作者:北京青年报网

Facebook创办人丹尼尔·扎克伯格近日正式宣布宣布，将把控股子公司改名为Meta（元），并期望现代人将其视作“元银河系子公司”，暗指了Facebook对元银河系的雄心壮志。Facebook公司总部的路标也早已更改成代表者Meta的红色无穷记号。

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks during a live-streamed virtual and augmented reality conference to announce the rebrand of Facebook as Meta, in this screen grab taken from a video released October 28, 2021. Credit: Facebook/Reuters

Facebook has changed its corporate name to Meta as part of a major rebrand.

Facebook正式宣布正式宣布宣布将子公司名更改成Meta。

The company said it would better encompass what it does, as it broadens its reach beyond social media into areas like virtual reality (VR).

该子公司称，那个新英文名字能更快地“宽容”母公司销售业务，不仅是SNS新闻媒体，除了VR等将要开拓的新领域。

The change does not apply to its individual platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp, only the parent company that owns them.

子公司母公司的Facebook、Instagram和Whatsapp等一般而言网络平台将不能改名，多于控股子公司才采用Meta那个新中文名称。

The move follows a series of negative stories about Facebook, based on documents leaked by an ex-employee.

在此之前Facebook遭受了由前雇员外泄的文档引起的连串性丑闻。

Frances Haugen has accused the company of putting profits over safety.

（前雇员）弗兰西斯·豪根指责Facebook“将利益凌驾于安全之上”。

In 2015, Google restructured its company calling its parent firm Alphabet, however, the name has not caught on.

2015年，谷歌重组了子公司，并将控股子公司改名为Alphabet，不过那个中文名称没有广为流传。

Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg announced the new name as he unveiled plans to build a metaverse - an online world where people can game, work and communicate in a virtual environment, often using VR headsets.

Facebook老板丹尼尔·扎克伯格正式宣布宣布新中文名称的同时还公布了打造“元银河系”的计划。“元银河系”是现代人可以在虚拟环境中（通常通过佩戴VR头盔）玩游戏、工作和交流的一个网络世界。

He said the existing brand could not possibly represent everything that were doing today, let alone in the future, and needed to change.

扎克伯格表示，现有的品牌中文名称无法“代表者我们现在所做的所有销售业务，更不用说将来的销售业务”，所以需要更改。

Over time, I hope that we are seen as a metaverse company and I want to anchor our work and our identity on what were building towards, he told a virtual conference.

扎克伯格在一次线上会议上说：“随着时间推移，我期望我们被视作一家元银河系子公司，并打算将我们的工作和身份定位于我们正在构建的目标。”

The company also unveiled a new sign at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California, on Thursday, replacing its thumbs-up Like logo with a blue infinity shape.

本周四（10月28日），该子公司还在加州门洛帕克的公司总部公开了新标识，将竖起大拇指的“点赞”标识牌更改成了红色无穷记号标识牌。

A sign of Meta, the new name for the company formerly known as Facebook, is seen at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California, US October 28, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Mr Zuckerberg said the new name reflects that over time, users will not need to use Facebook to use the companys other services.

扎克伯格称，新英文名字意味着，未来用户无需采用Facebook也可以采用子公司的其他服务。

The word meta comes from the Greek word meaning beyond.

Meta一词来自希腊语，意思是“超越”。

To an outsider, a metaverse may look like a version of VR, but some people believe it could be the future of the internet.

对圈外人士而言，元银河系也许像VR的一个版本，但是有些人认为这将是互联网的未来。

Instead of being on a computer, people in a metaverse might use a headset to enter a virtual world connecting all sorts of digital environments.

元银河系中的人无需采用电脑，戴上头盔便可以进入虚拟世界和各种数字环境相连。

It is hoped the virtual world could be used for practically anything from work, play and concerts, to socialising with friends and family.

现代人期望可以在虚拟世界中做几乎所有事情，包括工作、游戏、听音乐会以及和亲友SNS。

英文作者：BBC

翻译&编辑：丹妮