你有多久没翻开过纸质的书本了?你的眼睛是否已经习惯了蓝光屏幕上的蝇头小字?大多数人认为书籍出版行业正日渐萧条。但数据却告诉我们,过去十年间,纸质书的全球销量依然稳健……是时候来法兰克福图书展一探究竟。
Turning over an old leaf: publishing
选自The Economic Espresso App,2018年10月10日
❆先通读一遍,理解大概① The world's most important book fair kicks off in Frankfurt today with the industry in better shape than many had predicted.
② That is, it is not dying.
③ Book sales in most major markets have remained steady this decade despite growing competition for readers' attention.
④ Sales were up 4% in Britain last year, even as e-book sales declined slightly.
⑤ In America print-book sales rose 2% in the first half of this year.
⑥ Amazon has been a beneficiary; bookstores, by contrast, are struggling.
⑦ In America sales at Barnes & Noble have been declining steadily for years.
⑧ Publishers say politics is helping sell books such as "Fire and Fury", an exposé by Michael Wolff that Donald Trump didn't want released.
⑨ But reality is not all that sells.
⑩ Sales of science fiction are also up 18% in America, for those needing an escape to an alternative universe more than ever.
❆OK,有没有不理解的单词短语呢Turning over an old leaf: publishing
① The world's most important book fair kicks off in Frankfurt today with the industry in better shape than many had predicted.
插一句:Frankfurt是个什么地方?位于德国的法兰克福是德国第五大城市,古罗马时期开始这里就被指定为选举罗马皇帝和皇帝加冕的场所,从此获得了欧陆文化中心的地位。近800年来每年要在这里举办约15次大型国际博览会,如每年春夏两季举行的国际消费品博览会;两年一度的国际"卫生、取暖、空调"专业博览会;国际服装纺织品专业博览会。另外,我们熟悉的《安妮日记》的安妮小姑娘和歌德大作家都是这个城市的人。
(法兰克福图书博览会现场)
② That is, it is not dying.
③ Book sales in most major markets have remained steady this decade despite growing competition for readers' attention.
④ Sales were up 4% in Britain last year, even as e-book sales declined slightly.
⑤ In America print-book sales rose 2% in the first half of this year.
⑥ Amazon has been a beneficiary; bookstores, by contrast, are struggling.
⑦ In America sales at Barnes & Noble have been declining steadily for years.
再插一句:Barnes & Noble,巴诺书店是美国最大的实体书店,近年来面临着业绩持续下滑的局面,关闭了经三分之一的连锁门店,但凭着其广泛的出版业务及丰富的线下活动体验等仍然得以维持经营。目前,Barnes & Noble在保持传统书店业务的同时也在积极开发数字类业务,如开发电子书阅读器,线上零售等。
⑧ Publishers say politics is helping sell books such as "Fire and Fury", an exposé by Michael Wolff that Donald Trump didn't want released.
⑨ But reality is not all that sells.
⑩ Sales of science fiction are also up 18% in America, for those needing an escape to an alternative universe more than ever.
再插一句:Fire and Fury,全称是Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.《炮火与怒火:川普之下的白宫》,2018年1月出版,书中披露了川普从竞选到入住白宫后的各类爆料。作者Michael Wolff是《好莱坞报道》的专栏作家,曾花了18个月的时间对川普及白宫做了数百次采访,著得此书。
-
turn over an old leaf:重回过去;回到以往的方式
(常用搭配:turn over a new leaf: 改过自新;放弃以往的错误方式)
book fair: 书展(fair常常有盛会、展览的意思)
kick off: 开始(足球运动员们开踢啦,就是kick off。引申到现在,有种说法叫“开踢会议”,就是kick-off meeting,表示一个项目开始之类的。)
e-book 电子书(反义词:print book纸质书)
publishing:出版业(publisher、press都是出版社)
decline /dɪˈklaɪn/: v. 下降;拒绝
beneficiary:受益人(benefit from sb./sth.: 受益于某人/某事)
struggling /ˈstrʌɡlɪŋ/: adj. 奋斗的;不断挣扎的(struggle也可以做名词,有一句歌词life is a struggle, you are not the only one.)
exposé /ɪkˈspəʊzeɪ, ekspəˈzeɪ/ n. 揭露,爆料(exposé of sth.: 曝光不好的事)
❆逐句翻译,捋顺大意
Turning over an old leaf: publishing
回暖:图书出版行业
① The world's most important book fair kicks off in Frankfurt today with the industry in better shape than many had predicted.
今天,世界上最重大的书籍展会在法兰克福开幕,同时,图书行业的形势比人们之前预测的更好。
(注意the industry 指代标题中的publishing;many指代的是many people)
② That is, it is not dying.
也就是说,纸质书并不会走向灭亡。
(开篇第一句用长句交代背景,紧接着短句点明主题,显得非常有力)
③ Book sales in most major markets have remained steady this decade despite growing competition for readers' attention.
尽管吸引读者注意力的竞争越来越激烈,但在近十年来,主要市场的书籍销量仍然是比较稳定的。
④ Sales were up 4% in Britain last year, even as e-book sales declined slightly.
去年在英国,纸质书销量上升了4%,而电子书的销量甚至还有些轻微下降。
(根据后半句说“e-book sales”电子书的销量,可以推断出前半句的"sales"指的是纸质书的销量)
⑤ In America print-book sales rose 2% in the first half of this year.
今年上半年,美国市场的纸质书销量上升了2%。
⑥ Amazon has been a beneficiary; bookstores, by contrast, are struggling.
线上零售商亚马逊成了受益者,而实体书店却在惨淡经营。
(此处为了更加凸显线上线下两种书籍销售渠道的对比,对”Amazon“和”bookstores“进行了增译,点明二者特点)
⑦ In America sales at Barnes & Noble have been declining steadily for years.
在美国,多年来巴诺书店的销量一直持续下降。
⑧ Publishers say politics is helping sell books such as "Fire and Fury", an exposé by Michael Wolff that Donald Trump didn't want released.
出版商说政治形势正有助于《炮火与怒火》这类书籍的销售,这是一本迈克尔伍尔夫披露川普不愿公开的秘闻的书。
⑨ But reality is not all that sells.
但实际的销量并不全是这类书的销售。
(reality应理解为现实的销量,而不仅仅是指现实)
⑩ Sales of science fiction are also up 18% in America, for those needing an escape to an alternative universe more than ever.
在美国,科幻小说的销量也上升了18%,对于那些需要逃离现实的人来说再好不过了。
终于读完了,是不是心情很放松呢,要记得常常巩固复习哦
小浓缩也有大学问,我是小E,下回见~