「The Economist」 July, 2020
抖音国际版TikTok作为一款下载量高达20亿次的短视频应用，承载了字节跳动成为全球软件巨头的宏愿。然而，爆红也引来了美国特朗普政府乃至全球几个国家的猜忌。海外资本对TikTok张开虎口，字节跳动能否在保住对TikTok控制权的同时，继续在海外开疆拓土呢？
fame
n. 名声；声誉；名气
这个词在新概念英语也出现过。
例：Mendoza rose to fame swiftly after a boxing-match when he was only fourteen years old.
门多萨在14岁时参加一场拳击赛后一举成名。
As America threatens to ban or seize TikTok, its Chinese parent is scrambling for a way to hang on to its hit app
美国有可能封禁或夺取TikTok，其中国母公司着急找到办法来保住自己的热门应用。
scramble for a way to do sth
scramble to do sth
[transitive] to try to do something difficult very quickly
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startup
n. 创办中的公司
leap
v. 骤增；剧增；猛涨
unicorn
n. 独角兽
A unicorn startup or unicorn company is a private company with a valuation over $1 billion.
一般指投资界对于10亿美元以上估值，并且创办时间相对较短（一般为十年内）还未上市的公司的称谓。
internet sensation
n. 网络大热；网络热点
It was valued at $140bn on the secondary market, up by nearly half from a funding round in the spring.
它在二级市场的估值为1400亿美元，比春季一轮融资后增长了近五成。
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jeopardy
n. 危险
The same month ByteDance’s American lawyers told it that President Donald Trump’s administration has concerns over TikTok’s Chinese ownership.
同月，字节跳动的美国律师告诉公司，特朗普政府对TikTok的中国背景感到担忧。
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same league as
相提并论，旗鼓相当
In America and Britain it rivals YouTube for user attention - and not just among teenagers, who first took to it. “TikTok is a place for everyone now,” says Vanessa Pappas, the app’s general manager for America.
在美国和英国，TikTok在用户关注方面可与YouTube相提并论——而且这还不仅仅是在它最初吸引到的青少年当中。TikTok的美国总经理凡妮莎·帕帕斯说：“现在是全民刷TikTok。”
rival
v. 与…相匹敌；比得上
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ByteDance keeps its numbers close to its chest but its investors say it is on track to bring in $30bn of revenue in 2020, up from $15bn-20bn in 2019.
字节跳动对营收数字秘而不宣，但其投资者称，按目前的趋势它有望在2020年实现300亿美元的收入，2019年的收入为150亿至200亿美元。
close to its chest
这里像是引申义，参照朗文词典的短语
net profit
净利润
TikTok is not yet making money, but ByteDance reckons it may in time eclipse all its Chinese properties put together, by tapping into America’s vast ad market.
TikTok尚未盈利，但字节跳动认为，通过挖掘美国庞大的广告市场，假以时日TikTok的利润可能会超过字节跳动所有中国业务的总和。
reckon
v. 认为；想；估计；计算
to guess a number or amount, without calculating it exactly
eclipse
v. 遮住…的光；使失色；使相形见绌；使丧失重要性
to become more important, powerful, famous etc than someone or something else, so that they are no longer noticed
tap into
利用；挖掘；打入
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To TikTok’s users the idea of Uncle Sam cracking down on videos of baby hedgehogs is as silly as grandpas learning to shuffle.
在TikTok用户看来，山姆大叔出手打击一款分享刺猬宝宝视频的应用就像老爷爷学鬼步舞一样犯傻。
crack down
镇压，制裁，打击
hedgehogs
n. 刺猬；〈美〉豪猪；
shuffle
v. 拖着脚走；曳步舞
The first is over censorship and propaganda. TikTok has in the past muted discussion of subjects sensitive in China,
第一涉及审查制度和宣传。TikTok过去一直屏蔽对中国敏感话题的讨论，
censorship
n. 审查；审查制度；检查
对应词根censor，对书籍和电影等的审查删减。
propaganda
n. 宣传；鼓吹
The second worry is that as a Chinese firm, ByteDance is subject to laws that require it to work with China’s authorities.
第二个担忧是，作为一家中国公司，字节跳动受制于要求其与中国当局合作的法律。
subject
adj. 取决于；可能受…影响的；易遭受…的；视…而定
短语be subject to：
authority
n. 当局；权威；权限；权力
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But Alex Stamos, former chief security officer at Facebook who now advises Zoom, a videoconferencing service with operations in China, says that even if TikTok could resist government requests, “the question is what extralegal means exist to get data out”.
但是，Facebook前首席安全官、现任视频会议服务Zoom顾问的亚历克斯·斯塔莫斯说，即使TikTok真挡得住政府的要求，“问题在于存在着那些可获取数据的法外手段”。
Users can also opt in to share their contacts.
用户还可以选择是否共享联系人。
opt in to
选择加入；许可营销；选择加入型
to decide to join a group or system
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ByteDance has tried to head off these concerns.
字节跳动试图化解这些顾虑。
head off
阻止某事；
to prevent something from happening, especially something bad
Americanise
v. 使美国化
After a covid-related delay its “transparency centre” in Los Angeles, where experts can examine its code, should open this summer.
其位于洛杉矶的“透明中心”（专家可在此查看其程序代码）的启动因疫情而延误，应该能在今夏启用。
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In March ByteDance also came up with a more radical plan.
字节跳动还在3月推出了一个更激进的计划。
come up with
想出(一个主意或计划)；提出；提供；筹措
back-office
后台；后端；后端办公
Operationally, the firm would bifurcate into “ByteDance China” and “ByteDance Global”.
在运营上，公司将分为“字节跳动中国”和“字节跳动全球”。
bifurcate
v. 分叉；分支(二叉的)，同义词：fork
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ByteDance’s priority is to avoid this outcome, while hanging on to a meaningful chunk of TikTok’s economic value.
字节跳动的首要任务是避免这种结果，同时保住TikTok经济价值的主要部分。
hang on to
紧紧握住
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It is ready to change its capital structure and spin off the global arm, keeping a stake of between 35% and 49%.
它已准备好改变资本结构并把全球业务分拆出去，持有其中35%至49%的股份。
spin off
母公司收回子公司全部股本使之脱离的做法；
arm
~ (of sth) 分部；职能部门 a section of a large organization that deals with one particular activity
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But handing global TikTok over to Americans would smack of expropriation. “America would get another global tech platform,” notes one person in China involved in the matter.
但若要把TikTok全球业务拱手交给美国人则会有种被强征的味道。“美国将获得又一个全球科技平台。”中国的一位相关人士指出。
smack of
带有……的味道；有某味道；有…气味
smack
v. 用巴掌打；掴；啪的一声使劲放（或扔、甩等）；使劲碰（或撞）
expropriation
n. 征收；没收；剥夺
involved in the matter
参与此事；与此事相关
我们常说的“相关人士”，用这句表达就很接气了。
the person involved in the matter
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A split could also stunt the future development of the app, whose popularity has been fuelled by ByteDance’s algorithms, honed in developing Douyin and Toutiao.
拆分还可能阻碍该应用未来的发展，因为推动它如此大受欢迎的是字节跳动在开发抖音和今日头条的过程中不断改善的算法。
fuel
v. (给…)加油；【新闻传媒】加速
to cause a situation to change quickly
例：Consumers will continue to fuel economic growth.
hone
v. 磨练；to make something perfect or completely suitable for its purpose
例：Her debating skills were honed in the students’ union.
她的辩论才能是在学生会里磨炼出来的。
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TikTok’s woes offer others an opening.
TikTok的麻烦为其他公司提供了可乘之机。
woes
n. 灾难；麻烦事
