【按】本文选自10月28日《经济学人》特别报道，分析了席卷全球的电子商务热潮。读完后你将了解：
- 电子商务在全球的发展现状如何？
- 电子商务的发展带来了哪些好处和问题？
建议阅读时间15-20分钟。
- 本文食用方法——建议阅读三遍：
- 第一遍速读，不看注释和翻译，直接阅读原文，遇见生词（大部分已经标粗）猜一下意思或者跳过，不要因为停下了查词而影响了阅读的流畅性。
- 第二遍精读，不认识的词看段后注释和解析，建议多看英文释义（这样才能理解得更全面、准确同时能锻炼阅读能力），对照中文翻译看看自己是否有理解错误的地方。
- 第三遍通读，整体再回顾一遍，在上下文语境中复习刚刚认识的词汇和表达。
有问题欢迎留言讨论~
The new bazaar
E-commerce takes off
E-commerce is transforming business and daily life, mostly for the better, says Charlotte Howard
Oct 26th 2017
- IN WAREHOUSES AROUND the globe, they wait: toys, phones, dresses, televisions, blankets, trainers, laptops and much more. In China, online retailers are gearing up for “Singles Day”, November 11th, the world’s busiest shopping day. Last year Alibaba, much the biggest of the country’s e-commerce giants, rang up sales of $18bn on that occasion, the most ever spent in one day anywhere on Earth. Much of the rest of the world is preparing for the Christmas rush. Present-hunters used to wear themselves out tramping around crowded shops. Now, increasingly, they order from the comfort of their homes or offices.
gear up: If someone is gearing up for a particular activity, they are preparing to do it. If they are geared up to do a particular activity, they are prepared to do it. 为…作准备/ 为…作好了准备
much: Just about; almost 几乎；差不多
ring up: If a company rings up an amount of money, usually a large amount of money, it makes that amount of money in sales or profits. 赚取;盈利
e.g. The advertising agency rang up 1.4 billion dollars in yearly sales.这家广告代理商每年销售额达14亿美元。
wear themselves out: If something wears you out, it makes you feel extremely tired. 使精疲力竭;使疲乏
tramp: If you tramp somewhere, you walk there slowly and with regular, heavy steps, for a long time. (长时间地)拖着沉重的步子走
在全球各地的仓库, 它们等待着: 玩具, 电话, 衣服, 电视, 毯子, 运动鞋, 笔记本电脑等等。在中国, 在线零售商们正在为 "光棍节"——11月11日这个世界上最繁忙的购物日做准备。去年, 几乎是中国最大的电子商务巨头阿里巴巴在当天的销售额达到了180亿美元, 是世界上任何地方一天之内花费最多的。世界上大部分地区都在为圣诞热高峰做准备。搜寻礼物的人们曾经在拥挤的商店里四处乱走让自己精疲力尽。现在, 他们越来越多地在家里或办公室舒舒服服地下单。
Over the past decade global e-commerce has been expanding at an average rate of 20% a year as bricks-and-mortar shops have languished. Yet its share of total retail trade last year, at 8.5% worldwide, was still modest. Even in South Korea, the country with the highest percentage of retail sales online, it amounted to only 18%, according to Euromonitor, a research firm. In America, the world’s biggest consumer market, it made up about 10% of the total. And in many middle-income countries its share was much lower: less than 5% in India and Brazil, for instance.
bricks-and-mortar: associated with a traditional institution or business that has a physical presence, such as a factory or campus, and that interacts with people directly rather than via the Internet
languish: to become weaker or fail to make progress 变得衰弱；未能取得进展
modest: not very large, expensive, important, etc. 些许的；不太大(或太贵、太重要等)
e.g. modest improvements / reforms 不太显着的改进 / 改革
e.g. He charged a relatively modest fee.
在过去的十年里, 随着实体商店的衰弱，全球电子商务平均每年都以20%的速率增长。然而, 它去年在全球零售业总额中所占的8.5% 的比重仍然不大。据欧睿(一家研究公司)称, 即使是在韩国这个网上零售销售占比最高的国家, 比例也只有18%。在美国这个世界上最大的消费市场, 它占到了总量的10% 左右。在许多 中等收入的国家, 其份额低得多: 例如, 印度和巴西不到5%。
But there is every reason to think it will get much bigger. In rich countries millennials who grew up buying goods online are moving into their prime spending years. In poorer ones, rising incomes and the spread of mobile phones will bring more shoppers online. In China, although growth in e-commerce has slowed, Goldman Sachs, a bank, still expects online spending to more than double between 2016 and 2020, to make up nearly one-third of total retail sales. In America, Euromonitor predicts that its share will rise from about one-tenth last year to about one-sixth in 2021. In Britain the figure may rise to one-fifth.
have every reason: have very good reasons
e.g. We have every reason (= have very good reasons)to feel optimistic.我们完全有理由感到乐观。
e.g. This result gives us all the more reason for optimism.这个结果使我们更有理由保持乐观。
prime: main; most important; basic 主要的；首要的；基本的：
e.g. My prime concern is to protect my property. 我最关心的是保护自己的财产。
e.g. Winning is not the prime objective in this sport. 获胜不是这项体育运动的主要目的。
e.g. The care of the environment is of prime importance. 保护环境是最重要的。
但完全有理由认为它会变得更大。在富裕国家, 在网络购物中成长的千禧一代年轻人正在步入他们主要的消费年。在较贫穷的国家, 收入的增长和手机的普及将使更多的消费者上网。在中国, 尽管电子商务的增长有所放缓, 但高盛银行 (goldman Sachs) 仍预计, 在2016和2020之间, 在线消费将增加一倍以上, 占总零售额的近1/3。在美国, 欧睿预测, 它的份额将从去年的大约1/10 上升到2021年的1/6 左右。在英国, 这个数字可能上升到1/5。
The relentless growth in e-commerce may eventually run up against natural limits. In America, argues Frederick Smith, the founder and chief executive of FedEx, a logistics firm, rising shipping expenses will make e-commerce less attractive. And different parts of the world will progress at different speeds. In India, for instance, growth has faltered. Yet there is no doubt that e-commerce has much further to go. What is less clear is how far and how fast it will rise, where it will do best, and how great its impact will be.
run up against: to have to deal with unexpected problems or a difficult opponent
e.g. The museum has run up against opposition to its proposals.
falter: If something falters, it loses power or strength in an uneven way, or no longer makes much progress. 衰退;停步不前
电子商务不停的增长最终可能不得不面对天然的限制。美国联邦快递公司 (FedEx) 的创始人兼首席执行官弗雷德里克•史密斯认为, 运费的上升将使电子商务的吸引力降低。世界的不同地区将以不同的速度发展。例如, 在印度, 增长有止步不前。然而, 毫无疑问, 电子商务还有很长的路要走。人们不清楚的是, 它将会走得多远、多快, 在哪个地方它将会做得最好, 以及它的影响将会有多大。
America and China, the world’s two biggest economies, have produced the two titans of the industry, Amazon and Alibaba. Both are relative youngsters. Amazon, started by Jeff Bezos as an online bookshop, had its initial public offering in 1997. Alibaba was founded by Jack Ma in 1999. Since then both have been growing at breakneck pace, bringing large-scale disruption not only to retailing but to a range of industries spanning logistics, entertainment, advertising and manufacturing in their home countries. Both have also been expanding their empires abroad. Amazon already has e-commerce sites in 14 markets and is planning further growth. Alibaba’s foreign ventures range from South-East Asia to Brazil and Russia.
initial public offering: the act of selling shares in a company for the first time (公司股票的)首次公开发行，上市
美国和中国这个世界上最大的两个经济体, 已经造就了亚马逊和阿里巴巴这两个行业巨头。两者都相对来说很年轻。作为一家网上书店由杰夫贝佐斯创立的亚马逊在1997年才上市。阿里巴巴是由马云于1999年创办的。从那时起, 两家公司都在飞速发展, 这不仅给零售业带来了大规模的破坏, 而且也给其国内的物流、娱乐、广告和制造业等一系列产业造成了冲击。两国都在海外扩张自己的帝国。亚马逊已经在14个（国外）市场拥有电子商务网站, 并计划进一步增长。阿里巴巴的外国企业范围从东南亚到巴西和俄罗斯。
The two giants do not have the field all to themselves. In America, Walmart remains the biggest retailer and is spending heavily on trying to fend off Amazon. It also has a stake in JD.com, an e-commerce firm based in Beijing that had 13% of the Chinese market last year. In China, Alibaba faces not just JD but also Tencent, a messaging and payment company that is now JD’s biggest shareholder. Smaller e-commerce firms around the world have the backing of giant investors such as SoftBank, Naspers and Tiger Global. In this business, size matters. Thanks to the power of data, technological expertise and large distribution networks, the biggest e-commerce firms will only get bigger.
have (someone or something) (all) to yourself: to be in a situation in which you are not required to share someone or something with anyone else
e.g. We have the entire evening to ourselves. [=we have no plans to do anything with anyone else this evening]
fend off: to defend yourself against (someone or something)
only:（用于动词前，表示结果令人遗憾或不受欢迎）愈加，只（会） You can use only in front of a verb to indicate that the result of something is unfortunate or undesirable and is likely to make the situation worse rather than better.
e.g. The embargo would only hurt innocent civilians...禁运只会殃及无辜的百姓。
- thanks to: with the help of (someone or something) : because of (someone or something)
e.g. Thanks to your help，I passed the test（幸亏有你帮助，我测验及格了）
【注】thanks to通常指的是好原因产生好结果，如上述例句。但也可以指不好的原因产生不好的结果，往往带有讽刺的意味。
e.g. Thanks to your disturbance, I have got confused（多谢你的扰乱，我弄得头昏了）。
- 这两个巨人都不是独占市场。在美国, 沃尔玛仍然是最大的零售商, 并在花费巨资努力抵挡亚马逊的冲击。该公司还拥有京东的股份, 这是一家总部位于北京的电子商务企业, 去年在中国市场拥有13%的市场份额。在中国, 阿里巴巴面临的不仅是京东, 还有腾讯, 这家信息和支付公司现在是京东最大的股东。全球其他规模较小的电子商务公司得到了软银、Naspers 和老虎环球等大型投资者的支持。在这门生意中, 规模很重要。因为数据、技术知识和大型销售网络的强大力量, 最大的电子商务公司会愈加变得更大。
Data day
- Since retailing touches the economy and society in so many ways, e-commerce is already having broad effects well beyond the industry itself. In many countries retail is the biggest single private employer. In America it accounts for one in nine jobs. It is also affecting the way that other kinds of firms do business. Logistics companies are trying out new ideas to meet ever-rising expectations of fast, free delivery. Small new manufacturers are able to challenge big, established ones, thanks to the ease of selling goods online. Mountains of consumer data, the most treasured commodity of 21st-century commerce, are helping manufacturers develop products and interact with shoppers, not just online but increasingly in physical shops as well.
established: respected or given official status because it has existed or been used for a long time 已确立的；已获确认的；确定的：
e.g. They are an established company with a good reputation. 他们是一家地位稳固、信誉良好的公司。
由于零售业在很多方面触及经济和社会, 因此电子商务已远远超出行业本身的范围。在许多国家, 零售业是最大的单个私人雇主。在美国, 它提供了1/9的工作岗位。它也影响了其他类型的公司做生意的方式。物流公司正在尝试新的想法, 以满足对于快速、免费快递不断上升的期望。由于在网上销售商品的便利, 小型的新制造商能够挑战大的、地位稳固的公司。21世纪最珍贵的商品——海量的消费者数据帮助制造商开发产品，而且不仅在网上, 也越来越多地在实体商店里与购物者互动。
The implications are all the broader because Amazon and Alibaba, the industry’s two most innovative companies, do not define themselves as retailers at all. Amazon does not just sell goods: it leases cargo planes, produces films and offers a voice assistant, Alexa. Its cloud-computing business, Amazon Web Services (AWS), powers its own operations along with those of many other firms and is a vital source of profits, keeping its investors patient. Alibaba’s business is even broader than Amazon’s, including not just shopping, entertainment and cloud computing but payments and social media as well. Both companies’ activities generate cash and rich streams of data which can be used to improve their existing services and add more. Alibaba describes itself as providing the pipes and cables for all kinds of business. “To some extent we are a utility company,” says Daniel Zhang, its chief executive. “We are trying to provide an infrastructure for digital commerce.”
all the: used to give added force to a word like “more” or “better”
e.g. With the economy in such bad shape, it's all the more important [=it's even more important] that we correct these problems quickly.
因为亚马逊和阿里巴巴——这个行业中最具创新性的两家公司——并没有把自己定义为零售商，（在线零售的）影响愈加深远。亚马逊不仅出售货物: 它租用货机, 生产电影, 并提供了一个语音助理, Alexa。它的云计算业务——亚马逊网络服务 (AWS)——为自己其以及其他许多公司的运营提供动力, 而且是一个重要的利润来源, 使其投资者能够沉得住气。阿里巴巴的业务甚至比亚马逊更广泛, 不仅包括购物、娱乐和云计算, 还有支付和社交媒体。两家公司的活动都产生现金和丰富的数据流, 可用于改善现有服务并增加更多服务。阿里巴巴自称是为各种业务提供管道和电缆。“在某种程度上, 我们是一家公用事业公司,”其首席执行官丹尼尔张表示。"我们正努力为数字商业提供基础设施。”
Consumers have already gained much from all this, with more in prospect. They are enjoying a broader choice of goods and more price transparency than ever before. Instead of spending time travelling to shops, picking up goods and waiting in queues, they can now do other things. Companies no longer take them for granted but compete to offer them better products, greater convenience and improved service.
消费者已经从这一切中获得了很多好处, 将来会更多。他们正享有比以往任何时候都更广泛的商品选择和更高的价格透明度。他们现在可以把花在去商店、拎货物、排队等候的时间用来做其他事情。公司不再把顾客视为理所当然, 而是争相为他们提供更好的产品、更大的便利和更好的服务。
For bricks-and-mortar shops these are difficult times. In some parts of the world shopping malls are being blighted as their customers move online and are served from vast warehouses instead. Many traditional retail jobs will vanish as shops close and the remaining ones use more automation. Some new jobs will be created, but they may not make up for those that have gone. And electronic tracking of consumers in order to sell them more stuff will become ever more intrusive.
blight: to spoil or damage sth, especially by causing a lot of problem 损害；妨害；贻害：
e.g. His career has been blighted by injuries. 他的事业不断受到伤病的困扰。
intrusive: Something that is intrusive disturbs your mood or your life in a way you do not like. 打扰的;侵扰的
- 为实体商店来说这是困难的时期。在世界上的一些地方, 购物商场正在遭受伤害, 因为他们的客户转到线上并由广大的仓库提供服务。许多传统的零售业会随着商店的关闭而消失, 其余的则使用更多的自动化设备。一些新的工作将被创造出来, 但他们可能无法弥补那些已经消失了的。而且为出售更多东西而对消费者进行的电子追踪将变得更加令人烦扰。
原文出处：经济学人
翻译：七呵夫
本译文仅供个人研习、欣赏语言之用，谢绝任何转载及用于任何商业用途。本译文不代表本人立场。本人同意平台在接获有关著作权人的通知后，删除文章。