The National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation system, is one of the largest markets in the world for the trading of stocks. The number of companies listed on NASDAQ is more than that on any of the other stock exchanges in the United States, including the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the American Stock Exchange (AMEX). The majority of companies listed on NASDAQ are smaller than most of those on the NYSE and AMEX. NASDAQ has become known as the home of new technology companies, particularly computer and computer-related businesses. Trading on NASDAQ is initiated by stock brokers acting on behalf of their clients. The brokers negotiate with market makers who concentrate on trading specific stocks to reach a price for the stock. 纳斯达克（NASDAQ）是全美证券交易协会自动报价系统的首字母缩略词。它是当今世界上最大的股票交易市场之一。纳斯达克（NASDAQ）名下的上市公司在数量上超过了包括纽约证券交易所（NYSE）和美国证券交易所（AMEX）在内的任何一家美国证券交易所。与纽约证券交易所（NYSE）和美国证券交易所（AMEX）的多数上市公司相比，在纳斯达克（NASDAQ）上市的大多数公司规模较小。纳斯达克（NASDAQ）已经成为新技术公司——尤其是计算机和与计算机相关行业——的基地。纳斯达克（NASDAQ）的交易是通过代表客户利益的股票经纪人发起的。这些经纪人与专注特定股票买卖的市场期票出票人进行协商以确定股票的价格。

Unlike other stock exchanges, NASDAQ has no central location where trading takes place. Instead, its market makers are located all over the country and make trades by telephone and via the Internet. Because brokers and market makers trade stocks directly instead of on the floor of a stock exchange, NASDAQ is called an over-the-counter market. The term over-the-counter refers to the direct nature of the trading, as in a store where goods are handed over a counter. 与其他证券交易有所不同，纳斯达克（NASDAQ）没有股票交易的中心交易场所。它的市场期票出票人遍及全美各地，通过电话和国际互联网进行交易。由于股票交易是由经纪人和市场期票出票人直接进行，而不是在股票交易大厅内进行的，因此，纳斯达克（NASDAQ）被称为买卖双方直接交易市场。该术语指出了其交易的直接性质，就如同在商店柜台直接进行商品的买卖一样。

Since its inception in l97l, the NASDAQ Stock Market has been the innovator. As the world’s first electronic stock market, NASDAQ long ago set a precedent for technological trading innovation that is unrivaled. Now poised to become the world’s first truly global market, the NASDAQ Stock Market is the market of choice for business industry leaders worldwide. By providing an efficient environment for raising capital NASDAQ has helped thousands of companies achieve their desired growth and successfully make the leap into public ownership. 自1971年诞生之日起，纳斯达克（NASDAQ）股票市场就成了产业内的革新者。作为世界上第一家电子股票交易市场，纳斯达克（NASDAQ）早就史无前例地进行了技术交易的创新。现在纳斯达克（NASDAQ）已稳稳地成为世界第一家真正意义上的全球股票交易市场，是全球产业界领袖的首选市场。通过提供一个有效的融资环境，纳斯达克（NASDAQ）已经帮助了成百上千家公司完成了其市值的预期增长，同时也成功地、跨越式地实现了公司股权的公众所有。

（中山大学通讯员陈萌供稿 英语点津 Annabel 编辑）