UNDERDEVELOPMENT AND THE SCIENCES

In this unit we are merely going to present some of the problems of underdevelopment,and then,leave it to the reader to discuss how modern science can help to solve them.

译文   经济不发达和科学

在本文中我想只提出几个有关经济不发达的问题,而后让读者自己去探讨:现代科学究竟怎样才能帮助解决这些问题。

To begin with,it is hardly necessary to point out that we live in a world of increasing industrialization. Whilst this process enables us to raise our standards of living at an. ever accelerating rate,it also leads to a corresponding growth of interdependence between the different regions of the world. Given(In view of)these conditions,it is easy to see that any permanent economic or political instability in one area is bound to have an. increasingly serious effect upon the rest of the world. Since the main source of such instability is underdevelopment,it is clear that this now constitutes a problem of international proportions (dimension).

首先,不言而喻,我们现在是生活在一个工业化程度越来越高的世界上。工业化的发展,不仅使我们的生活水平不断迅速提高,同时也相应地使世界各不同地区之间的相互依赖关系逐步加深。因此,不难理解,世界上某一地区经济或政治上的长期不稳定,必将对其他地区产生日益严重的影响。鉴于造成这种不稳定的主要根源在于经济的不发达,现在十分明显,这已成为当前的一个国际性问题。

What,then,is to be done?Although it is difficult to know where to begin to deal with such a large subject,the first step is perhaps to consider the main economic difficulties an underdeveloped or emerging region has to face,e. g.

那么该怎么办呢?虽然很难说从何着手来解决这么重大的问题,但首先也许要考虑不发达国家或新兴地区所面临的经济上的主要困难:

(a)The economies of such countries are orientated primarily towards the production of raw materials,i. e. agricultural and mineral products;these are then exported to the industrialized countries. A number of quite common occurrences are therefore sufficient to cause immediate and serious interference with this export production:unfavourable weather conditions,plant or animal epidemics,the exhaustion of soil fertility or mineral deposits,the development of substitute products in the industrialized regions,etc. The sensitivity of the economy is greatly intensified in cases where exports are confined to only one or two products—‘monocultures’,as they are sometimes called.

一、这些国家的经济,主要是生产原料,即农产品和矿产品,然后将它们向工业化国家出口,可是一遇到经常发生的天时不利、农作物或畜类害病、土地肥力耗尽或矿源枯竭以及工业化国家研制成各种代用品等情况,就足以立即造成严重的出口困难,而这对于出口产品只限于一两个品种的经济(有时称单一经济),尤为敏感。

(b)Being under-industrialized,these countries are largely dependent on imports to supply the equipment needed to produce the raw materials they export. This also applies to the manufactured goods? required to provide their populations with the ‘necessities of life’—a concept which is continually being enlarged through the mass media of communication. such as newspapers,films,the radio and advertising. This economic structure makes it difficult for them to avoid being? politically dependent on. the countries which absorb their exports and provide their essential imports.

二、由于工业不发达,这些国家为生产出口原料所需的设备,主要依靠进口,为人民提供“生活必需品”所不可少的工业产品也是如此(而“生活必需品”这个概念所包括的商品,通过大众传播媒介如报纸、电影、广播和广告等是在不断增加的)。这种经济结构,就使得这些国家很难不在政治上依附那些既吸收他们的出口产品而又为他们提供必需的进口产品的国家。

(c)Since,under modern conditions?,a rapid rise in population is a phenomenon closely associated with underdevelopment (Why?),this cause alone? can subject the whole (entire)economy to severe and continuous stress.

三、世界发展到了今日,人口剧增现象则是与国家经济不发达密切有关的问题(为什么?),而仅仅人口剧增这一因素,就给整个国民经济造成长期的沉重负担。

(d)Although it is obvious that industrialization is the key to development,it is usually very difficult for emerging countries to carry out plans of this nature?. In the first place,to set up modern industries necessitates (requires)capital on a large scale,which only industrialized regions are able to provide;secondly,they lack the necessary trained manpower;thirdly,their industries—when established?—are usually not efficient enough to compete with foreign imports,and any restriction on these imports is likely to lead to counter-action against? their own exports.

四、虽然大家都知道工业化是经济发达的关键,但对新兴国家来说,实现工业化计划又谈何容易;第一,建立现代工业要有大量资金,而这只有工业发达国家才能提供;第二、他们缺乏必不可少的受过训练的劳动力;第三、即使他们的工业一旦建成,往往也没有足够的实力去同进口商品相竞争,而如对进口加以任何限制,则很可能引起抵制他们出口的反限制。

From another point of view,it is necessary to bear in mind that there are invariably political. educational,social and psychological obstacles which tend to interfere seriously with any measures taken,to deal with the economic difficulties outlined above. To consider only one point:it is obviously useless to devote great efforts and expense to education,technical training and planning if,for psychological reasons,the population as a whole fails to turn theory? into effective action.

其次,我们从另外方面来看,不要忘记:现在始终还存在着来自政治、教育、社会和心理诸方面的障碍,它们将严重地阻碍为解决上述经济困难所采取的措施。且举其一以观之。例如由于某些心理因素,一国的国民(少数人除外)不能把工业化计划付诸实施,那么,即使花大钱出大力去兴办教育、搞技术培训和规划,都显然是徒劳无益的。

To conclude,it seems clear that if we are to succeed in solving the many inter-related problems of underdevelopment,only the fullest and most intelligent use of the resources? of all branches of science will enable us to do so. How is this to be done?Do you have any suggestions to make?

最后,已经十分清楚,如果我们要成功,地解决造成经济不发达的许多互有联系的问题,唯有充分发挥各门科学应有的作用,才能达到目的,而怎样才能做到这一点呢?你们有何建议?

1. Underdevelopment如照字面译成“不发达”,给人一个模糊的概念,如根据文章内容译作“经济不发达”,一目了然。

2. The sciences此处指各门科学。本文题的主旨是:解决经济不发达的问题,需要各门科学共同努力才行。汉译时为简洁起见,仍译作“科学”。

3. it是leave的形式宾语,真正的宾语是动词不定式短语to discuss how…(至句末)。

4. process此处指前句末的increasing industrialization,可视为修辞性的换词,以避免重复。汉译时为明确起见,往往不译替换词而译原词。

5. ever此处作always讲,用来构成复合词,例如:the ever-increasing population。

6. given原是动词give的过去分词形式,在这里是介词,意为:(如果)考虑到……,鉴于……。例如:Given their inexperience,they have done a good job. 考虑到他们是在缺乏经验的情况下做这项工作的,所以应该说做得不错了。

7. common occurrences常常发生的事(现象);后面用冒号引出的unfavorable weather conditions,plant or animal epidemics,…(至句末)都是occurrences的同位语,由于太长,如直接置于主语之后,使主谓分割太远,影响句子的可读性,故移至句末 · 翻译时,将同位语译作主语,occurrences可略而不译。

8. 这是分词短语,作句中谓语的状语。带being的系表结构型分词短语通常含原因意味,例如:Being very tired,he soon fell asleep. 他因十分疲倦,顷刻入睡。

9. 指工业加工制成品,区别于农产品,如日用轻工商品。

10. 破折号引出的a concept which is…这一句是作者对the“necessities of life”的外加说明,意思上与上下文无必然联系,翻译这类句子可以用括号处理,以示系外加或补充说明。

11. avoid要求后面的动词用-ing形式,如avoid making mistakes. Being dependent是be dependent的-ing形式,后者作谓语(系表结构)时相当于一个谓语动词。

12. 直译为“在现代条件下”,意指“世界发展到了目前工业化的时代”。暗示在经济不发达国家,人口剧增的原因之一,是为了解决劳动力。

13. alone是形容词,常单独作后置定语。

14. nature此处作“性质”讲,plans of this nature句中可具体译作“工业化计划”。

15. 为When they are established的省略形式。

16. counter-action against直译是“为反对…而(针锋)相对的行动”,句中前面讲的是“限制”,与其相对的行动则自然是“反限制”。

17. to turn theory into effective action有人译成“把理论变成实际行动”,还有译成“把理论转化为有效的行动”,实际上是“将…付诸实施;实现…”的意思。问题还在于对theory的理解。如果把它译成“理论”,句子令人费解。答案还得从上下文去找。前一段指出工业化是解决经济不发达的关键,继而讲到新兴国家因缺乏资金等又难以实现工业化计划。这一段则进一步说明实现工业化还会碰到上述经济困难以外的障碍,例如人民的心理因素(如迷信外国货),可能成为实现本国工业化计划的阻力。可见,theory指的正是“工业化计划”。

18. 此处不作“资源”讲,是“智谋、办法”的意思。the use of the resources of all branches of science可意译为:使各门科学各自发挥应有的作用。

————————

[注]本文作者的观点,不无是处,但是不能忘记帝国主义、殖民主义对不发达国家的经济侵略,学习本文应持批判态度。

——译者