外刊翻译精读笔记|【经济学人】算法冲破疆界（上）

Unshackled algorithms

算法冲破疆界

MACHINE-LEARNING is beginning to shake up finance. A subset of artificial intelligence (AI) that excels at finding patterns and making predictions, it used to be the preserve of technology firms. The financial industry has jumped on the bandwagon. To cite just a few examples, “heads of machine-learning” can be found at PwC, a consultancy and auditing firm, at JPMorgan Chase, a large bank, and at Man GLG, a hedge-fund manager. From 2019, anyone seeking to become a “chartered financial analyst”, a sought-after distinction in the industry, will need AI expertise to pass his exams.

unshackle to free from shackles; unfetter除去...镣铐；释放

shake up If someone shakes up something such as an organization, an institution, or a profession, they make major changes to it. 彻底调整，重组，改革(组织、机构、行业等)

Shareholders are preparing to shake things up in the boardrooms of America.股东们正准备在美国的公司董事会议上作出重大调整。

excel at be good at擅长做……

used to be used to say that sth happened continuously or frequently during a period in the past (用于过去持续或经常发生的事)曾经

I used to live in London.我曾经在伦敦居住过。

preserve v. to keep a particular quality, feature, etc.; to make sure that sth is kept保护；维护；保留；to keep sth in its original state in good condition维持…的原状；保存；保养；n. something considered as being the exclusive province of certain persons专门领域：被认为是某些人独占领域的东西

Ancient Greek is the preserve of scholars.古希腊文是学者的独占领域。

jump on the bandwagon to become involved in an activity which is successful so that you can get the advantages of it yourself. 赶浪头；一窝蜂做某事，跟随潮流

To cite just a few examples只举几个例子。大家在以后写作时可以使用。

PwC PricewaterhouseCoopers 普华永道

JPMorgan Chase摩根大通

hedge-fund对冲基金

chartered financial analyst特许金融分析师

sought-after adj. wanted by many people, because it is of very good quality or difficult to get or to find争相获得的；吃香的；广受欢迎的

a much sought-after actress非常走红的女演员

anyone seeking to become…这一句中有省略，补充完整应该为anyone who is seeking to become…

机器学习已开始震撼金融界。作为人工智能的一个子集，机器学习擅长发现规律并做出预判，这在以前一直是科技公司的专属技术。如今金融业也赶上了这趟风潮。只举几个例子：咨询审计公司普华永道、大型银行摩根大通和对冲基金管理公司Man GLG都设有“机器学习主管”。自2019年起，如果想要获得业内广受追捧的资质、成为“特许金融分析师”，必须掌握AI专业知识才能通过考试。

---

Despite the scepticism of many, including, surprisingly, some “quant” hedge funds that specialise in algorithm-based trading, machine-learning is poised to have a big impact. Innovative fintech firms and a few nimble incumbents have started applying the technique to everything from fraud protection to finding new trading strategies—promising to up-end not just the humdrum drudgery of the back-office, but the more glamorous stuff up-front.

scepticism an attitude of doubting that claims or statements are true or that sth will happen怀疑态度；怀疑主义

Such claims should be regarded with a certain amount of scepticism.对这样的说法，大可不必全信。

specialise in专门从事，专门研究；专门经营

be poised for sth/to do sth completely ready for sth or to do sth 有充分准备；准备好；蓄势待发

The economy is poised for recovery.经济呈复苏之势。

Kate is poised to become the highest-paid supermodel in the fashion world.凯特决心成为时装界最高薪的超级模特儿。

fintech financial technology金融科技

drudgery hard boring work单调乏味的苦差事；繁重无聊的工作

glamorous especially attractive and exciting, and different from ordinary things or people特别富有魅力的；富于刺激的；独特的　a glamorous job 令人向往的工作

back-office the part of a business company which does not deal directly with the public后勤部门

尽管许多人表示怀疑，其中甚至包括一些专门根据算法来进行交易的“量化”对冲基金，但机器学习势必将产生巨大的影响。创新的金融科技公司和一些灵敏的传统金融企业已开始将这一技术应用到方方面面，例如防欺诈和寻找新的交易策略等。这不仅有望颠覆单调乏味的后台苦差，还将深刻影响更为风光的前台部门。

---

Machine-learning is already much used for tasks such as compliance, risk management and fraud prevention. Intelligent Voice, a British firm, sells its machine-learning-driven speech-transcription tool to large banks to monitor traders’ phone calls for signs of wrongdoing, such as insider trading. Other specialists, like Xcelerit or Kinetica, offer banks and investment firms near-real-time tracking of their risk exposures, allowing them to monitor their capital requirements at all times.

compliance [kəm'plaɪəns] the practice of obeying rules or requests made by people in authority服从；顺从；遵从

procedures that must be followed to ensure full compliance with the law为确保严格遵守法律所必须遵行的程序

driven influenced or caused by a particular thing受…影响的；由…造成的

a market-driven economy市场导向的经济

transcription [trænˈskripʃn ] Transcription of speech or text is the process of transcribing it. 笔录；转写。speech-transcription tool语音转录工具

wrongdoing illegal or dishonest behavior不法行为；坏事；作恶；欺骗行径

The city attorney's office hasn't found any evidence of criminal wrongdoing.市检察官办公室尚未发现任何刑事犯罪的证据。

insider trading the illegal buying and selling of securities by persons acting on privileged information 内线交易，内幕交易

risk exposure风险敞口

capital requirement资本需求量

机器学习已经广泛应用于合规、风险管理和预防欺诈等工作。英国公司智能语音（Intelligent Voice）向大银行出售基于机器学习的语音转录工具，可用来监控交易员的电话，以发现内幕交易等不正当行为的迹象。其他的专业公司如Xcelerit或Kinetica向银行和投资公司提供接近实时的风险敞口跟踪，让它们能随时监控自己的资本需求量。

---

■一句一练■

Other specialists, like Xcelerit or Kinetica, offer banks and investment firms near-real-time tracking of their risk exposures, allowing them to monitor their capital requirements at all times.这一句中的“specialists”字面意思表示专家或专业人员，在这里不能直接翻译为专家。我们根据like后面的例子，可以看出这是两家公司，准确表述应为“专业公司”。而且，“capital requirements”也不能直接翻译为资本要求，准确的术语表达为资本需求量。这一句也可以这样翻译：Xcelerit或Kinetica等其他专业公司向银行和投资公司提供接近实时的风险敞口跟踪，以便银行和投资公司可以随时监控自己的资本需求量。