广告商的利好:Google 和微软准备为办公软件肉搏

(更佳阅读体验，请至http://www.17bdc.com/blog/?p=110) 今天的文章不长，但是词汇量不少，并且有一个特点，就是很多词汇本身都是我们已知的，也许中小学就学过，但是却有比我们所学过的课文更加生动有趣的用法。譬如gun, slap, steal, shy等等。所以有时候漂亮的英文未必会使用生涩的词汇，而是能够在对基础词汇娴熟掌握的基础上，发挥想象力，将它们用在合适的场景里。 http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/03/google_apps_ads/ Google guns for MS Office with billboard campaign Ad broker turns ad maker By Kelly Fiveash • Get more from this author broker 撮客，经纪人，中介。就是帮东家把东西卖给西家，然后提成的那种。Google 就是可以看作广告经纪人，通过AdSense或者WordSense等形式，把广告放置在网站所有人的网页上，然后跟广告主收钱，跟网页所有人分成。 gun for gun 是枪的意思，但是也可以作动词，表示用枪打， gun sb. down，开枪打倒；但是这里gun for 的意思是全力以赴不惜一切代价去争取胜利，表达了Google对办公市场势在必得。 Mountain View plans to slap Google Apps adverts on billboards in major US cities from today in its latest attempt to woo businesses away from Microsoft’s Office suite. Mountain View Google 总部所在地山景城，好像西方特别喜欢用总部地名来代表机构，最著名的当然是白宫，另外也经常用Redmond即微软总部所在地代表MS slap 最常用的意思是用巴掌打，如果打脸上就是掌掴；但也会引伸为拍打和“啪”得一声用力放置的意思，就如同本句 woo 诱惑，追求 The search giant, which has been stretching its tentacles into more and more areas comfortably occupied by Redmond, will promote its $50 per worker, per annum Google Apps suite in New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Boston. tentacle 触角 per annum annum是拉丁文年的意思。 Google shies away from advertising its core search product, so it’s uncharacteristic to see the firm punting its other services. shy away from 尽力回避某件（可能令人不快）的事情。 uncharacteristic 表现异常，character是个人特征，characteristic便是有个人特色的 punt 为...下赌注 一点背景知识，Google从来没有为其核心业务即搜索服务做过广告，因此这回对办公业务打广告显得很不寻常。 However, in many ways it’s also a savvy biz move given the hot potato contest that’s been taking place at the rival MS and Google camps in recent weeks. savvy 能干的，有见地的；经常会跟在一个名词后面，譬如"internet-savvy", "car-savvy"，表示某方面拿手 One big announcement (Microsoft’s Bing search deal with Yahoo!) has followed after another (Google Chrome OS) as the two tech titans continue to clash heads. titan 巨人，源自希腊传说中宙斯之前统治地球的巨人种族。著名不幸船只Titanic的词源便是Titan clash 冲撞，冲突 Of course, behind the scenes Google is desperate to be taken seriously in the corporate world, where customers remain reluctant to switch from Microsoft’s desktop Office suite in favour of a cloudier option such as Google Apps. desperate 一般而言是绝望的意思，譬如美剧"Desperate Wifes", 但这里还没到那个程度，只是极度渴望的意思 reluctant 不情愿的 in favour of favour, 同favor; 作名词时表示友善的行为，好感，譬如 do sb. a favor, 或者 win someone's favor；in favor of 表示赞同，支持 cloudy多云的，模糊不清的 Microsoft latest Office suite - 2010 - is due next year. Google may be hoping to steal a march on its veteran rival, but it's worth remembering that Microsoft has been doing this sort of thing for years, and has no compunction of pouring millions into flashy advertising - something the whizz kids at Google have never had to consider.® steal 表示偷窃没什么好说的，但是这个动词还能派其他用场，表示出人意料的；譬如如果说在一场表演中，一个默默无闻的配角却出了彩，让主角明星都显得失色，那么我们可以称他／她"steal the show"; 如果比赛里谁出乎意料的取得冠军，我们可以说那人"steal the game"，或者说他是"a dark horse"(黑马）; “steal the march", 意为抢得先机 compunction 由内疚或者疑虑引起的内心不安。 flashy 耀眼夺目的 这一段表示尽管Google志在必得，但是微软这个大金主也丝毫不会在自己的核心产品推广上吝惜一分钱，看来一场恶战在所难免，广大广告商该笑了。