[编者的话]从这一期开始，本栏将连载《科技英语翻译讲座》，由杭州大学主自杭副教授执笔。教材也是他在浙江省科技人员外语训练班和我国支援尼泊尔出国人员外语训练班等处执教时所选用。为了过应我刊读者的需要，作者通过汉译与注释两部分讲解翻译方法与技巧，希望对读者在阅读和翻译科技文献时有所帮助。
THE SCIENTIFIC ATTITUDE
译文 科学态度
What is the nature of the scientific attitude, the attitude① of the man or woman who studies and applies physics, biology, chemistry, geology, engineering, medicine or any other science?
科学态度，也就是科学家在研究和应用物理学、生物学、化学、地质学、工程学、医学或任何其他学科时所持的态度，最根本的是什么？
We all know that science plays an important role in the societies② in which we live. Many people believe, however, that our progress depends on two different aspects of science. The first of these is the application of the machines, products and systems of applied knowledge that scientists and technologists develop. Through, technology, science improves the structure of society and helps man③ to gain increasing control over his environment. New fibres and drugs, faster and safer means of transport, new④ systems of applied knowledge (psychiatry, operational research, etc.) are some examples of this aspect of science.
大家知道，在我们生活的社会中，科学起着重要作用。而许多人认为，我们社会的进步，取决于科学的两个不同方面：一是应用科学家和技术专家研究出来的机器、产品和各种应用知识体系。通过发展技术，科学能改进社会结构，帮助人类逐步驾驭环境。各种新的纤维和新药，更快、更安全的交通运输工具，新的应用知识体系（如精神病学、运筹学等等），都是科学在这一方面的实例。
The second aspect is the application by⑤ all members of society, from the government official to the ordinary citizen, of the special methods of thought and action that scientists use in their work.
第二个方面，就是社会全体成员（从政府官员到普通公民）都要用科学家在工作中所用的不同于一般的思考方法和工作方法。
What are these special methods of thinking and acting? First of all, it seems that a successful scientist is full of curiosity—he⑥ wants to find out how and why the universe works. He usually directs his attention towards problems which he notices⑦ have no satisfactory explanation, and his curiosity makes him look for underlying relation- ships even if the data available⑧ seem to be unconnected. Moreover, he thinks he can improve the existing conditions, whether⑨ of pure or applied knowledge, and enjoys trying to solve the problems which this involves.
这些思考方法和工作方法究竟是怎样的呢？首先，一个有成就的科学家总是满脑子的为什么，比如他想了解，宇宙是怎样运行的，又为什么会运行。通常，他总是着意研究那些他认为尚未获得圆满解释的问题。他那种探新求知的精神驱使他去寻找事物的内在联系，即使有些资料看来似乎并无联系。其次，他认为自己能够为改进理论科学或应用科学的现状而有所作为，并乐于尽力解决由此涉及的种种问题。
He is a good observer⑩，accurate, patient and objective and applies? persistent and logical thought to the observations he makes. He utilizes the facts he observes to the fullest extent. For example, trained observers obtain a very large amount of information about a star (e. g. distance, mass, velocity, size, etc.) mainly from the accurate analysis of the simple lines that appear in a spectrum.
科学家善于精确、客观而又耐心地进行观察，对观察到的现象，能一步一步地作出合乎逻辑的思考。他能最充分地利用观察到的事实。例如，在观察方面训练有素的科学家，主要通过对光谱中出现的简单线条作精确分析，就能获得关于某一星球的大量数据资料（如距离、质量、速度、大小等）。
He is sceptical?—he does not accept statements which are not based on the most complete evidence available—and therefore rejects authority as the sole basis for truth. Scientists always check statements and make experiments carefully and objectively to verify them.
科学家不轻信他人见解，即不接受没有最充分的依据作基础的观点，所以他不承认权威是真理的唯一标准。科学家总是要检验各种理论，通过周密而客观地进行实验去验证它们。
Furthermore, he is not only critical? of the work of others, but also of his own, since he knows that man is the least reliable? of scientific instruments and that a number of factors tend to disturb impartial and objective investigation (see Lesson 8).
此外，他不仅要指出别的科学家在研究中的错误，而更应严于律己，因为他懂得，人总不如科学仪器可靠，会有许多因素干扰他客观地、不失偏颇地进行科学研究（参阅第八课）。
Lastly, he is highly imaginative since he often has to look for relationships in data which are not only complex but also frequently incomplete. Furthermore, he needs imagination if he wants to make hypotheses of how processes work and how events take place.
最后，科学家具有丰富的想象力，因为他常常需要从不仅是复杂的，而且往往是不完整的资料中去寻找内在的联系。而如果他要对事物的发生及其来龙去脉提出假设，也需要有想象力。
These seem to be some of the ways in which a Successful scientist or technologist thinks and acts.
以上，看来就是一个有成就的科学家或技术专家进行思考和工作的一些方法。
注 释
1. 从the attitude至句末为说明the scientific attitude的扩展性同位语，内含Who引出的定语从句。2. 有些抽象名词的复数形式，并不表示通常的复数概念，而表示范围之广或数量之大。句中societies强调社会的广泛性。又如：Today we use jets to drive our fastest aircraft through the skies. 今天，我们用喷气发动机驱动速度极快的飞机，横贯长空。这儿skies表示浩瀚无际的天空。3. man不带冠词时有“人类、人们”的意思。4. 翻译“形容词+名词+of短语”结构时，要从意思上推敲：形容词是说明名词，还是说明“名词+of短语”？句中systems of applied knowledge是一个概念，故译成：新的应用知识体系，不能译成：应用知识新体系。又如上文中的two different aspects of science，这two different aspects是一个概念，即different只说明aspects，故译成：科学的两个不同方面，不应译成：两个不同的科学方面。5. 句中by……the ordinary citizen和of the special methods（至句末）都说明application，by短语为其行为主体，of短语为行为客体。通常，表示行为客体的of短语应紧接在动作名词之后，这里因为of短语后面还带从句，为避免产生歧义，故把短语提前。6. 破折号后面这句是对前句的举例说明。句中find out作“查明，了解”讲。work不宜一概译成“工作”，应根据与其搭配的词和句子意思作适当地引伸。如：The wood works easily. 这木材很容易加工。The mine is no longer being worked. 这矿现在已不再开采了。The lift is not working. 电梯出故障了。7. He notices为插入句，语法上与整个—从句无关，which是主语，指problems. 8. available是单个后置定语，修饰data. 英语中有若干以a－开头的形容词常作单个后置定语，如：alone，alive等，阅读中要注意。9. Whether，……or（无论…或…）是复合连词，连接修饰conditions的两个同等定语of pure（knowledge）和（of）applied knowledge，10. a good observer不是“一个好观察员”，而指“一个善于观察的科学家”，其后三个形容词为同等后置定语，修饰observer，可视为good词义的具体化。11. Apples……to……把…应用到…；persistent a. 持续的，不断的；observations若干（被）观察到的现象或事物。具有动作概念的抽象名词，一般为不可数名词，但有时也有复数形式，成为可数名词，这时不表示动作意义，指与这动作有关（或所产生）的事物或现象。如operation操作，经营，运算，动手术等；operations（几种）运算方法；（几次）手术（也可用单数，但要加冠词：an operation一次手术）；extension延长，延伸；extensions（几个）分支，分部。12. 直译：他好怀疑。用这样的措辞来说明科学家的品质，不妥当。根据破折号后面的解释句（具体说明He is sceptical的含义），不妨用反面着笔的译法，译成：他不轻易相信……。反面着笔是常用的一种翻译手法，它既不失原意，又使译文更合乎汉语的习惯说法，有时甚至比正面译出更为贴切。例如：A can（n. 罐头）can keep food good for years. 罐头能使食品保持几年不坏。13. critical of（挑剔毛病、错误）不等于critical（批评，批判的）。句中but also of his own为省略句，即but also is critical of his own（work）. 14. Man is the least reliable of scientific instruments. 直译为：在科学仪器中人是最不可靠的。译文令人费解，人当然不是科学仪器。The least reliable形式上是形容词最高级，但实质上仍然是一种比较关系，即拿人跟科学仪器相比，并说明前者远不如后者，故此句译为：人总不如科学仪器可靠。15. Impartial investigation不能译成：公正的科学研究。此处可以反面着笔，译成：不失偏颇地（或没有偏向地）进行科研。
（待续）