‘DIRECTED’ RESEARCH?①
译文“指令性”科研?
A recent phenomenon in present-day science and technology is the increasing trend towards * directed? or ‘programmed’ research;i. e. research whose scope and objectives are predetermined by private or government organizations rather than② researchers themselves. Any scientist working for such organizations and investigating in a given field③ therefore tends to do so in accordance with a plan or programme designed beforehand.
在当今科技领域,新近出现了一种现象——科学研究日益趋向于“按指令”也即“按计划”进行。这就是说,科学研究的目标和范围,均由私人的或政府的机构预先确定,而不是由研究人员自己来定,因而,任何一个为这样的机构工作并在指定的领域从事研究的科学家,都应根据事先制定的计划或方案去进行科研。
At the beginning of the century, however, the situation was quite different. At that time there were no industrial④ research organizations in. the modern sense: the laboratory unit⑤ consisted of a few scientists at the most⑥,assisted by one or two technicians, often working with inadequate equipment in unsuitable rooms. Nevertheless, the scientist was free to choose any subject for investigation, he liked, since there was no predetermined programme to which⑦ he had to conform.
然而在本世纪初,情况完全不同。当时还没有现代意义的产业性的科研机构,实验室成员最多只有几位科学家,配以一两个技术员当助手,而且往往设备不足,房舍也不堪作实验室之用。不过,科学家却可以自由选择他所喜欢的任何科研项目,因为那时还没有科学家所必须遵照执行的、事先制定的科研计划。
As the century developed, the increasing magnitude and complexity of the problems to be solved and the growing interconnection of different disciplines made it impossible, in many cases, for the individual scientist to deal with the huge mass of new data, techniques and equipment that were required for carrying out research accurately and efficiently⑧. The increasing scale and scope of the experiments needed⑨ to test new hypotheses and develop new techniques and industrial processes led to the setting up of research groups or teams using highly-complicated equipment in elaborately-designed laboratories. Owing to the large sums of money involved⑩,it was then, felt essential to direct these human and material resources into specific channels with clearly-defined objectives. In this way it was considered that the quickest and most practical results could be obtained. This, then, was programmed (programmatic) research.
随着时代的前进,科研需要解决的问题越来越重大,越来越复杂,不同学科之间的相互联系,也越来越多,因此,为了精确而有成效地进行科研,需要大量新资料、新技术、新设备,但这些对任何个体从事研究的科学家,往往是不可能解决的。为了验证新假设和发展新技术、新工艺所需的实验,其规模和范围均日益扩大,遂导致各种科研团体应运而生。它们有精心设计的实验室,并应用高度复杂的仪器设备。鉴于科研耗资巨大,因而,对人员和财物的使用,务必一一纳入具体而目的明确的渠道。据认为,只有这样,才能取得最快最有实效的科研成果,这就是有计划的研究。
One of the effects of this organized and standardized investigation is to cause the scientist to become increasingly involved in applied research (development) ?,especially : in the branches of science which seem most likely to have industrial applications. Since private industry and even government departments tend to concentrate on. immediate results and show comparatively little interest in long-range investigations, there is a steady shift of scientists from the pure to the applied field, where there are more jobs available, frequently more highly-paid and with better technical facilities than jobs connected with pure research in a university.
但这种由组织统一规划的科研所,产生的后果之一,就是使科学家纷纷转向应用研究,尤其是到那些被认为最有可能在工业上得到应用的科研单位去。由于私人企业甚至政府部门都倾向于力求早出科研成果,对周期长的科研项目则显得兴趣不大,于是出现了科研人员不断从理论研究领域转向应用研究领域的局面,因为在应用研究领域比之在大学里从事纯理论研究有更多的工作可做,往往报酬也较高,技术设备也较好。
Owing to the interdependence between pure and applied science see Unit 4), it is easy to see that this system ,if extended too far, carries considerable dangers for the future of science-and not only pure science, but applied science as well.
由于理论科学和应用科学之间存在着相互依赖关系(参阅第四讲),不难看出,如果上述局面延续过久,必将对科学的未来——不仅是理论科学,而且也对应用科学带来莫大的危害。
注 释
1. ‘Directed’Research?有人译成“定向研究”。不错,direct有“定向”的意思,但当你读完原文第一段时,难道对‘directed’or‘programmed’不会产生疑问?“定向的”和“有计划的”是两个完全不同的概念,句中怎能用or加以连接?再细看…i. e. research whose scope and objectives are predetermined by private or government organizations rather than② researchers themselves. 这一句以及文中其他有关段落,你就会发现,把directed译成“定向的”是不对的,应是“指定的,规定的,指令性的”意思,这样与or programmed连在—起才合乎逻辑,合乎原文的意思,从而,对文章题目‘Directed’Research?后面这个问号也就不难理解,即作者对于科研按计划进行,在肯定其进步作用的同时,又提出了疑问。
2. rather than而不是
3. in a given field在指定的领域。given是give的过去分词形式,此处作形容词,意为:特定的,一定的。如:Finish the work within the given time. 在确定的时间内做完这件工作。
4. industrial research organizations此处industrial不作“工业的”讲,而是“产业(性)的”意思。何以见得?这是统观上下文根据逻辑译出的,因为作者讲述科研事业如何从本世纪初处于初兴阶段的个体经营状况发展成为规模较大的科研团体,因此,译成“工业研究机构”与原文思路不合拍,再说,industry就有“行业,产业”的意思,如the hotel industry旅馆(行)业。
5. unit此处指组成某机构的成员,不宜译作“单位”。
6. at the most最多,至多。
7. to which he had to conform. 在which引导的定语从句中,有时which作介词宾语,该介词的使用,往往与谓语有关,通常置which之前。如:Science plays an important role in the society in which we live. He did the design test for which he was famous
8. 这是一个长句。As引导时间状语从句,主句的主语部分较长,从the increasing到different disciplines,其中to be solved为the problems,的定语(有待解决的问题),谓语是made,it是形式宾语,impossible是宾语补足语,真正的宾语是for…to…结构,它又包含that引出的定语从句,修饰of前面的三个名词;for the individual scientist是动词不定式to deal with的逻辑主语;in many cases是状语。
9. needed为定语,修饰the experiments,to test作needed的目的状语,句中谓语是led。
10. Owing to the large sums of money involved, it was then felt essential to direct these human and material resources in. to …句句中involved为involve(vt)的过去分词,作定语修饰money,意为:required as a necessary accompaniment必然随之需要的…,这里可引申为:所花费的。it为形式主语。
11. One of the effects of this organized and standardized investigation is to cause the scientist to become increasingly involved in applied research…本句有人译为:这种有组织的规范化的研究工作的影响之一就是科学家们越来越致力于实用研究…句中effects应作“后果,结果”讲;standardize有“规范化,标准化”的意思,但直接译入不妥,需要引申,因为“规范化,标准化”是正确的、好的,而作者从这一段文字开始就讲计划性科研的后果(暗指不足之处),所以,“标准化”即“统一规定”的意思,此处实际上还应理解为“按计划规定的(科研)”involved这里作“被吸引到,引向…”讲。
12. where there are more jobs available, frequently more highly-paid and with better technical facilities than…which,where等在引出非限制性定语从句时,有时含原因、结果、让步等状语意味,这要通过上下文去领会,翻译时可加“由于,因此,虽然”等相应的连词。如:I can not use the data,which are not accurate enough. 我不能用这些数据,因为它们不够精确作Matter has certain properties,which enable us to recognize it easily. 物质都具有一定特性,所以我们不难识别它们。(含有结果意味)句中available,frequently more highly-paid and with better technical facilities为三个后置定语,均修饰前一个jobs。
13. system制度;体系;方法等。句中this system可引伸为“这种状况”。