英语PK台 第553期:翻译入门(2)

 　　In China, Designer Goods Delivered to Your Doorstep

　　世界奢侈品牌进军中国电商，京东推出高端专线派送服务

　　Source: The New York Times July 30, 2017

　　来源：2017年7月30日，《纽约时报》

　　In China, legions of delivery personnel power the world's largest e-commerce boom. Known for their careening three-wheeled carts, they terrorize pedestrians¹ and sometimes dump their packages on doorsteps and desks with the delicacy² of a restaurant employee tossing out yesterday's leftovers³.

　　在中国，快递员大军带动了世界最大的电子商务繁荣。他们以见缝插针的三轮车而出名，令行人心生恐惧。有时，他们会用餐厅员工倾倒前一天的剩饭剩菜那样的随意性，把包裹扔在门口或桌子上。

　　Then there is Tang Hongliang, who is part of an ambitious effort to bring some sparkle to the business—and perhaps help revive the fortunes of the world's makers⁴ of high-priced handbags and watches.

　　唐洪亮（音）不一样。他是一个雄心勃勃的项目的一部分。这个项目意在恢复全球高价手提包和手表制造商的光芒——或许还有财富。'

　　Decked out in a black suit, dark gray tie and white gloves, Mr. Tang does not look like a typical Chinese package courier. Instead of piping hot noodle lunches, he delivers a $2,400 designer handbag. Rather than a three-wheeler, he drives an electric car to transport expensive cargo⁵. In the time he makes one or two deliveries, the typical Chinese courier would have made about 150.

　　一身黑西装、深灰领带和白手套的打扮，让唐洪亮看上去不像典型的中国快递员。他送的不是热气腾腾的午餐面食，而是一个2400美元（约合1.6万元人民币）的名牌手提包。他用来运输昂贵货物的工具也不是三轮车，而是一辆电动汽车。他用于投递一单或两单货物的时间，中国普通快递员可投递约150单货物。

　　"Efficiency is of course important," said Mr. Tang, who works for the online retailer⁶ JD.com. "But serving the customer is the most important."

　　“效率固然重要，”供职于网络零售商京东的唐洪亮说。“但服务顾客最重要。”

　　Mr. Tang, the courier, pulled out of a JD.com warehouse⁷ on the outskirts⁸ of Beijing with a single delivery box in tow. Three-wheeled delivery carts whizzed past as he drove calmly toward the city's central business district.

　　前不久的一个上午，快递员唐洪亮从北京郊区的一个京东仓库出来，他只带了一个快递箱。三轮快递车从他身边呼啸而过，他却从容地开着车前往北京的中央商务区。

　　After waiting for the customer for nearly two hours, Mr. Tang stepped out of the car, pulled on his signature gloves and headed out to deliver the package.

　　在等了客户近两个小时后，唐洪亮从车里出来，戴上他标志性的白手套，去送快递。

　　"Wow, I wasn't expecting this service at all," Yan Luxia, 30, said as she received the box and took out a designer Italian leather handbag.

　　“哇，我完全没想到还有这样的服务，”30岁的闫露霞（音）说。她接过箱子，取出一个意大利名牌皮革手袋。

　　Ms. Yan, who manages a dating service in Beijing, later said the premium⁹ delivery service had been a very "satisfying" experience.

　　闫女士是北京一家婚介交友公司的经理，后来她说，高端快递服务的体验令她非常“满意”。

　　Facing slowing sales, global luxury brands are angling for a piece of China's e-commerce market. Ultimately, e-commerce giants like Alibaba and JD.com are hoping that the allure¹⁰ of their vast consumer base will be too difficult for luxury brands to resist. Shiny add-on features like the white-glove delivery service may make swallowing the e-commerce pill a little easier for the brands.

　　面对销售放缓，全球奢侈品牌正在做出准备，想在中国电商市场分一杯羹。阿里巴巴和京东等电子商务巨头期望自己庞大的消费群体最终会成为令奢侈品牌难以拒绝的诱惑。白手套快递等精致的附加服务也许会让奢侈品牌更容易接受电子商务。

1 pedestrians   

n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Several pedestrians had come to grief on the icy pavement. 几个行人在结冰的人行道上滑倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Pedestrians keep to the sidewalk [footpath]! 行人走便道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 delicacy   

n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴

参考例句：

• We admired the delicacy of the craftsmanship.我们佩服工艺师精巧的手艺。
• He sensed the delicacy of the situation.他感觉到了形势的微妙。

3 leftovers   

n.剩余物，残留物，剩菜

参考例句：

• He can do miracles with a few kitchen leftovers.他能用厨房里几样剩饭做出一顿美餐。
• She made supper from leftovers she had thrown together.她用吃剩的食物拼凑成一顿晚饭。

4 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

6 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。

7 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

8 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

9 premium   

n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的

参考例句：

• You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
• Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。

10 allure   

n.诱惑力，魅力；vt.诱惑，引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• The window displays allure customers to buy goods.橱窗陈列品吸引顾客购买货物。
• The book has a certain allure for which it is hard to find a reason.这本书有一种难以解释的魅力。