翻译小学堂：原文+参考译文（逐段解析）
形式：先思考，后动笔，再对比，分析总结，内化吸收
翻译学堂【科技五巨头发展现状】
【句段1】There's a little parlor game that people in Silicon Valley like to play. Let's call it, Who's Losing?
【句段2】There are currently four undisputed rulers of the consumer technology industry: Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google, now a unit of a parent company called Alphabet. And there's one more, Microsoft, whose influence once looked on the wane, but which is now rebounding.
【句段3】So which of these five is losing? A year ago, it was Google that looked to be in a tough spot as its ad business appeared more vulnerable to Facebook's rise.
【句段4】Now, Google is looking up, and it's Apple, hit by rising worries about a slowdown in iPhone sales, that may be headed for some pain. Over the next couple of weeks, as these companies issue earnings that show how they finished 2015, the state of play may shift once more.
【句段5】But don't expect it to shift much. Asking “who's losing?” misses a larger truth about how thoroughly Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft now lord over all that happens in tech.
【句段6】These platforms are inescapable; you may opt out of one or two of them, but together, they form a gilded mesh blanketing the entire economy.
【句段7】The Big Five's platforms span so-called old tech — Windows is still the king of desktops, Google rules web search — and new tech, with Google and Apple controlling mobile phone operating systems and the apps that run on them.
【句段8】Facebook and Google controlling the Internet advertising business; and Amazon, Microsoft and Google controlling the cloud infrastructure on which many start-ups run.
参考译文（逐段解析）
原文：
There's a little parlor game that people in Silicon Valley like to play. Let's call it, Who's Losing?
参考译文：
硅谷的人喜欢玩一个室内小游戏。咱们就叫它“谁在走下坡路”吧！
重点词汇：
parlor game (猜谜答问等)室内游戏
Silicon Valley 硅谷（注意要大写首字母）
lose 失去；丢失；遗失；减少；渐渐丧失
(to have less and less of sth, especially until you no longer have any of it)
翻译要点：
1. There's a little parlor game that people in Silicon Valley like to play.可以按照字面翻译为“有一种硅谷的人喜欢玩的室内小游戏。”，但是翻译成“硅谷的人喜欢玩一个室内小游戏”更符合中文的表达，而且与下一句的衔接也更顺畅。
2. Who's Losing?也可以表达“谁是失败者”的意思（例如 winner 和 loser）；但是根据后面的信息，这里的 lose 要表达的意思是“衰退”，再进一步可以引申为“走下坡路”。
断句：
There's a little parlor game /that people in Silicon Valley like to play. Let's call it, Who's Losing
句段二
原文：
There are currently four undisputed rulers of the consumer technology industry: Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google, now a unit of a parent company called Alphabet. And there's one more, Microsoft, whose influence once looked on the wane, but which is now rebounding
参考译文：
在目前的消费科技行业，亚马逊、苹果、Facebook 以及目前身为 Alphabet 子公司的谷歌是无可争辩的统治者。当然，还有曾经逐渐日落西山，但是眼下正在复苏的微软
重点词汇：
disputed 有争议的
parent company 母公司
on the wane 逐渐衰落；日落西山；日益衰落
rebound 反弹；回升；弹回
翻译要点：
1. now a unit of a parent company called Alphabet 作为后置的定语成分，可以翻译成一个单独的句子：“谷歌现在隶属于一家名为 Alphabet 的母公司。”不过处理成前置的定语，则可以让译文更通顺，句子结构更紧凑。
2. whose influence once looked on the wane, but which is now rebounding 作为一个定语从句，也可以翻译成一个单独的句子：“微软的影响力一度让人感觉是在衰减，但现在有所回升。”处理成前置的定语，可以让译文更通顺，句子结构更紧凑
断句：
There are currently four undisputed rulers of the consumer technology industry: /Amazon, Apple, Facebook and /Google, now a unit of a parent company called Alphabet. /And there's one more, Microsoft, /whose influence once looked on the wane, but which is now rebounding.
句段三
原文：
So which of these five is losing? A year ago, it was Google that looked to be in a tough spot as its ad business appeared more vulnerable to Facebook's rise.
参考译文：
那么，这五家公司中谁在走下坡路呢？一年前，当谷歌的广告业务似乎更容易受到 Facebook 崛起的影响时，该公司似乎处境艰难。
重点词汇：
be in a tough spot 处境艰难；处于难堪的境地
be vulnerable to 易于患上；易受；对…无能为力
翻译要点：
第二句话中的 as 既可以表示解释原因（相当于 because 或者 since），也可以表示 when 的含义；as 前面以及后面的成分，可以保留原来的顺序，也可以颠倒位置。如下：
版本1：一年前，当谷歌的广告业务似乎更容易受到Facebook崛起的影响时，该公司似乎处境艰难。
版本2：一年前，谷歌公司似乎处境艰难。当时，该公司的广告业务似乎更容易受到 Facebook 崛起的影响。
断句：
So which of these five is losing? /A year ago, it was Google /that looked to be in a tough spot /as its ad business appeared more vulnerable to Facebook's rise.
句段四
原文：
Now, Google is looking up, and it's Apple, hit by rising worries about a slowdown in iPhone sales, that may be headed for some pain. Over the next couple of weeks, as these companies issue earnings that show how they finished 2015, the state of play may shift once more.
参考译文：
但现在，谷歌的情况正在好转，而因为 iPhone 销量放缓而承受日益强烈的焦虑的苹果，却可能会经历一些痛苦。接下来的几周里，随着上述这些公司公布各自2015 年的财报，局面可能会再次变化。
重点词汇：
look up 向上看；情况好转
worry （n.）担心；忧虑；焦虑；令人担忧的事
slowdown 减速；衰退；放缓
be headed for 前往；朝……方向去
earnings 收益；收入；利润；赢利；财报（引申义）
state of play 游戏进展；当前局势
shift 转移；改变
翻译要点：
earnings that show how they finished 2015 的字面意思为“能彰显自己 2015 年战绩的收益”，根据上下文，其实就是“财报”的意思。
断句：
Now, Google is looking up, and /it's Apple, /hit by rising worries about a slowdown in iPhone sales, /that may be headed for some pain. /Over the next couple of weeks, /as these companies issue earnings that show how they finished 2015, /the state of play may shift once more.
句段五
原文：
But don't expect it to shift much. Asking “who's losing?” misses a larger truth about how thoroughly Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft now lord over all that happens in tech.
参考译文：
但不要指望会有大的变化。问“谁在走下坡路”这个问题忽略了一个更广泛的事实：当前亚马逊、苹果、Facebook、谷歌和微软在科技领域的全面霸主地位。
重点词汇：
miss sth 未见到；未听到；未觉察to fail to hear, see or notice sth
lord over 辖制；作威作福
翻译要点：
1. Asking “who's losing?” misses a larger truth about xxx 中的“xxx”这部分信息，可以按照英文的语序翻译，不过会导致句子结构臃肿，不易于阅读和理解。因此，可以将 xxx 处理成一个单独的句子。
2. lord over 字面意思为辖制，控制；翻译成“霸主”，则更形象。
断句：
But don't expect it to shift much. /Asking “who's losing?”/misses a larger truth about/how thoroughly /Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft /now lord over /all that happens in tech.
句段六
原文：
These platforms are inescapable; you may opt out of one or two of them, but together, they form a gilded mesh blanketing the entire economy.
参考译文：
这些平台是无法避开的。人们可以选择不使用其中的一个或者两个，但它们合起来构成了一张如同金子般熠熠生辉的网，覆盖了整个经济。
重点词汇：
opt out 选择退出；决定不参加；
gilded 镀金的；涂金色的；富贵的；上层阶级的
mesh 网状物；网状织物；陷阱；困境
blanket (v.)以厚层覆盖
翻译要点：
a gilded mesh blanketing the entire economy 可以翻译成“覆盖了整个经济的如同金子般熠熠生辉的网”，意思准确，语言也通顺；不过这样子会把 blanketing the entire economy 的意思弱化。
因此，按照原文的语序，将 blanketing the entire economy 处理动词短语，表达的效果会更好些。
断句：
These platforms are inescapable; /you may opt out of one or two of them, /but together, they form a gilded mesh blanketing the entire economy
句段七
原文：
The Big Five's platforms span so-called old tech — Windows is still the king of desktops, Google rules web search — and new tech, with Google and Apple controlling mobile phone operating systems and the apps that run on them。
参考译文：
五巨头的平台涵盖了所谓的老技术——Windows 依然是台式机领域的王者，谷歌统治着网络搜索——以及新技术：谷歌和苹果掌控着手机操作系统和搭载在上面的应用。
重点词汇：
span 持续；贯穿；包括（广大地区）；涵盖（多项内容）
desktop 桌上型电脑；台式机；台式电脑
app 手机应用程序(application)
翻译要点：
tech 是 technology 的缩写，一般情况下，翻译为“技术”，而不是“科技”。
断句：
The Big Five's platforms span so-called old tech — /Windows is still the king of desktops, Google rules web search —/and new tech, /with Google and Apple controlling mobile phone operating systems and the apps that run on them.
句段八
原文：
Facebook and Google controlling the Internet advertising business; and Amazon, Microsoft and Google controlling the cloud infrastructure on which many start-ups run.Facebook
参考译文：
Facebook 和谷歌控制着互联网广告业务；亚马逊、微软和谷歌控制着许多创业公司赖以运营的云基础设施。
重点词汇：
infrastructure 基础建设；基础结构；基础架构
start-up 创业公司;(新企业或工程）开办阶段的，启动时期的
翻译要点：
cloud infrastructure on which many start-ups run 可以翻译成一个独立的句子“而很多创业公司都是在云基础设施上运营的。”，不过这样导致句子的衔接不够紧凑。因此，可以考虑翻译成前置的定语成分，即：许多创业公司赖以运营的云基础设施。这个译法，从语法分析上看，“许多”既可以修饰“创业公司”，也可以修饰“云基础设施”，因此存在歧义。不过云基础设施是不可数的概念，因此，读者可以准确判断“许多”与后面成分的修饰关系。
断句：
Facebook and Google controlling the Internet advertising business; /and Amazon, Microsoft and Google controlling the cloud infrastructure on which many start-ups run.