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  3. Risto Siilasmaa is the chairman of Nokia, which is today a very different and

Risto Siilasmaa is the chairman of Nokia, which is today a very different and

游客2024-01-02  28
问题    Risto Siilasmaa is the chairman of Nokia, which is today a very different and much smaller company than in 2008 when he joined its board as a non-executive director.
   When Apple launched the iPhone in 2007, Nokia at first seemed to view it as a niche competitor with a high price-tag that would capture only a small slice of the market. After all, Nokia’s phones appeared to have all the bells and whistles needed to succeed. Users could download music and listen to the radio; they could use their phones to take photos and videos; they could send and receive email; and even use maps.
   Mr Siilasmaa had a front-row seat for the drama that ensued when he first joined the firm, but he had very little real influence on the board decisions. As he explains, board members have limited access to limited quantities of important company information. With his software background, however, he quickly perceived the firm’s big problem. Its devices could rival the iPhone mechanically, but the operating system could not compete. Nokia’s Symbian system was cumbersome for users, who had to send confirmations whenever any function was added to the phone.
   Nokia also had a wide range of devices with different operating requirements, making it difficult for app developers to customise their offerings. Apple, by contrast, had only one platform and enjoyed the benefit of being able to design a system from scratch.
   Increasingly concerned about these problems, Mr Siilasmaa wrote a strategy document suggesting that the company should consider embracing the Android operating system for phones, which was rapidly gaining market share. He sent it straight to Nokia’s chairman, Jorma Ollila.
   Before becoming chairman, he had been Nokia’s chief executive from 1992 to 2006, the years of its rise to dominance. He did not seem to appreciate a non-executive director putting his oar in. Mr Siilasmaa tried again, this time sending his memo to the chief executive and other board members, but his concerns were never addressed in board meetings.
   Mr Ollila, now 68, has described Mr Siilasmaa’s claims as exaggerated or not true. But Nokia’s performance deteriorated sharply during his last years in charge, and nothing he did was able to stop it. The company did team up with Microsoft to launch a Windows-based phone, the Lumia. But by 2012, when Mr Ollila left the board, Nokia’s market value had fallen by 92% since Apple’s iPhone was launched and the firm was making a loss.
   Mr Siilasmaa came in as the new chairman when the company’s fortunes seemed to be at rock-bottom. Instead, the news got worse: the Lumia phone received good reviews but failed to gain market share.
   So Mr Siilasmaa acted. In 2013 Nokia sold the phone business to Microsoft and struck out in a different direction. Now Nokia offers "end-to-end" digital infrastructure, supplying network equipment and software to telecoms operators. It is profitable, but its share price has barely moved in the past five years and future success is dependent on a wave of spending on 5G telecoms networks, which may come slowly.
   Nokia was already a classic example of the perils of disruptive innovation for industry leaders. Mr Siilasmaa’s account underlines how little influence board members often have when faced with an entrenched management team. He insists that a board’s role must be to challenge management. Bosses must have an attitude of "paranoid optimism", always on the lookout for potential threats. Nokia’s story shows why.
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答案    里斯托-席拉斯玛是诺基亚公司的董事长。2008年，他以非执行董事的身份加入了诺基亚董事会。如今诺基亚公司已与2008年截然不同，规模也小了很多。
   苹果在2007年推出了iPhone，诺基亚起初似乎将其视为一个利基竞争对手，认为苹果的iPhone价格高昂，只会占据市场的一小部分。毕竟，诺基亚的手机似乎已具备成功营销所需的所有额外功能。用户可以下载音乐，收听广播；可以用手机拍照、拍视频，收发电子邮件；甚至还可以使用地图。
   席拉斯玛先生刚入职公司就目睹了公司随后发生的戏剧性变化，但他对董事会的决议基本没有实质影响。正如他所言，董事会成员对公司那些数量有限的重要信息也很难获取到。然而，凭借其软件背景，他很快意识到公司存在很大问题。诺基亚的设备在机械方面可以与iPhone相媲美，但操作系统却无法与之抗衡。诺基亚的塞班操作系统(Symbian system)对用户来说非常麻烦，用户无论在手机上添加任何功能都必须得发送确认信息。
   诺基亚还有很多不同操作要求的设备，这使应用程序开发人员很难按客户要求定制产品。相比之下，苹果只有一个平台，享受了能够从头设计系统的好处。
   席拉斯玛先生越来越关注这些问题，他写了一份战略文件，建议公司考虑采用安卓手机操作系统，因为该操作系统正在迅速占据市场份额。他直接把这份战略文件递交给了诺基亚当时的董事长约尔马-奥利拉。
   约尔马-奥利拉在出任董事长之前曾于1992年至2006年担任诺基亚的首席执行官，那时正值诺基亚在市场上崛起至占据主导地位。看来董事长约尔马-奥利拉并不喜欢非执行董事多管闲事，插手其事务。席拉斯玛先生又尝试了一次，这次他把自己的备忘录发给了首席执行官和其他董事会成员，但董事会从未讨论他所关注的问题。
   如今68岁的奥利拉先生认为，席拉斯玛先生的说法夸大其辞或者不符事实。但是，诺基亚的经营状况在他任职的最后几年里急剧恶化，无论他做什么都无济于事。该公司的确与微软公司合作推出了一款基于Windows的Lumia手机。不过，截止到2012年奥利拉先生离开董事会，诺基亚的市值自苹果iPhone上市以来已下降了92％，公司处于持续亏损状态。
   诺基亚的命运处于最低谷时，席拉斯玛先生出任新董事长。然而，情况变得更糟了：Lumia手机虽获得了好评，但未能赢得市场份额。
   于是，席拉斯玛先生果断行动。2013年，诺基亚将手机业务卖给了微软，开始改弦易辙。如今，诺基亚提供“端到端”的数字基础设施，为电信运营商提供网络设备和软件。诺基亚盈得了利润，但在过去五年中其股价几乎没有变动，未来的成功取决于5G电信网络的消费热潮，而这一热潮可能会姗姗来迟。
   对于行业领袖来说，诺基亚已是颠覆性创新风险的典型例子。席拉斯玛先生的讲述说明，面对顽固的管理团队，董事会成员通常对其几乎没有任何影响力。他坚持认为，董事会必须起到挑战管理层的作用。老板们必须采取一种“多疑乐观”的态度，时刻警惕潜在威胁。诺基亚的故事便是最好的证明。
解析 1．Risto Siilasmaa is the chairman of Nokia，which is today a very different and much smaller company than in 2008 when he joined its board as a non-executive director．里斯托-席拉斯玛是诺基亚公司的董事长。2008年，他以非执行董事的身份加入了诺基亚董事会。如今诺基亚公司已与2008年截然不同，规模也小了很多。
[技巧分析]调整语序+化整为零
英语状语的位置相对比较灵活，可以利用连接词把状语放在句子的任何位置。而汉语是意合语言，连接词的使用相对较少，一般按照事情发生的先后顺序组织句子。所以本句的翻译需要化整为零，将时间状语和定语从句都拆分出来单独翻译，之后再按汉语习惯的顺序表述原文的意思。
2．When Apple launched the iPhone in 2007，Nokia at first seemed to view it as a niche competitor with a high price-tag that would capture only a small slice of the market．苹果在2007年推出了iPhone，诺基亚起初似乎将其视为一个利基竞争对手，认为苹果的iPhone价格高昂，只会占据市场的一小部分。
[技巧分析]理解主从关系+选词用词
原文定语从句that would capture only a small slice of the market的先行词是a niche competitor。niche的本义是利基市场，是商业领域的专有词汇。利基市场是那些被市场中的统治企业所忽略的小市场，指企业选定一个很小的产品或服务领域，集中力量进入并成为领先者，从当地市场到全国再到全球。通常利基企业的产品价格高昂，只占据市场的一小部分，可见a niche competitor后面的定语进一步解释了前面的先行词。所以，译者在选词时不仅需要参考本义，也需要考虑上下文语境。
3．After all．Nokia’s phones appeared to have all the bells and whistles needed to succeed．毕竟，诺基亚的手机似乎已具备成功营销所需的所有额外功能。
[技巧分析]选词用词
bells and whistles是个习语，本意是“华而不实的点缀品”，这里根据上下文，译为“额外功能”。
4．Mr Siilasmaa had a front-row seat for the drama that ensued when he first joined the firm，but he had very little real influence on the board decisions．席拉斯玛先生刚入职公司就目睹了公司随后发生的戏剧性变化，但他对董事会的决议基本没有实质影响。
[技巧分析]根据语境推测语义
原句中的短语had a front-row seat for the drama that ensued比较难理解，但根据全文背景信息进行推测后可得知本句to have a front-row seat表示“坐在前排”，for the drama that ensued表示“随后发生的戏剧性变化”，坐在前排观看了随后发生的戏剧性变化，即亲眼目睹了该公司随后发生的戏剧性变化。
5．As he explains，board members have limited access to limited quantities of important company information．正如他所言，董事会成员对公司那些数量有限的重要信息也很难获取到。
[技巧分析]选词用词
have access to表示拥有进入某地的通道、接近某人的机会、使用某物的权利或方法等，have limited access to在本句中表示“对公司信息的获取很有限”，翻译时意译为“很难获取到”。
6．Nokia’s Symbian system was cumbersome for users，who had to send confirmations whenever any function was added to the phone．诺基亚的塞班操作系统(Symbian system)对用户来说非常麻烦，用户无论在手机上添加任何功能都必须得发送确认信息。
[技巧分析]调整语序
原句定语从句中的状语从句whenever any function was added to the phone在翻译时应该按照汉语习惯调整语序，进行前置。
7．Increasingly concerned about these problems，Mr Siilasmaa wrote a strategy document suggesting that the company should consider embracing the Android operating system for phones，which was rapidly gaining market share．席拉斯玛先生越来越关注这些问题，他写了一份战略文件，建议公司考虑采用安卓手机操作系统，因为该操作系统正在迅速占据市场份额。
[技巧分析]理解主从关系
首先，现在分词suggesting后面跟的从句采用了虚拟语气的表达，结构为should+动词原形，这一结构中的should并不表示义务或责任的本义“应该”，只是构成虚拟语气，不必译出。其次，定语从句which was rapidly gaining market share和前面主句是因果关系，所以翻译时加入了关联词“因为”。
8．Before becoming chairman，he had been Nokia’s chief executive from 1992 to 2006，the years of its rise to dominance．约尔马-奥利拉在出任董事长之前曾于1992年至2006年担任诺基亚的首席执行官，那时正值诺基亚在市场上崛起至占据主导地位。
[技巧分析]调整语序+转换同位短语
根据汉语习惯，译文前置了时间状语from 1992 to 2006，并在翻译其同位语the years of its rise to dominance时，将这个短语转换成了句子“诺基亚在市场上崛起至占据主导地位”，句首加入了“那时正值”进行衔接。
9．He did not seem to appreciate a non-executive director putting his oar in．看来董事长约尔马-奥利拉并不喜欢非执行董事多管闲事，插手其事务。
[技巧分析]选词用词
put one’s oar in表示“干涉、干预”，根据上下文语义，详细地译为“多管闲事，插手其事务”。
10．But by 2012，when Mr Ollila left the board，Nokia’s market value had fallen by 92％ since Apple’s iPhone was launched and the firm was making a loss．不过，截止到2012年奥利拉先生离开董事会，诺基亚的市值自苹果iPhone上市以来已下降了92％．公司处于持续亏损状态。
[技巧分析]理解主从关系
状语since Apple’s iPhone was launched是谓语动词had fallen的时间状语，所以应翻译为“自苹果iPhone上市以来已下降了92％”，而非将其分开单独翻译为原因状语。the firm was making a loss是Nokia’s market value had fallen by 92％ since Apple’s iPhone was launched的并列句，表示结果，所以应在翻译时采用表示结果的结构“处于持续亏损状态”。
11．Mr Siilasmaa came in as the new chairman when the company’s fortunes seemed to be at rock-bottom．诺基亚的命运处于最低谷时，席拉斯玛先生出任新董事长。
[技巧分析]选词用词
came in as根据汉语习惯译为“出任”。
12．So Mr Siilasmaa acted．于是，席拉斯玛先生果断行动。
[技巧分析]增加修饰词
如果将此句译为“于是，席拉斯玛先生行动”，读起来很突兀，不符合汉语习惯。在汉语中，名词、动词、形容词前会加入一些无实质意义的修饰词，让汉语读起来更顺畅，所以本句翻译时加入了“果断”。
13．In 2013 Nokia sold the phone business to Microsoft and struck out in a difierent direction．2013年，诺基亚将手机业务卖给了微软，开始改弦易辙。
[技巧分析]选词用词
struck out in a different direction表示开始按新方向发展，这里译为汉语成语“改弦易辙”，不仅符合原意，也更加通顺、生动。
14．Nokia was already a classic example of the perils of disruptive innovation for industry leaders．对于行业领袖来说，诺基亚已是颠覆性创新风险的典型例子。
[技巧分析]调整语序+百科知识
本句按照汉语表达习惯，翻译时前置了for industry leaders，后置了Nokia was already a classic example。短语disruptive innovation可译为“颠覆性创新”。Disruptive Innovation Theory(颠覆性创新理论)是哈佛大学商学院的商业管理教授克莱顿-克里斯坦森(Clayton Christensen)在哈佛所做研究的基础上总结提出的理论，旨在描述新技术对公司存在的影响。
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