Note 7的爆炸是否也炸燬了三星的招牌?

Samsung is resuming sales of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in South Korea following a safety recall. They are set to return to Europe on 28 October.

在經歷了一場安全召回之後，三星電子重新開始在韓國銷售其Galaxy Note 7智能手機，並且這些手機預計將於10月28日重返歐洲市場。

The company asked customers to return their handsets after some users reported their phone had "exploded" during or after charging.

此前因一些用戶反映Note 7手機在充電時或者充電後發生爆炸，隨後三星公司要求顧客退回手機。

The firm said that battery problems were behind phones catching fire. Samsung had sold about 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 devices across the world before the recall.

該公司隨後表示，手機着火是由於電池故障。在宣佈召回之前，三星Note 7在全球已經售出了250萬部。

In South Korea about 80% of those sold have been returned to be replaced. In Europe and North America the figure is lower but still way above 50%, according to company sources.

在韓國本土就有約80%的手機已獲退回置換。據集團消息來源稱，歐洲和北美的數字則較低，然而仍遠遠高於50%。

Samsung insiders say that 95% of the people returning their handset are opting to continue with a Samsung model. There is - they say - huge customer loyalty.

三星內部人員稱，95%退回手機的顧客均選擇繼續使用三星的其他型號。顧客的忠誠度--據他們稱--相當的高。

But there has clearly been a big cost, one on which a monetary value is impossible to determine exactly.

但這起事件的代價顯然是沉重的，貨幣價值難以準確測定。

Firstly, Samsung has lost a month of its carefully planned sales pitch in the campaign against Apple and its new iPhone 7.

首先，三星精心策劃一個月、旨在抗衡美國蘋果及其iPhone 7的營銷計劃化爲烏有。

Secondly, the brand has been tarnished. Samsung has prided itself on making the most of its components. It doesn't outsource as much as its rivals do. That boast of superior quality sounds hollower after the recall.

其次，品牌被玷污了。三星一直以自家生產絕大多數零部件爲榮，不像它的對手般處處外包。那些對質量上乘的自我吹噓在召回事件之後，聽起來變得更加空虛。

Thirdly, even if most of the offending phones have been returned and replaced, substantial numbers are still out there.

第三，即便絕大多數出問題的手機已經退換，市場上的問題手機還有許多。