????由此導致的后果令人觸目驚心。上周夏普公司（Sharp）和松下公司（Panasonic）的評級都遭下調，同時索尼公司（Sony）于近期宣布要厲行重組以擺脫赤字。夏普現在面臨政府救助，不過在此之前它還努力來了最后一次重振旗鼓，打造所謂的“加拉帕戈斯”（Galapagos）系列產品——這個命名或許帶有罕見的黑色幽默感（厄瓜多爾國的加拉帕戈斯島位于茫茫大海深處）。然而，這些產品并沒獲得成功。

????松下也指望著自己的實驗室，并推出了難以令人信服的舉措，要開發所謂的“環保”產品。索尼也有自己的敗筆，包括其所謂的“幸福雪柜”（HappinessCounter）冰箱，它最近奪得了日本的一項設計大獎。索尼用慣用的、讓人抓狂的翻譯腔（日本企業向國外推廣其研發成果時，這種語言往往是家常便飯），說這臺自命不凡的家電是“幸福雪柜：讓人微笑，提升情緒情緒的家電。”（說通俗點兒，它就是一臺冰箱，要打開它，得沖著它微笑。）

????像這類產品都不免令人沮喪地提醒我們，那些被浪費的才智到底能創造出什么產品。雖然日本的創新成就早已經得到世界的認可，但日本的工程師似乎越來越難以創造出成功的產品。當然，除非你需要的就是一臺能當守門員的馬桶。

????譯者：清遠

????The results are stark. Sharp and Panasonic were downgraded by agencies last week, while Sony (SNE) recently promised radical restructuring to rid itself of red ink. Sharp now faces a bailout, but not before it tried a last bid for re-invention by creating the Galapagos product range -- named in a rare display of gallows humor perhaps. (The island is in the middle of nowhere.) Those products have not been successful.

????Panasonic also looked to its labs and came up with an unconvincing move into "eco" products. Sony has had its own misses, including its "HappinessCounter" fridge which recently won a top Japanese design prize. As it explains in the usual distressing translation that often accompanies Japan's attempts to market its research abroad, this perky appliance is a "HappinessCounter: Smile-Encouraging Appliance to Increase Positive Mood." (Basically it is a refrigerator that does not open unless one smiles at it.)

????Products like these are a depressing reminder of what wasted talent can produce. With a proven track record for innovation, Japan's engineers are seemingly finding it much harder to create successful products. Unless of course you are looking for a toilet than can play goalie.