这是 高翻考研 发出的第 582 篇文章
《经济学人》把最新一期的“Briefing”版块给了华为。
“Briefing”版块专门用来深入探讨某个特定主题,涵盖政治、经济、科技、社会等多个领域。相比于普通的文章,该版块的文章通常更长、更详细,提供更深层次的分析。
这一次《经济学人》谈论中国企业,没再阴阳怪气,全文大约2700字,凡是涉及华为的地方,全是正面评价。
“A botched hit”是引子,有时会在纸质版里出现。这里的“botched”带有一种负面含义,表示行动失败。“hit”则增加了紧张感和悬疑感,吸引读者继续阅读,了解更多细节。
主标题里的“assassination”通常指刺杀或暗杀,常用于形容针对个人的致命攻击。这里用“assassination attempt”来形容对公司的极端打击策略,有比喻的意味,强调了行动的激烈程度。这种用法把政治或军事行为的语境转移到了商业领域,增加了戏剧性。
“backfire”本意是指枪支反冲,用来形容计划或行动产生了预期外的负面效果。这里表示美国的行动不仅没有达到预期效果,反而产生了不利于自己的结果。
主标题运用了比喻、夸张乃至反转的手法,将严肃的国际贸易争端以生动、引人注目的方式呈现出来。这种表达方式既能够吸引读者的注意力,又能够准确地传达文章的核心观点。
再看副标题。“The company is growing stronger—and less vulnerable”,按照一般的写作原则,前面才说过“growing stronger”,后面再说“and less vulnerable”,似乎有点多余。不过,读罢全文,我们发现这是故意为之:
一方面,华为增强了自身实力,无关他人;另一方面,它也让自己变得不再那么脆弱,以免受到外国制裁的影响。这种双重强调,会让读者看到华为在多个维度上的改进,增强了信息的层次感。
我们都知道这样一句话,“杀不死你的,会让你更强大”,英文是“What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.”
《经济学人》在谈论华为时,也表达了类似的意思:
我们一起看下最后这句话:
Cutting the firm off from Western technology did not stifle it, but instead increased its incentives to innovate.
“cutting off”这个词组表示阻断或隔绝,通常带有负面的含义,表示华为被迫与西方技术隔离。“the firm”指的是华为。“Western technology”指的是来自西方国家的技术,包括软件、硬件及其他技术支持。“technology”在这里是泛指,作为不可数名词来用。不过,它在其他语境下也可以指代具体的科技,那时候就是可数名词。“stifle”意味着抑制或阻止成长,通常用于负面语境,这里用来表达外部尝试压制华为成长的意图。“but instead”意思是“但是相反地”,不算是固定词组。“but”是连词,“instead”是副词,两者一起出现,用来引入与之前描述相反的情况或结果。“increased”前面省略了与前半句中重复的部分,即“Cutting the firm off from Western technology”。这种省略在英语中很常见,尤其是在并列句中,能使句子更加简洁明了。“incentives”指的是驱使华为行动的动机或原因,这里特指创新的动力。“to innovate”里的“innovate”是不及物动词。切断该公司与西方技术的联系并未扼杀它,反而增强了它创新的动力。另外,原文较长,这里不再全篇分析,只是整理出核心信息,供大家参考学习:
Huawei has been accused by the U.S. of potential espionage and has faced legal and trade challenges since 2012.The sanctions significantly impacted Huawei, leading to a 30% drop in revenue in 2021 and a 70% reduction in net profits in 2022. Major sanctions included barring American firms from selling essential technology to Huawei, which forced the company to sell off its major smartphone brand.Despite these setbacks, Huawei's net profits soared by 564% in early 2024. The company has adapted by developing in-house technologies to replace foreign components, reducing its vulnerability to future sanctions.Huawei’s investments in R&D and diversification into new areas like energy and cloud computing have allowed it to regain ground. The company’s emphasis on innovation has compensated for the restrictions imposed by U.S. sanctions.Huawei’s investment arm, Hubble, has been active in developing a self-reliant supply chain by investing in companies that reduce dependency on Western technology, particularly in the semiconductor industry.Market Position and Future ProspectsHuawei remains a dominant player in the telecom and tech industries, with growing influence in markets outside the U.S. The company's ability to innovate and adapt continues to challenge the effectiveness of American trade policies.现在的外刊,经常为了立场而扭曲事实,《经济学人》也不例外。但是这篇文章相对客观,所以推荐给大家。华为的故事也告诉我们,面对外部刁难,提高自身实力也许是最好的办法。■