参考答案: 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 1970s only $ 10 billion to $ 20 billion in national currencies were exchanged daily. By the early part of the 21st 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.
解题思路: 1. “全球化” 一词是在1962年第一次出现的。全球化战略要求领导人把商业的运作看作全 球性的“棋局”,从全球的角度来考虑资金、生产和销售(客户)的问题。换句话说, 要在资金成本最低的地方融资,在成本效益最高的地方生产,然后在利润最大的地方
销售。
2.本句前半部分是主要信息,后半部分是次要信息,翻译时可以处理成英语的定语从句, 这样句子结构紧凑,符合英语的表达习惯。
3.本句中“监管世界贸易和金融的”为前置定语,由于修饰语较长,可以译作英语的定语 从句。
4.本句中“发挥着……的作用”,可以利用英语的动词词组play a part in来译出。“日益” 通常可以使用英语副词increasingly,例如:市场营销技巧变得日益复杂。Marketing techniques are becoming increasingly sophisticated.
5.“文化上、物质上、心理上”这类词通常有两种译法,一种是用介词in引导的短语( in culture, material and psychology),另一种是用词类转换技巧,把这类英语名词转化为副词 culturally, materially, and psychologically。再如:从历史和文化上看,英国与欧洲大陆一直保持着联系。Historically and culturally, Britain has always been linked to the continent.
6.“产生……的影响”,可以使用英语的词组have impact on。例如:高抵押借款利率已经对 消费产生了重大影口向。Higher mortgage rates have already had a major impact on spending.
7.“出 口额”可译作 volume of exports。试比较:贸易额 the volume of trade,销售额 sales volume of
8.“认为……是……的结果”,意为“把……归为……”,可译作attribute to。再如:通常认为,由心脏病所引发的死亡的下降是饮食改善的结果。The fall in the number of deaths from heart disease is generally attributed to improvements in diet.
9.“一天24小时”通常可以译作round the dock。例如:为了能够按时完成,吉姆一直一 天 24 时工作着。Jim has been working round the clock to finish it in time.
10.本句中“微不足道”,指花费很少,不值得一提,可以选用英语形容词insignificant来 译。例如:微不足道的数量insignificant number/amount。
11.本句中“大大降低……的成本”,可以根据具体语境,翻译为slash the cost of。例如:
为了刺激汽车销售,美国汽车制造商们已经开始削价。American car manufacturers have started slashing prices in an effort to stimulate sales.
国会已削减了帮助贫困家庭项目的预算。Congress has slashed the budget for programs to help poor families.
12.本句中“提高了效率”的意义,可以通过英语动词streamline巧妙地表达出来,既简洁 又地道。例如:我们怎样才能提高效率呢? How can we streamline our production processes?
13.本句中“降低了……的成本”,可以根据具体语境翻译为lower the cost of。例如:
最近房子在贬值。Houses have lowered in value recently.邦德银行迫于压力要降低利息。 The Bundes Bank is under pressure to lower interest rates.
14.本句中“思科系统公司”是全球领先的互联网设备供应商。它的网络设备和应用方案 将世界各地的人、计算机设备以及网络联结起来,使人们能够随时随地利用各种设备传 送信息。思科的总部位于美国加利福尼亚州的圣何塞,在马萨诸塞州的Chelmsford和 北卡罗来纳州研究三角园(Research Triangle Park)的分部负责思科公司部分重要的业 务运作,1998年9月,思科系统(中国)网络技术有限公司成立,并在北京建立了网 络技术实验室。
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