2019年经济学人 Facebook的第三幕(1)

 

The first big overhaul¹ for Facebook came in 2012-14.

Facebook的首次大整改是在2012年到2014年间。

Internet users were carrying out ever more tasks on smartphones rather than desktop² or laptop computers.

互联网用户更多地使用智能手机执行任务而不是电脑或笔记本。

Mark Zuckerberg opted³ to follow them, concentrating on Facebook's mobile app ahead of its website,

马克·扎克伯格选择追随他们的脚步，专注于Facebook的手机应用，而把其网站放在后位，

and buying up two fast-growing communication apps, WhatsApp and Instagram. It worked.

他还收购了两个成长迅速的通讯应用—WhatsApp和Instagram。这一选择奏效了。

Facebook increased its market valuation from around $60bn at the end of 2012 to—for a brief period in 2018—more than $600bn.

2012年年底，Facebook市值约为600亿美元—在2018年短期内—增长到了6000多亿美元。

On March 6th Mr Zuckerberg announced Facebook's next pivot⁴. As well as its existing moneymaking enterprise,

3月6日，扎克伯格宣布了脸书的下一中心点。和现在的那些在其公共社交网络中

selling targeted ads on its public social networks, it is building a "privacy-focused platform" around WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger.

销售目标广告的赚钱公司一样，Facebook正在WhatsApp、Instagram和Messenger上建立一个“以隐私为焦点的平台”。

The apps will be integrated, he said, and messages sent through them encrypted end-to-end, so that even Facebook cannot read them.

这些应用将被整合，他说，而且通过它们发送出的信息将被端对端加密，这样即便是Facebook也无法取得这些信息。

While it was not made explicit⁵, it is clear what the business model will be.

虽然没有明述，但很明显这将会是怎样的商业模式。

Mr Zuckerberg wants all manner of businesses to use its messaging networks to provide services and accept payments. Facebook will take a cut.

扎克伯格想要所有企业都使用他的信息传递网络，为他们提供服务和承付。 Facebook将从中分成。

A big shift was overdue⁶ at Facebook given the privacy and political scandals that have battered⁷ the firm.

遭受隐私和政治丑闻的接连打击，Facebook 的一项大变动迟迟未进行。

Even Mr Zuckerberg, who often appears incapable⁸ of seeing the gravity of Facebook's situation, seemed to grasp the irony⁹ of it putting privacy first.

连扎克伯格这个似乎看不见Facebook严重境况的人也好像是理解了以隐私优先这句话的讽刺意味。

"Frankly¹⁰ we don't currently have a strong reputation for building privacy protective services," he noted¹¹.

“坦白来说，我们目前没有建立隐私保护服务的一个好声誉，”他表示。

1 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

2 desktop   

n.桌面管理系统程序；台式

参考例句：

• My computer is a desktop computer of excellent quality.我的计算机是品质卓越的台式计算机。
• Do you know which one is better,a laptop or a desktop?你知道哪一种更好，笔记本还是台式机？

3 opted   

v.选择，挑选( opt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was co-opted onto the board. 她获增选为董事会成员。
• After graduating she opted for a career in music. 毕业后她选择了从事音乐工作。

4 pivot   

v.在枢轴上转动；装枢轴，枢轴；adj.枢轴的

参考例句：

• She is the central pivot of creation and represents the feminine aspect in all things.她是创造的中心枢轴，表现出万物的女性面貌。
• If a spring is present,the hand wheel will pivot on the spring.如果有弹簧，手轮的枢轴会装在弹簧上。

5 explicit   

adj.详述的，明确的；坦率的；显然的

参考例句：

• She was quite explicit about why she left.她对自己离去的原因直言不讳。
• He avoids the explicit answer to us.他避免给我们明确的回答。

6 overdue   

adj.过期的，到期未付的；早该有的，迟到的

参考例句：

• The plane is overdue and has been delayed by the bad weather.飞机晚点了，被坏天气耽搁了。
• The landlady is angry because the rent is overdue.女房东生气了，因为房租过期未付。

7 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

8 incapable   

adj.无能力的，不能做某事的

参考例句：

• He would be incapable of committing such a cruel deed.他不会做出这么残忍的事。
• Computers are incapable of creative thought.计算机不会创造性地思维。

9 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

10 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

11 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。