科技文章是以儲藏和傳播科技知識為目的,以專業科技工作者為對象,這就決定了它在語言運用上的要求是準確、簡明和規範。這一點無論是漢語,英語還是其他語種都是相通的。現在醫務工作者以英文投稿的越來越多,有的投向國外,有的投在國內的英文版期刊上。但是,由於英語不是我們的母語,與漢語有著很大的差別,使得許多醫務人員在撰寫英文論文中出現這樣或那樣的問題,不僅影響了文章的準確性,也影響了學術質量。下面,醫刊彙編譯就醫學科技英語文章寫作中常見的一些錯誤進行分析。
一、口語化的句子用得太多,使文章表達不精煉。例如:「The specimens were randiographed. No bony abnormalities and degenerative changes were noticed.」,從字面上和文法上看雖然沒有錯誤,但用在科技論文中就顯得結構鬆散,不緊湊,太口語化,與科技文章要求語言簡練、嚴謹不符。在不損害原意的前提下,應儘量壓縮文字,可改為:The radiographed specimens showed no bony abnormalities or degenerative changes.
二、該用動詞的地方沒用動詞,造成該強調的地方沒得到強調,顯得句子蒼白無力。例如:「Most of the patients were seriously injured and often complicated with varied degree of hemorrhagic shock. So the primary treatment should be immediated correction of hypovolemia and improved microcirculation.」中用名詞結構,顯得語氣太輕,不能把重點突出來,應當用動詞不定式結構。另外,the primary treatment和improved microcirculation不是對等的關係,這裡犯了邏輯語法錯誤,可改為:Most of the patients were seriously injured and often complicated with varied degree of hemorrhagic shock. So the primary treatment is to correct hypovolemia and improve microcircula immediately.
三、漢英直譯造成文不達意。例如:「The aim in reconstructing major oral and maxillofacial defects is to obtain effective restoration of function and appearance.」中的reconstruct是及物動詞,它的賓語是defects。漢語說「重建……缺損」不會有歧義,但直譯成英語就出現問題了。可改為:The aim in repairing major oral and maxillofacial defects is to obtain effective restoration of function and appearance.
四、錯用委婉語氣。有的作者喜歡用委婉語氣「may(might)」滿篇都是,用得太濫,不僅起不到委婉語氣的作用,反而造成意思表達不嚴謹。例如:「The rupture of the posterior urethral complicated with penetrating rectal injury is uncommon, its emergency management may be challenging.」是陳述肯定的事實,沒有必要用委婉的語氣,或不肯定的語氣。科技英語寫作中比較忌諱使用「大概、可能、也許」這類不確定的詞彙,可以改為:The rupture of the posterior urethral complicated with penetrating rectal injury is not common, but its emergency management is challenging.
五、錯用省略句。英語中的省略現象比較普遍,使得不是以英語作為母語的人難以掌握,常將一些不符合語法規則的錯誤和一些短語當作省略句,導致許多語法及修辭上的錯誤。例如:「The result being that the enzyme lost its activity.」是一個分詞獨立結構,不是句子。分詞獨立結構只能在句子中擔任一個成分,不能作為獨立句子使用。句子「that the enzyme lost its activity」是一個從句,從句也只能擔任句子中一個成分,不能作獨立句子使用。可改為:The result is that the enzyme lost its activity。
六、無意義的結構用得太多,造成句子累贅。例如,有的作者喜歡用「It can be seen that…」、「It is clear that…」、「It can be stated that…」、「It is well known that…」等類似結構,實際這些結構多數情況用得不當,完全可以去掉。