Vocabulary:

AvtoVAZ is set to face…- Автоваз, вероятнее всего, столкнется с …

state-of-the-art facilities – самое современное оборудование

competi­tiveness - конкурентоспособность

marketing director - коммерческий директор

retail - продавать(ся) в розницу

slow off the mark – упустить возможность, недостаточно быстро реагируя на изменение ситуации

TRANSLATION NOTES:

speculation - предположение(я), догадка(и)

Это слово можно отнести к «ложным» друзьям переводчика, т.к. помимо значения спекуляция оно имеет значение предположение, догадка. (См. часть Ш, раздел 2 ,§1, п.1.6)

production will drop 4% this year, with profits falling 34% - в этом году производство сократится на 4%, причем объем прибыли уменьшится на 34% (См. часть Ш, раздел 3, § 6, п.6.3)

facilities – оборудование, приспособления, аппаратура; здания ( заводов, фирм и т.п.)

Есть целый ряд слов, которые не имеют эквивалента в русском языке; их иногда приходится переводить по-разному, в зависимости от контекста, иногда описательным путем. Предмет или обстоятельство, совокупность предметов или обстоятельств, помогающих совершить действие.

facilities for transport – средства передвижения

facilities for studies – необходимые помещения и оборудование

aggressive - решительный, энергичный, активный; агрессивный

Данное слово также относится к псевдоинтернациональным словам и требует внимания от переводчика с точки зрения смысла и коннотаций слова (см. часть Ш, раздел 2, §1, п.1.6). В данном контексте верным переводом является значение активный, решительный (положительная коннотация), а не агрессивный (отрицательная коннотация)

3. Can Stringer stop Sony malfunctioning?

Sony has ditched its chief executive and brought in the head of its American division to run the media and electronics conglomerate. But resolving the conflicting aims of its two main businesses may take more than a fresh face at the top

During Mr Idei’s five-year tenure as chairman and chief executive, Sony’s share price fell by around 60%.

Mr Idei’s replacement is Howard Stringer, the Welsh-born boss of Sony’s American operations. His appointment gives him a position in Japanese business unmatched by any other foreign national—indeed, some even speculate that it marks a turning point for the Japanese boardroom.

Sony is essentially a firm of two parts: electronic goods and media content. But blockbuster new products have been in short supply of late, and the Sony name is no longer a by-word for up-market electronic goodies. As consumers have increasingly turned to the competition—particularly Samsung, a South Korean rival, and at home Matsushita and Sharp—Sony has slipped from its position as the predominant force in consumer electronics. In the fiscal year ending March, some 62% of the firm’s revenues came from its electronics division but that part of the business lost $339m. It may well suffer another loss this year.

Sony’s media division is prospering by comparison. Last fiscal year, music and films contributed some 40% of group operating profits. Mr Stringer won praise for completing two big deals recently: the merger of Sony Music with Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG), creating the world’s second-largest music company; and a deal to buy MGM, a famous Hollywood film studio. Thousands of employees at Sony’s music division have been laid off. And Mr Stringer brought new management into the movie division and enjoyed bumper worldwide success with the Spiderman films, among others.

Success in Hollywood can prove short-lived, however. The music industry is also going through a particularly bad patch. Worldwide music sales have fallen every year since 2000. The value of sales fell by 1.3% compared with the first six months of the previous year, largely thanks to piracy. Despite legal moves against individuals who share music files on the web, sales are set to fall again this year.

Though Mr Stringer’s success in Hollywood may not qualify him to run a sprawling conglomerate that still derives the bulk of its revenues from electronics, a dose of foreign management might go down well at Sony. It worked at Nissan, where Carlos Ghosn, a Brazilian-born Frenchman, turned the struggling Japanese carmaker into a hugely profitable concern. Ultimately, Sony may have to decide whether it is an electronics firm or a media company. Rumours have abounded that Mr Stringer is planning to spin off Sony’s entertainment division. That might not be a bad start.