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Newsworthy Clips: Future not so bright for cameras Future not so bright for cameras 相机前景黯淡

 

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Future not so bright for cameras  相机前景黯淡

 

The best days may be over for the digital camera industry.

数字相机产业的全盛期恐怕已经过去了。

 

Camera sales peaked in 2008, and with 81 percent market penetration, fewer new customers are out there to buy a new camera, says Chris Chute, an analyst at market researcher IDC.

相机销售量在二00八年达到高峰,但由于市场渗透率已达百分之八十一,所以需要买新相机的新客源也愈来愈少。市场研究机构国际数据信息的分析师克利斯.裘特做出以上表示。

 

“It’s a very mature market, with three or four cameras per household,” Chute says.

「这个市场已经非常成熟,平均每户都有三至四台相机,」裘特说。

 

Photo retailers converged in February for the annual Photo Marketing Association (PMA) International trade show to see a new wave of economy cameras from Sony, Canon, Olympus, Nikon and others, and to figure out how to get consumers excited again about buying point-and-shoots. IDC projects sales of 35 million cameras in 2010, down from 2008’s 40.4 million cameras.

摄影器材零售商在二月齐集于一年一度的摄影营销协会国际商展上,观看新力、佳能、奥林帕斯、尼康及其他厂商所推出的新一波经济实惠的相机,并思索该如何再次煽起消费者购买傻瓜相机的热情。国际数据信息预估二0一0年的相机销售量为三千五百万台,低于二00八年的四千零四十万台。

 

What consumers won’t see in stores are dramatically lower camera prices. The average selling price of a camera this year will be $154, IDC predicts, down just slightly from 2009’s $157.

消费者将不会看到相机价格大幅下滑的现象。国际数据信息预测指出,今年的相机平均售价将为一百五十四美元,只比二00九年的一百五十七美元低了一点点。

 

“It really can’t go much lower,” Chute says. “If it did, it would mean that companies like Canon and Nikon couldn’t afford to be in the business. They can’t make money at those prices.”

「价格实在不可能再降低更多了,」裘特说:「如果降太多,佳能和尼康这类公司就没办法在这个产业里存活了。因为如果价格太低,他们就根本赚不了钱。」

 

“The economy is still tough, but people are ready to get out and start enjoying technology again,” says Sally Smith Clemens, a product manager at camera manufacturer Olympus.

「经济局势还是很糟,但民众已经准备出门去,再次开始好好享受科技产品了,」相机生产商奥林帕斯的产品经理莎莉.克雷门斯表示。

 

Standard point-and-shoot sales have slowed, she concedes. But she says advanced compact cameras with interchangeable lenses offer promise and are easier to operate than digital SLRs.

她坦承,标准傻瓜相机的销售情形已经趋缓,但也指出可换镜头的先进小型相机很有潜力,而且比数位单眼相机更容易操作。

 

Many exhibitors at the PMA show in California focused on the future of the photo print, once the industry’s lifeblood. Print volume is down: 17.7 billion prints were produced in 2009, vs. 20.2 billion in 2008. The PMA estimates volume will fall even more in 2010, to 16.4 billion.

在加州举行的摄影营销协会商展上,许多参展厂商都把焦点集中在相片冲印的未来发展上。相片冲印曾是摄影产业的命脉,但目前冲印数量已经下滑:二00九年的冲印数为一百七十七亿张,而二00八年则是两百零二亿张。摄影营销协会估计,冲印量在二0一0年又会进一步下滑至一百六十四亿张。

 

“The industry has to recognize how multimedia and video play into their future,” Chute says.

「摄影产业必须了解多媒体和录像对他们的未来会产生什么样的影响,」裘特说。

 

by Jefferson Graham

 

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market penetration 市场渗透;市场渗透率 a formula used to measure the extent to which a specific product is purchased by customers

economy [ɪˋkɑnəmɪ] adj. 廉价的;经济的 economical or inexpensive to buy or use

point-and-shoot 全自动相机; 对准即拍 a camera that requires no adjustment by the user before taking a photograph because the settings are fixed or are adjusted automatically

project [prəˋdʒɛkt] v. 预计,推断

concede [kənˋsid] v.(勉强)承认

compact [kəmˋpækt] adj. 小巧的;小型的

promise [ˋprɑmɪs] n. 希望,前途

SLR (single-lens reflex) 单眼相机; 单竟反光相机 a type of film camera in which the same lens is used for looking at and recording an aimage

recognize [ˋrɛkəg͵naɪz] v. 认清

 

 

 

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New study: fewer but fiercer tropical cyclones  新研究显示:热带气旋数量将减少,但强度提高

 

Although global warming could cause the number of tropical cyclones to decrease around the world by the end of the century, the storms that do form probably will be more intense, a study in the journal Nature Geoscience finds.

在《自然地球科学》期刊上发表的一项研究发现,截至本世纪末,全球暖化作用虽然可能造成世界各地的热带气旋数目减少,但风暴一旦形成,强度却可能增高。

 

Tropical cyclones” is an umbrella term that encompasses all tropical storms, hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones.

「热带气旋」是个统称,包括了所有热带风暴,飓风、台风与龙卷风。

 

The study’s authors, led by Thomas Knutson of Princeton, New Jersey, base their findings on an analysis of past storm data as well as computer models that projectfuture storm activity out to the year 2100.

这项研究的作者群以纽泽西普林斯顿的汤马斯.克努松为首。他们藉由分析过往的风暴资料和能预测今后直到二一00年的未来风暴活动的电脑模型,结果得出前述发现。

 

Based on the analysis, Knutson says, the number of tropical cyclones around the world can be expected to decrease 6 percent to 34 percent by the end of the century. On average, about 87 tropical cyclones form each year globally. So by 2100, there could be as few as 57 storms each year.

克努松指出,根据他们的分析,全球热带气旋的数目可望在本世纪结束之前减少百分之六至百分之三十四。目前全球每年平均会出现八十七个热带气旋,所以到了二一00年,每年的风暴数目可能会减少到五十七个。

 

But just as the overall numbers decrease, the study finds that the intensity of the strongest storms is forecast to increase, from 2 percent to 11 percent, by the end of the century.

不过,这项研究却也发现,虽然风暴整体数目将会减少,但到了本世纪末,最强烈的风暴在强度上却可能会提高百分之二到百分之十一。

 

Why the decrease in overall storms yet an increase in stronger storms? Although the study does not address that, Knutson cites one of his studies in the journal Science in January that found that increased wind shear in a warmer world could tear apart developing Atlantic hurricanes, which would decrease the overall number that form. But the study theorized that those storms that do survive the wind-shear weeding-out process would gain in strength because of warmer sea-surface temperatures.

为什么整体风暴数目会减少但强度却会增高呢? 尽管这项研究并未回答这个问题,但克努松却引用了他在一月发表于《科学》期刊的另一项研究结果。该项研究显示,随着世界温度上升而增强的风切,可能会破坏形成中的大西洋飓风,从而使风暴的整体数目减少。不过,该项研究也推论认为,风暴一旦通过风切的淘汰筛选而成形,将会因为海面温度升高而造成强度增加。

 

Nature Geosciencestudy co-author Christopher Landsea of the National Hurricane Center in Florida calls the research “very useful. It brings together different folks with different beliefs.”

佛罗里达州国家飓风中心的克里斯多福.兰西是《自然地球科学》期刊该项研究的共同作者,他指称这项研究「非常有用,可让抱持不同信念的不同人士携手合作」。

 

Landsea says the potential increase in strong hurricanes is “pretty tiny. We’re not looking at any drastic increase by 2100.” For example, he says, a 150-mph hurricane might increase only to a 157-mph hurricane. “In my perspective, that’s a little change, a long ways in the future.”

兰西表示,强烈飓风增多的可能性「很小,在二一00年之前不会大幅增加」。他说,举例而言,风速每小时一百五十哩的飓风可能会增强为每小时一百五十七哩。「在我看来,这只是很小的变化,而且是很久以后的事情。」

 

by Doyle Rice

 

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encompass [ɪnˋkʌmpəs] v. 包含

wind shear 风切;(飞机遭遇到的)乱流 the rate at which the speed or direction of the wind changes abruptly

tear apart 拆掉, 弃得四分五裂

theorize [ˋθɪə͵raɪz] v. 建立理论(或学说);理论化;推理

weed out 除去, 剔除, 淘汰 to separate out, remove, or eliminate

 

 

 

 

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Google translation app could break language barriers  谷歌的翻译应用软件可能打破语言藩篱

 

Google Inc. is using its vast computational and intellectual resources to put futuristic technology directly in the hands of consumers.

谷歌公司正利用其庞大的运算与智慧资源,把充满未来色彩的科技直接交到消费者手里。

 

If you’re traveling in Beijing and find yourself hungry for some American cuisine, you can activate the translator on your phone, and say, “Where can I find a hamburger?” Moments later, the phone will spit out the phrase in Chinese – both as a string of text and, if you prefer, in a computerized voice.

你如果到北京旅游,却满心想吃美式餐点,这时即可启动手机上的翻译程序,然后说:「哪里可以吃到汉堡?」一会儿之后,手机就会提供这句话的中文翻译──可以透过一连串文字显示在屏幕上,而如果你喜欢的话,也可以用电脑合成的语言播出。

 

The free application, called Google Translate, works on phones running Google’s Android operating system. It can translate text to and from more than 50 languages – including Icelandic, Slovenian and Swahili. As of now, the only languages for which it recognizes spoken words are English, Mandarin and Japanese, though German and several other languages are in the offing.

这个免费应用程序称为「谷歌翻译」,在采用谷歌Android操作系统的手机上都可以执行。这项软件可以在五十多种语言之间相互翻译──包括冰岛语、斯洛维尼亚语及斯瓦希里语。虽然这项软件目前能够辨识的口说语音只有英语、北京语和日语,但不久之后就会再增加德语及其他几种语言。

 

The program’s simplicity belies the difficulty inherent in teaching computers to translate – a long-standing computer science problem known as machine translation.

看似简单的这个程序容易给人一种假象,因为实际上要教电脑从事翻译是相当困难的事情──这是电脑科学上存在已久的一个问题,称为机器翻译。

 

“The idea is – with the help of technology and machine translation – can we actually break down the language barrier?” said Franz Josef Och, who leads Google’s machine translation group, “so that anyone can access any information or text out there, independent of the language.”

「我们的想法是,借着机器翻译科技的协助,是否能够真正打破语言的藩篱?」率领谷歌机器翻译团队的欧赫说:「这么一来,所有人就能够接触一切信息或文字,而不会受到语言的障碍。」

 

In addition to the mobile application, regular computer users can use Google to translate entire web pages. Indeed, because Google maintains an ever-growing database containing text from billions of web pages and periodicals and books in many languages, its translator is not lacking for fodder.

除了手机应用程序之外,一般电脑的用户也可以利用谷歌来翻译网页内容。实际上,由于谷歌持有一个不断成长的数据库,里头储存着亿万个(译注:billion指十亿,但此指非常多)各种语言的网页、期刊与书籍,所以他们的翻译软件不怕缺乏参考数据。

 

Though the mobile application is still in its early stages, Google has high hopes for it. Och believes that it won’t be long until the technology will allow for speech-to-speech translation: that is, allowing for a live conversation between speakers of two different languages.

这个手机应用程序虽然还处于初期阶段,但谷歌对其寄望甚高。欧赫相信再过不久,科技的发展就足以做到语音对语音的翻译,也就是能让各自操不同语言的两个人实时对话。

 

“A few years down the road, it will be a reality that people find useful.”

「再过几年,这项愿景就会实现,而民众也会觉得很实用,」他说。

 

by David Sarno

 

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computational [͵kɑmpjəˋteʃən!] adj. 计算的;计算器的

intellectual [͵ɪnt!ˋɛktʃʊəl] adj. 智力的;理智的

translator [trænsˋletɚ] n. 翻译; 翻译机

spit out【口】说出来 say, speak

Icelandic [aɪsˋlændɪk] n. 冰岛语,  adj.  冰岛的;冰岛人(语)的

Slovenian [sloˋvinɪə] n. 斯洛维尼亚语

Swahili [swɑˋhilɪ] n.(非洲)斯华西里人;斯华西里语

as of now 到目前为止 from this time onward

Mandarin [ˋmændərɪn] n.(M-)华语;中国的官话(北京话)

offing [ˋɔfɪŋ] n. 较远而可见的海面

long-standing [ˋlɔŋˋstændɪŋ] adj. 存在已久的

independent of 不受...的支配; 不依赖...的

periodical [͵pɪrɪˋɑdɪk!] n. 期刊

high hopes for 对…寄予厚望的

down the road(非正式,主北美)在将来,今后

 

 

 

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converge [kənˋvɝdʒ] v. 会合;趋于会合 for people to come together and meet

interchangeable [͵ɪntɚˋtʃendʒəb!] adj. 可交换的 able to be exchanged with each other without making any difference or without being noticed

lifeblood [ˋlaɪf͵blʌd] n. 生机的根源;命脉 the thing which is most important to the continuing success and existence of something else

umbrella term 总称 something which includes or represents a group or range of similar things

forecast [ˋfor͵kæst] v. 预测 to say what one expects to happen in the future

cuisine [kwɪˋzin] n. 菜肴; 烹调法 a style of cooking

in the offing【口】即将来临; 将发生; 不远 likely to happen soon

belie [bɪˋlaɪ] v. 掩饰 to represent something falsely; to hide one thing behind another very different thing

inherent [ɪnˋhɪrənt] adj. 内在的; 固有的 existing as a natural and permanent quality of something

fodder [ˋfɑdɚ] n. 素材; 材料 things that are useful for the stated purpose

 

 

 

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