So what if there were not only an internet of information,
如果我们有的不仅仅是信息的互联，
what if there were an internet of value --
如果还有价值的互联：
some kind of vast, global, distributed ledger running on millions of computers and available to everybody.
大量的，全球性的分散式的账本，可以在数千万台电脑上运转，每个人都有权访问。
And where every kind of asset, from money to music,
无论是什么样的资产，从金钱到音乐，
could be stored, moved, transacted, exchanged and managed, all without powerful intermediaries?
都可以进行储存，移动，交易，交换和管理，全部不经过强大的中间商。
What if there were a native medium for value?
如果我们有价值的当地媒介？
Well, in 2008, the financial industry crashed and, perhaps propitiously,
在2008年，金融业崩溃，也许幸运的是，
an anonymous person or persons named Satoshi Nakamoto
一位或几位名叫中本聪的匿名人士
created a paper where he developed a protocol for a digital cash that used an underlying cryptocurrency called Bitcoin.
创造了一个针对数字货币的协议，使用了一种加密货币，名为比特币。
And this cryptocurrency enabled people to establish trust and do transactions without a third party.
这一加密货币使得人们可以建立信任并进行交易，不需要第三方。
And this seemingly simple act set off a spark that ignited the world,
这看似寻常的动作擦出的火花点燃了整个世界，
that has everyone excited or terrified or otherwise interested in many places.
各地的人们或是激动，或是恐慌，或是好奇。
Now, don't be confused about Bitcoin -- Bitcoin is an asset; it goes up and down,
现在不必为比特币感到困惑。比特币是一种资产，它有涨有跌。
and that should be of interest to you if you're a speculator.
投机商应该对此颇有兴趣。
More broadly, it's a cryptocurrency. It's not a fiat currency controlled by a nation-state.
总的来说，它是一种加密货币。它不是由国家控制的法定货币。
And that's of greater interest. But the real pony here is the underlying technology. It's called blockchain.
这就很有趣了。不过其中最根本的要素是叫做区位链的技术。
So for the first time now in human history, people everywhere can trust each other and transact peer to peer.
这是人类历史上首次各地的人们可以彼此信任，并进行点对点的交易。
