在改进现有发明方面,德国机械工程师技艺非凡。在其看来,Samwer兄弟只不过正将同一天赋应用到互联网而已。
评论:Internet ideas are rarely patented and rightly so, he says: patents create a temporary monopoly which tends to stifle competition.
这里的he says 的前后两句都是间接引语。互联网上的创意很少有专利保护,这是很对头的(应该如此)

引用 iam60cemt 2011-8-8 21:22
Airbnb claims that clones have sent people to rent its properties so they can give owners a sales pitch.     应该和租房子没关系,个人认为应该是有指代含义的意思的, Airbnb认为“克隆企业”先是让顾客使用他们的“克隆产品”,然后他们就可以向这个商品的原创者炫耀他们的销售技巧,应该是这个意思
引用 zhanyisky 2011-8-8 21:36
本帖最后由 zhanyisky 于 2011-8-8 21:38 编辑
yannanchen 发表于 2011-8-8 19:09
ON AUGUST 1st Airbnb, an online marketplace that helps people rent rooms, admitted that it had misha ...

1、ON AUGUST 1st Airbnb, an online marketplace that helps people rent rooms, admitted that it had mishandled a complaint from someone whose apartment was ransacked by one of its renters. Brian Chesky, the firm’s boss, begged forgiveness and announced that from August 15th Airbnb would cover up to $50,000-worth of damage caused by its customers, subject to certain (as yet unannounced) conditions. Soon afterwards 9flats, a rival based in Berlin, said it, too, would offer insurance.
原译:租房网站Airbnb的某位客户曾抱怨其公寓遭租客洗劫。8月1日,该公司承认对这起投诉处置失当,老板Brian Chesky请求原谅,并宣称自8月15日起,只要符合某些条件,就会承担客户造成的损失,金额高至5万美元,但条件为何尚未公布。其后不久,Airbnb在柏林的对手9flats称也会提供赔偿金。
(1)、评论: Airbnb实际上是掮客, 它的生意面对两种人,一是customer (上文的damage caused by its customers), 这也称renters (上文的ransacked by one of its renters)另一种是 有房子要出租的人  也就是 someone whose apartment(someone who has an apartment), 又称owners (见下文)
至于上文的 helps people rent rooms中的people,我想既可是前者,也可是后者,rent是租出,也是租入。

Google了一下, http://tech.qq.com/a/20110808/000320.htm,Airbnb确是一个房屋租赁平台,其客户包括租客与房东。an online marketplace that helps people rent rooms 这一句,为了简洁,我笼统译为“租房网站”。译文中提到的两个“客户”,第一指“房东”,第二指“租客”,的确未详加区别,英文果然比中文精确。另句末的insurance如L版指出,应译为“保险”。
重译:租房网站Airbnb的某位房东曾抱怨其公寓遭租客洗劫。8月1日,该公司承认对这起投诉处置失当,老板Brian Chesky请求原谅,并宣称自8月15日起,只要符合某些条件,就会承担租客造成的损失,金额高至5万美元,但条件为何尚未公布。其后不久,Airbnb在柏林的对手9flats称也会提供保险。


(2)、文末的一句:
Airbnb claims that clones have sent people to rent its properties so they can give owners a sales pitch.
原译:Airbnb声称,“克隆企业”让人们租用其名下的房屋,如此就可向屋主展示推销技巧。
这里的people指的是租入者, 即上面的customer, renters。
its 指Airbnb
owners 指有房子要出租的人
原文的指代不是太清楚, 翻译过来也没有详加区别

这句琢磨良久仍无十足把握。个人理解,people确指租入者,即customer或renters,但是假的租入者,意即克隆企业派出的卧底;its指Airbnb,但its properties不是Airbnb自己的房产,而是后面提到的owners,即房东在Airbnb上发布的出租房屋,they指克隆企业。
重译:Airbnb声称,“克隆企业”派人租用自己网站上发布的房屋,以此向房东展示推销技巧。


2、One battleground will be China. There, opaque rules have kept many American firms at bay, leaving the field open for Chinese ones to develop similar services. Diandian, for example, resembles Tumblr, an American blogging platform. Zhihu, a question-and-answer service, looks a bit like Quora, an American firm.
原译:中国将是一大战场。此地规则晦暗不明,令美国企业大受牵制,却对中国企业发展相似业务不加干涉。如“点点网”好似美国博客平台Tumblr,而问答服务网站“知乎”看起来有点像美企Quora。
评论:令许多美国企业不敢进入,一任中国企业在无对手竞争的情况下发展相似业务。

leaving the field open for 我理解为“不加干涉”、“不予干涉”,但太过直译,导致译文有些晦涩。Y版增译后,意思清晰明了。

3、a rare flop
原译:惨遭失败
评论:罕见的失败

Rare一开始理解为“罕见的”,再看了下,作adj.时并无此意,作adv.时才有“非常、极其”之意,汗。

4、Wimdu is no shoestring operation: in June it raised $90m from its core investors. In July the Samwers raised more money for Zalando, an online shoe-shop that resembles Amazon’s Zappos. Both Wimdu and Zalando may ultimately be snapped up by other firms, though the Samwers could choose to hang on to them or to take some equity in the buyer—a strategy Rocket Internet adopted when it sold CityDeal, an online-discount firm, to Groupon last year. Rocket Internet has been helping to develop Groupon’s international business, along with two of the Samwer brothers. It stands to make more money from Groupon’s planned stockmarket listing.      
原译:Wimdu并非小本经营,今年6月,它从核心投资者那募集了9000万美元。7月,Samwer兄弟又为类似亚马逊Zappos的网络鞋店Zalando筹措了更多资金。而最终,Wimdu与Zalando或许都会被其他公司抢购,哪怕Samwer兄弟可能选择不放手,又或者采取持股买家的方式。后一策略,Rocket Internet去年将CityDeal卖给团购网站Groupon时,就曾用过。Rocket Internet与Samwer两兄弟一道,一直在帮助Groupon发展国际业务。Groupon计划上市,它预备从中大赚一笔。
评论:Both Wimdu and Zalando may ultimately be snapped up by other firms, though the Samwers could choose to hang on to them or to take some equity in the buyer而最终,Wimdu与Zalando或许都会被其他公司抢购,哪怕Samwer兄弟可能选择不放手,又或者采取持股买家的方式。
这句逻辑不对。
may ultimately be snapped up 可能最终被收购, 这只是可能, 这里的收购指的是100% 股权的转让。
因为完全收购只是一种可能性, 所以才有底下两种别的可能: 不让收购, 部分收购。
the Samwers could choose to hang on to them 这就是不让, 一点也不让。
or to take some equity in the buyer 这就是部分让出, 仍然持股。
所以这里的though 不应当译成  哪怕 , 哪怕是 despite 的意思, 也是徒劳。
应当这样译:
Wimdu与Zalando也许最终都可能被其他公司抢购,不过Samwer兄弟也有可能选择不放手,或者采取持股买家的方式部分放手。

Y版分析太清晰到位了,认可。take some equity in the buyer这句我就没弄懂是啥意思,财经知识严重欠缺,汗。


5、Florian Heinemann, the boss of Rocket Internet, is unrepentant about cloning. Internet ideas are rarely patented and rightly so, he says: patents create a temporary monopoly which tends to stifle competition. Mr Bleckwenn at Wimdu also defends copying good ideas: “BMW didn’t invent the car,” he observes. German mechanical engineers are brilliant at improving existing inventions. From their perspective, the Samwer brothers are simply applying that same genius to the internet.  
原译:Rocket Internet老板Florian Heinemann对克隆行径毫无悔意。互联网点子难获专利,现实也确实如此,他称:专利引发暂时性垄断,这往往会遏制竞争。Wimdu老板Bleckwenn先生也为抄袭好点子辩解,他提到:“宝马可没发明汽车。” 在改进现有发明方面,德国机械工程师技艺非凡。在其看来,Samwer兄弟只不过正将同一天赋应用到互联网而已。
评论:Internet ideas are rarely patented and rightly so, he says: patents create a temporary monopoly which tends to stifle competition.
这里的he says 的前后两句都是间接引语。互联网上的创意很少有专利保护,这是很对头的(应该如此)
Rightly我理解为“确切的,真实的”,再想了下,Y版跟L版的理解是对的。
重译:Rocket Internet老板Florian Heinemann对克隆行径毫无悔意。他称,互联网创意很少有专利保护,也理应如此,专利引发暂时性垄断,而这往往会遏制竞争。Wimdu老板Bleckwenn先生也为抄袭好创意辩解,他提到:“宝马可没发明汽车。” 在改进现有发明方面,德国机械工程师技艺非凡。在其看来,Samwer兄弟只不过正将同一天赋应用到互联网而已。

引用 zhanyisky 2011-8-8 21:40
本帖最后由 zhanyisky 于 2011-8-8 21:59 编辑
lh1710 发表于 2011-8-8 19:29
译得很流畅,语言功底很扎实,拜读了!

有些小地方可以讨论一下:


谢谢L版费心指正。

1、Soon afterwards 9flats, a rival based in Berlin, said it, too, would offer insurance.
其后不久,Airbnb在柏林的对手9flats称也会提供赔偿金。
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
insurance 是指保险,跟直接提供“赔偿金”还是有差别的。
嗯,认可。

2、Other American web superstars, such as Groupon, a discount firm, and Kickstarter, which crowdsources funding for arts and technology projects, have also been attacked by “clones” (services set up in foreign markets that are almost identical to the American originals).
其他美国网络巨星,如团购企业Groupon及艺术技术项目众包融资网站Kickstarter,也遭到“克隆企业”攻击。“克隆企业”是指那些创立于国外市场又近乎等同于美国首创者的服务。
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other American web superstars 加上“企业”两字,意思会更清楚一些,如“其他美国网络企业巨星”,或是“其他美国网络巨星企业”。“其他美国网络巨星”一开始读上去感觉对象是在说人。
后一句这么说更顺:克隆企业是指那些立足于海外却跟原创公司几乎提供相同服务的企业。
嗯,原译太过直译,我自己也不满意。L版一改顺溜多了。

3、As the cost of computing power plummets and the prices of hot start-ups soar—Airbnb was recently valued at an eye-watering $1.3 billion—the clone wars will get bloody.
随着计算力成本骤跌,热门新兴企业估价剧增(像Aribnb近期估值就高达13亿美元,令人大跌眼镜),克隆人之战变得血雨腥风。
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
As the cost of computing power plummets我的理解是“随着依靠电脑来运营的企业成本骤跌”
这个,我曾翻过一篇TE,名字就是 A Market for Computing Power,我直译为“计算力市场”,这里的computing power其实就是计算能力,或者说数据处理能力,google一下,“计算力”这种说法还是比较普遍的,应该算一种IT术语吧,故这句我持保留意见。

4、There, opaque rules have kept many American firms at bay, leaving the field open for Chinese ones to develop similar services.
此地规则晦暗不明,令美国企业大受牵制,却对中国企业类似业务发展不加干涉。
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
后半句我会翻成“眼睁睁把这片市场拱手让给中国企业发展一些与美国公司相似的业务”。
这句Y版译为“令许多美国企业不敢进入,一任中国企业在无对手竞争的情况下发展相似业务。”
两位均有增译,意思均较我的原译清晰顺畅,但对比之下,我更倾向Y版的译法。


5、an incubator that uses its own pool of experts—now around 90 people—to help launch several start-ups a year.
这一创新孵化平台利用自有专家池(现约90位专家),每年提携推出数家新兴企业。
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Its own pool of experts “自有专家池”有点别扭,我会说是“自身的精英团队”
嗯,认可。“专家池”太直译了,汗。

6、It faces stiff competition not just from 9flats but also from Wimdu, a clone backed by the Samwer brothers and staffed with experienced hands.
它所面临的激烈竞争,不仅来自9flats,也来自Wimdu,这家“克隆企业”既有Samwer兄弟撑腰,又有老手出谋划策。
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“它所面临的激烈竞争”的“它”明说是“Airbnb”比较清楚。
嗯,认可。

7、Internet ideas are rarely patented and rightly so, he says: patents create a temporary monopoly which tends to stifle competition.
互联网点子难获专利,现实也确实如此,他称:专利引发暂时性垄断,这往往会遏制竞争。
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
很少有人为互联网点子申请专利,这也确实是正确的做法。
嗯,认可。这句rightly我理解有误。

8、Such tricks make Silicon Valley types choke on their freshly squeezed mango juice. But they are perfectly legal.
这些小把戏让硅谷的楷模们被自己榨出的新鲜芒果汁呛到了。但这些花招又完全合法。
----------------------------------------------------
Silicon Valley types 我理解成“the types of people work in Silicon Valley”, 比喻那些善于创新的人,这里我会译成“那些互联网点子的原创者们”。
原译的确太呆板,但若译成“那些互联网点子的原创者们”,将Silicon Valley忽略,我觉得损失了一些关键信息。因为本文说的是世界各地的克隆企业纷纷进攻Silicon Valley为代表的美国原创企业,而不是其他地方的原创企业。
而types我觉得有戏谑之意,一方面指clones,表示是克隆的对象或模型,一方面又呼应9flats admits to being “inspired” by American e-commerce这句中的”inspired”,表示是善于创新的美企“启发”了世界各地的克隆企业,堪称后者的榜样或楷模。


9、Fred Destin, a venture capitalist at Atlas Venture who has worked in both Europe and America, sees a double standard. “When something works in America”, he says, “eight companies immediately go after the same opportunity and venture capitalists fund them. But nobody calls them clones.” The fact that Groupon has been willing to work with the Samwers on building its business is another sign that some of the outrage is overdone.
Atlas Venture公司的风投资本家Fred Destin曾在欧美干过,他发现两地存在一种双重标准,“当某样东西进入美国时,八家企业会立即谋求同一机会,风投资本家也会予以资助。但无人会称其‘克隆企业’。”Groupon一直愿与Samwer兄弟合作打造业务,这一事实释放了另一种信号,表明某些义愤过头了。
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See a double standard 发现两地存在不同标准
When sth works in Ameriac, eight companies immediately go after the same opportunity
若有新的商业点子在美国做成功,马上会招来八家企业竞相模仿。
最后一句后半句,“这从另外一种意义上表明有些企业太大惊小怪了。”
嗯,认可,我的毛病还是太拘泥于原文,直译得太呆板了。但some of the outrage is overdone.这句,我觉得outrage是呼应上文的They hate having to buy back their own ideas at a hefty premium. And they gripe about the clone troopers’ aggressive tactics. 译为“大惊小怪”貌似语气轻了些。
引用 那片天空 2011-8-8 22:27
第一段第一句的complaint译为投诉比较好
引用 yannanchen 2011-8-8 23:06
回复 zhanyisky 的帖子

2)、文末的一句:
Airbnb claims that clones have sent people to rent its properties so they can give owners a sales pitch.
原译:Airbnb声称,“克隆企业”让人们租用其名下的房屋,如此就可向屋主展示推销技巧。
这里的people指的是租入者, 即上面的customer, renters。
its 指Airbnb
owners 指有房子要出租的人
原文的指代不是太清楚, 翻译过来也没有详加区别
这句琢磨良久仍无十足把握。个人理解,people确指租入者,即customer或renters,但是假的租入者,意即克隆企业派出的卧底;its指Airbnb,但its properties不是Airbnb自己的房产,而是后面提到的owners,即房东在Airbnb上发布的出租房屋,they指克隆企业。
重译:Airbnb声称,“克隆企业”派人租用自己网站上发布的房屋,以此向房东展示推销技巧

重评:Airbnb claims that clones have sent people to rent its properties so they can give owners a sales pitch.

Airbnb --------it,its
clones---------they,their(s)

its properties 名义上是 Airbnb‘s properties, 实际上是 owners’ properties

这里的clones 空手套白狼, 自己没有properties , 但是把people(要租房的旅客)sent 到Airbnb名下列出的待租房, 跟旅客套近乎(做广告, 搞行销)
引用 yannanchen 2011-8-9 08:57
点评zhanyisky  但克隆企业套近乎的对象,应该是owners,也就是房东,而非旅客或者说租客。  发表于 6 分钟前 删除

对对
引用 yannanchen 2011-8-9 08:59
In selling technique, a sales pitch is a line of talk that attempts to persuade someone or something, with a planned sales presentation strategy of a product or service designed to initiate and close a sale of the product or service.

A sales pitch is a planned presentation of a product or service designed to initiate and close a sale of the same product or service. A sales pitch is essentially designed to be either an introduction of a product or service to an audience who knows nothing about it, or a descriptive expansion of a product or service that an audience has already expressed interest in. Sales professionals prepare and give a sales pitch, which can be either formal or informal, and might be delivered in any number of ways.

引用 那片天空 2011-8-9 10:00
回复 那片天空 的帖子

嗯,的确考虑周到。我开始的时候是觉得“抱怨”和“这起投诉”有点连接不傻瓜,不知道译为:租房网站Airbnb的某位房东曾投诉其公寓遭租客洗劫。8月1日,该公司承认对这次事件处置失当是否好些。
引用 djy3722 2011-8-11 20:35
支持一下,唯一有点可惜的是没有音频啊。

查看全部评论(15)

QQ|小黑屋|手机版|网站地图|关于我们|ECO中文网 ( 京ICP备06039041号  

GMT+8, 2024-3-29 03:13 , Processed in 7.068295 second(s), 27 queries .

Powered by Discuz! X3.3

© 2001-2017 Comsenz Inc.

返回顶部