漢譯英

什么是全球化1

全球化是描述全球社會出現的一個術語，在這個社會中，世界上一個區域在經濟、政治、環境、文化方面的事件會很快對世界其它地區的人們產生重大影響。2全球化是通信、運輸、信息科技發展的結果。它體現了連接個體、社區、公司以及各國政府間日益增長的經濟、政治、科技文化聯系。全球化包括多國公司和跨國公司的成長。監管世界貿易和金融的國際機構3在全球化時代發揮著日益重要的作用。4

盡管絕大多數人依然是單一國家的公民，然而他們卻比以往任何時候在文化上、物質上、心理上5更多地參與著其它國家人民的生活。遙遠的事件通常會產生迅速重大的影響6，我們生活中的日常用品，如我們穿的衣服、吃的食物、開的汽車——都是全球化的產品。

全球化最明顯的證據是貿易和資本(股票、債券、貨幣和其它投資)流動的增長。自1950年到2001年全球出口額7增加了20倍。到2001年世界貿易已增至全球生產的產品和提供的服務總和的四分之一。就資本而言，在20世紀70年代早期，日成交貨幣只有一百億到兩百億美元。到21世紀初，日貨幣交易已逾1.5兆億美元。

大多數老師認為全球化是通信、運輸和信息科技改善的結果8。例如，由于通信和信息處理的革新，不僅貨幣，股票、證券以及其他金融資產一天二十四小時9都能夠在全球范圍內進行交易。從紐約到倫敦一個三分鐘長的電話在1930年花費超過300美元(按2000年的價格計算)，瞬間的通訊非常昂貴。如今這類花費已微不足道。10

通信和信息技術的進步使得商業訂單的處理成本節省90%以上。比如，11利用計算機在互聯網上進行銀行交易，對銀行業來說每筆花費幾分錢，而用傳統方法就會要花費數美元。20世紀的后30年計算機處理能力的實際成本平均每年下降30%。人們幾乎在任何地方都能與他們的顧客、家人一周七天、一天24小時保持迅捷的聯系。

通信領域的進步將全球的人們隨時聯結起來。例如通訊衛星使全球廣播、電視新聞事件，如戰爭、國家災難、體育賽事和其他娛樂活動等。互聯網、手機和傳真機實現了迅捷通信。

全球化的另一表現是交通運輸條件的改善。噴氣式飛機的次日貨物遞送使世界變得越來越小。即使是速度緩慢的遠洋運輸貨輪也由于集裝箱貨運這樣的革新，提高了效率12、降低了成本。

信息科技的進步也降低了13商業成本。例如，按股票市場價值計算，全球思科系統公司14是世界上最大的公司之一。然而思科僅有三家工廠生產用于互聯網維護的設備，而將其他的工作轉包給了別的公司。

成本的降低使美國公司得以移到海外，同時也使外國制造商在美國境內設廠更為容易。日本豐田汽車公司在北美銷售的汽車三分之二是在北美制造的。

不僅是貨物、貨幣和信息在迅速地長途移動，越來越多的人口也在大范圍快速流動。移民是全球化時代的一個重要特征。工人們寄回本國的錢已經成為很多國家的重要收入來源。

詞匯

1.全球化globalization

2.信息技術information technologies

3.跨國公司transnational corporations

4.世界貿易world trade

5.明顯的dramatic

6.債券bonds

7.通信communication

8.商業訂單business orders

9.遠洋運輸貨輪oceangoing vessels

10.市場價值market value

11.轉包subcontract

12.匯錢remittance

13.收入來源source of income

注釋

1.“全球化”一詞是在1962年第一次出現的。全球化戰略要求領導人把商業的運作看作全球性的“棋局”，從全球的角度來考慮資金、生產和銷售(客戶)的問題。換句話說，要在資金成本最低的地方融資，在成本效益最高的地方生產，然后在利潤最大的地方 銷售。

2.本句前半部分是主要信息，后半部分是次要信息，翻譯時可以處理成英語的定語從句，這樣句子結構緊湊，符合英語的表達習慣。

3.本句中“監管世界貿易和金融的”為前置定語，由于修飾語較長，可以譯作英語的定語從句。

4.本句中“發揮著……的作用”，可以利用英語的動詞詞組play a part in來譯出。“日益”通常可以使用英語副詞increasingly，例如：市場營銷技巧變得日益復雜。Marketing techniques are becoming increasingly sophisticated.

5.“文化上、物質上、心理上”這類詞通常有兩種譯法，一種是用介詞in引導的短語(in culture，material and psychology)，另一種是用詞類轉換技巧，把這類英語名詞轉化為副詞culturally，materially，and psychologically。再如：從歷史和文化上看，英國與歐洲大陸一直保持著聯系。Historically and culturally，Britain has always been linked to the continent.

6.“產生……的影響”，可以使用英語的詞組have impact on。例如：高抵押借款利率已經對消費產生了重大影響。Higher mortgage rates have already had a major impact on spending.

7.“出口額”可譯作volume of exports，試比較：貿易額the volume of trade，銷售額sales volume 。

8.“認為……是……的結果”，意為“把……歸為……”，可譯作attribute to。再如：通常認為，由心臟病所引發的死亡的下降是飲食改善的結果。The fall in the number of deaths from heart disease is generally attributed to improvements in diet.

9.“一天24小時”通常可以譯作round the clock。例如：為了能夠按時完成，吉姆一直一天24小時工作著。Jim has been working round the clock to finish it in time.

10.本句中“微不足道”，指花費很少，不值得一提，可以選用英語形容詞insignificant來譯。例如：微不足道的數量insignificant number/amount。

11.本句中“大大降低……的成本”，可以根據具體語境，翻譯為slash the cost of。例如：為了刺激汽車銷售，美國汽車制造商們已經開始削價。American car manufacturers have started slashing prices in an effort to stimulate sales.國會已削減了幫助貧困家庭項目的預算。Congress has slashed the budget for programs to help poor families.

13.本句中“提高了效率”的意義，可以通過英語動詞streamline巧妙地表達出來，既簡潔又地道。例如：我們怎樣才能提高效率呢?How can we streamline our production processes?

14.本句中“降低了……的成本”，可以根據具體語境翻譯為lower the cost of。例如：最近房子在貶值。Houses have lowered in value recently. 邦德銀行迫于壓力要降低利息。The Bundes Bank is under pressure to lower interest rates.

15.本句中“思科系統公司”是全球領先的互聯網設備供應商。它的網絡設備和應用方案將世界各地的人、計算機設備以及網絡聯結起來，使人們能夠隨時隨地利用各種設備傳送信息。思科的總部位于美國加利福尼亞州的圣何塞，在馬薩諸塞州的Chelmsford和北卡羅來納州研究三角園( Research Triangle Park)的分部負責思科公司部分重要的業務運作，1998年9月，思科系統(中國)網絡技術有限公司成立，并在北京建立了網絡技術實驗室。

參考譯文

What Is Globalization?

Globalization is a term for the emergence of a global society in which economic, political, environmental, and cultural events in one part of the world quickly come to have significance for people in other parts of the world. Globalization is the result of advances in communication, transportation, and information technologies. It describes the growing economic, political, technological, and cultural linkages that connect individuals, communities, businesses, and governments around the world. Globalization also involves the growth of multinational corporations and transnational corporations. The international institutions that oversee world trade and finance play an increasingly important role in this era of globalization.

Although most people continue to live as citizens of a single nation, they are culturally, materially, and psychologically engaged with the lives of people in other countries as never before. Distant events often have an immediate and significant impact. Items common to our everyday lives - such as the clothes we wear, the food we eat, and the cars we drive - are the products of globalization.

The most dramatic evidence of globalization is the increase in trade and the movement of capital (stocks, bonds, currencies, and other investments). From 1950 to 2001 the volume of world exports rose by 20 times. By 2001 world trade amounted to a quarter of all the goods and services produced in the world. As for capital, in the early l970s only $ 10 billion to $ 20 billion in national currencies were exchanged daily. By the early part of the 2lst century more than $ 1.5 trillion were traded daily to support the expanded levels of trade and investment

Most experts attribute globalization to improvements in communication, transportation, and information technologies. For example, not only currencies, but also stocks, bonds, and other financial assets can be traded round the clock and around the world due to innovations in communication and information processing. A three-minute telephone call from New York City to London in 1930 cost more than $ 300 (in year 2000 prices) , making instant communication very expensive. Today the cost is insignificant.

Advances in communication and information technologies have helped slash the cost of processing business orders by well over 90 percent. Using a computer to do banking on the Internet, for example, costs the banking industry pennies per transaction instead of dollars by traditional methods. Over the last third of the 20th century the real cost of computer processing power fell by 35 percent on average each year. People can be almost anywhere and remain in instant communication with their employers, customers, or families 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Advances in communications instantly unite people around the globe. For example, communications satellites allow global television broadcasts to bring news of faraway events, such as wars and national disasters as well as sports and other forms of entertainment. The Internet, the cell phone, and the fax machine permit instantaneous communication. Improvements in transportation are also part of globalization. The world becomes smaller due to next-day delivery by jet airplane. Even slow, oceangoing vessels have streamlined transportation and lowered costs due to innovations such as containerized shipping.

Advances in information technologies have also lowered business costs. The global corporation Cisco Systems, for example, is one of the world's largest companies as measured by its stock market value. Yet Cisco owns only three factories to make the equipment used to help maintain the Internet. Cisco subcontracts the rest of its work to other companies around the world.

The lowering of costs that has enabled U. S. companies to locate abroad has also made it easier for foreign producers to locate in the United States. Two-thirds of the automobiles sold in North America by Japan's Toyota Motor Company are built in North America

Not only do goods, money, and information move great distances quickly, but also more people are moving great distances as well. Migration is a major feature of this era of globalization. Remittances sent home by workers to their home countries have become an important source of income for many countries.

練習

1.隨著世界人口的迅猛增長，食物問題出現短缺;另外，環境污染問題更加激化。

2.這種新形式的電子貨幣正在取代我們從日常生活中得到的現金。

3.服務行業，占全世界貿易總額的20%，美國出口總額的30%，成為國際貿易中發展最為

迅猛的行業。

4.美國工業生產的技術含量高，且擁有大量一流的工業設備，因此美國工人的勞動效率非

常高，時薪也不菲。

5.每天都有無數美元通過銀行電腦在世界各地流動。

6.通貨膨脹致使貨幣的購買力下降，那些用貨幣儲值的人們便慘遭經濟損失。

7.把一個行業的市場局限在國家內部，只會導致該行業生產效率降低，成本增加。

8.國際貿易能為各國提供國內無法生產、或者能夠生產但供不應求或成本過高的產品。

9.信息技術是一項劃時代的技術，它改變了我們社會中的一切。

10.信息技術是中國在競爭中取勝和實現真正經濟增長的推動力量。

答案

1. In addition to food shortages, rapid population growth will increase the pollution of the environment.

2. This new form of electronic money is taking the place of the cash that we know from everyday dealings.

3. Services are the fastest-growing part of international trade, accounting for 20% of total world trade and 30% of American exports.

4. Labour in the United States possesses a high skill level and works with large amounts of first- class capital equipment. These factors contribute to the high productivity and the high hourly wages of American workers.

5. Every day trillions of dollars are moved around the world via banks' computers.

6. During a time of inflation, the purchasing power of money will decline, imposing a cost on those who are holding wealth in the form of money.

7. To limit the market of an industry to one country would often mean reduced efficiency and higher costs.

8. International trade enables a country to obtain products that cannot be produced at home at all or that cannot be produced in adequate quantities and at acceptable costs.

9. Information technology is one of those transformational technologies that change everything in our society.

10. Information technology is a driver of competitive success and real economic growth for China.