What?Does?Wi-Fi?Stand?For?

Long gone are the days of dial-up and waiting for your turn to use the computer. Its easier than ever to connect to the Internet， in more ways than one， in the digital world today. This is mostly thanks to Wi-Fi.

通過(guò)撥號(hào)等待使用網(wǎng)絡(luò)的日子早已成為過(guò)去。在當(dāng)今的數(shù)字時(shí)代，通過(guò)各種方式連接上網(wǎng)和以往相比輕而易舉，而這主要?dú)w功于Wi-Fi。

What is Wi-Fi？

Wi-Fi is a wireless network that uses radio frequency signals to connect to the Internet or send messages between devices， without wires. Everything from your phone and laptop to tablets and printers can use Wi-Fi， thanks to these waves. In 1997， a committee of industry leaders approved a common， more compatible Wi-Fi standard. Two years later， a group of companies formed the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance （WECA， now the Wi-Fi Alliance）， a global nonprofit organization created to promote the new wireless standard， according to the Britannica. The Alliance is in the minority as there are as many as 17 company names that have secret meanings.

Wi-Fi是什么？

Wi-Fi是一種無(wú)線網(wǎng)絡(luò)，它不需要電線，使用無(wú)線頻率信號(hào)即可連接互聯(lián)網(wǎng)或在設(shè)備之間發(fā)送信息。得益于無(wú)線電波，從手機(jī)、筆記本電腦到平板電腦、打印機(jī)，一切設(shè)備都可以使用Wi-Fi。1997年，一個(gè)由行業(yè)領(lǐng)袖組成的委員會(huì)批準(zhǔn)了通用且更兼容的Wi-Fi標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。據(jù)《大英百科全書(shū)》所述，兩年后，諸多公司成立了無(wú)線以太網(wǎng)兼容聯(lián)盟（簡(jiǎn)稱WECA，即現(xiàn)在的Wi-Fi聯(lián)盟），這是一個(gè)全球性的非營(yíng)利組織，旨在推廣新的無(wú)線標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。這是一個(gè)小眾聯(lián)盟，因?yàn)槠渲杏?7家公司的名稱具有秘密含義。

None of that history explains what Wi-Fi stands for， because the phrase doesnt stand for anything. Wi-Fi is a trademarked term describing the device or technology based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers （IEEE） wireless communication standard 802.11， according to the Wi-Fi Alliance. Thats a mouthful， so the Wi-Fi Alliance hired the marketing company Interbrand to come up with another name： Wi-Fi， according to one of the founding Alliance members.

以上這些歷史都無(wú)法解釋W(xué)i-Fi代表什么，因?yàn)檫@個(gè)短語(yǔ)并不代表任何東西。根據(jù)Wi-Fi聯(lián)盟的說(shuō)法，Wi-Fi是一個(gè)商標(biāo)術(shù)語(yǔ)，用來(lái)描述基于IEEE無(wú)線通信標(biāo)準(zhǔn)802.11的設(shè)備或技術(shù)。這聽(tīng)起來(lái)有點(diǎn)拗口，所以聽(tīng)從Wi-Fi聯(lián)盟中一成員的意見(jiàn)，Wi-Fi聯(lián)盟聘請(qǐng)了市場(chǎng)營(yíng)銷公司Interbrand為它起了另一個(gè)名字：Wi-Fi。

Theres some debate surrounding the question， what does Wi-Fi stand for. The rumor that it stands for “Wireless Fidelity” is thanks to the Alliance. Some members didnt understand the branding or marketing for Wi-Fi. They felt consumers would want an explanation for the name. So the Alliance agreed to include a tag line： The Standard for Wireless Fidelity. Thats why so many people assume Wi-Fi stands for wireless fidelity， but the tagline came after the name. Plus， the Alliance removed the tag， although the confusion it brought still lives on today. Dont add to the confusion and stop miss-associating these phrases by learning the real meaning behind these acronyms.

一直以來(lái)都有關(guān)于Wi-Fi代表什么的爭(zhēng)論。關(guān)于它代表“無(wú)線保真”的說(shuō)法是該聯(lián)盟提出的。一些會(huì)員并不了解Wi-Fi的品牌和營(yíng)銷，他們認(rèn)為消費(fèi)者想要一個(gè)對(duì)該名詞的解釋。因此，聯(lián)盟同意加入一個(gè)標(biāo)簽：無(wú)線保真度的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。這就是為什么很多人認(rèn)為Wi-Fi代表無(wú)線保真度，但這個(gè)說(shuō)法是在名詞之后出現(xiàn)的。此外，現(xiàn)在該聯(lián)盟去除了這個(gè)標(biāo)簽，但它帶來(lái)的困惑到現(xiàn)在仍然存在。所以，不要混淆二者，也不要通過(guò)學(xué)習(xí)這些縮略詞背后的真正含義來(lái)錯(cuò)誤地聯(lián)系一些短語(yǔ)。

Word Study

frequency /'fri?kw?nsi/ n. 發(fā)生率;出現(xiàn)率;重復(fù)率;[數(shù)][物]頻率，次數(shù)

Accidents are happening with increasing frequency.

compatible /k?m'p?t?bl/ adj. 可共用的， 兼容的;可共存的;關(guān)系好的，和睦相處的

The new system will be compatible with existing equipment.

promote /pr?'m??t/ v. 促進(jìn)，推動(dòng);促銷;提升，晉升

She worked hard and was soon promoted.

debate /d?'be?t/ n. 辯論;爭(zhēng)論，辯論，討論

There had been much debate on the issue of childcare.