At one time or another, most of us have either owned or used a Sony product. For more than 60 years, the company has filled the world with millions of radios, cameras, and other electronic wonders. It also owns some of the world’s largest movie, music and television businesses.
At one time or another：いつの間にか
wondor(s)：素晴らしいもの
Founded in Japan in 1946 by Akio Morita (a physicist) and Masaru Ibuka (an engineer), the company was originally called Tokyo Telecommunication Engineering Corporation. (The name was changed to Sony Corporation in 1958.) The two businessmen led a team of 20 people in designing and building electric products. The first of these, a simple rice cooker, was a failure. But the team members kept their noses to the grindstone, looking for the right product that they could sell locally and abroad.
physicist：物理学者
keep one’s nose to the grindstone：あくせく働く
(ref.) grindstone：砥石
(ref.) follow one’s nose：まっすぐ行く、本能のままに行動する
(ref.) keep one’s nose clearn：ごたごたを起こさない、品行方正である
(ref.) poke one’s nose into X：Xに口出しする
The hard work paid off in the 1950s with a very popular line of pocket-sized radios. Millions of units were sold, and Sony went on to become a household name in Asia, Europe, North America, and beyond.
pay off：うまく行く
household name：よく知られているもの
beyond：より先に
As evidence of its international outlook, Sony started selling shares on the New York Stock Exchange in 1970. That made it the first Japanese company to sell its stock on the exchange. And believing that local manufacturing would be best for overseas markets, it opened factories in the U.S. in 1972 and England in 1974.
outlook：展望
shares：株
stock：株
manufacturing：製造
Over the decades, Sony continued innovating, filling store shelves with many new and exciting products. These included the Trinitron TV (1968), the Walkman (1979), the CD player (1982), and the Blu-Ray Disc (2006). A key reason for this unending stream of new products has been an emphasis on research and design. Indeed, Sony gives bonuses to engineers whose designs are made into products.
decade：10年
innovate：刷新する
Yet not every Sony product has been a success. Its most notable failure was the Betamax video-recording format. Launched in 1975, it eventually lost out in the home consumer market to the more popular VHS format. And Sony suffered badly when its stock price, which had increased rapidly in the high-tech bubble, burst in 2000. Still, setbacks like these only challenge Sony to work harder and continue pushing the envelope. With more than 180,000 employees and revenues topping US$85 billion in 10 2007, this legendary company continues to evolve and amaze.
notable：有名な
launch：始める
eventually：やがて
lose out to X：(負けて)Xに取って代わられる、Xに座を奪われる
suffer：苦しむ
setback：つまずき
push the envelope：かたくなに頑張る
legendary：有名な
envelope：進化する