医学论文的英文摘要同中文摘要一样,是展示研究成果的重要组成部分,也是论文质量的评价指标之一,能够体现作者的科研素养、研究的可信度以及期刊的水平;同时其也是国际间知识传播、学术交流与合作的桥梁和媒介。因此,英文摘要的清楚、准确表达十分重要。然而目前许多英文摘要写作质量欠佳,下面小编整理了部分典型错误,希望通过相应解析能够为您的写作提供帮助。
遣词错误
在英文摘要中,经常见到“通过……”“为了…….”“采用……方法”等表达,但是由于这些词存在较多近义词或易混词,经常会出现一些错误,主要表现在对某些常用介词、名词和动词的遣词错误。
(1)“by”和“through”——表示“通过”
“by”一般用来说明行为者的手段和方式,后面跟名词或动名词,如:“K562 cells were culture in vitro and observations were made on sophocarpidine by observing the cell growth curves, morphology and LDH detection”。
“through”有两种含义,一种是指在空间上的通过“从一端到另一端”,如:“through the water tank”;另一种后面跟名词,表示通过某种媒介手段来实现某种目的或产生某种影响,如“MicroRNA miR-210 modulates cellular response to hypoxia through the MYC antagonist MNT”。
(2)“to”和“for”——表示“目的”
“to”要求跟动词原形构成不定式,如:“Self-administered questionnaires were used to survey the staffing status”。
“for”则跟名词构成介词短语,如:“Early detection of scarlet fever in medical facilities can provide the etiological evidence for clinical diagnosis”。
(3)“method”“way”和“approach”——表示“方法”
“method”可表示抽象或具体的方法,通常暗含有秩序、有逻辑性之意,如用来阐述教学、调查研究和疾病治疗中的步骤,如:“The method of helping such patients is explained in the following chapters”。
“way”泛指一般的方法,在理论上不如“method”精确,如:“Infectious diseases can be acquired in several ways”。
“approach”强调对待某人或处理某事的方法,如:“The new approach had wide applicability to all sorts of different problems”。
语法和表达
(1)语句冗余:有的英文摘要用词冗余、文字效能低、句子的信息密度低、语篇的经济性差,如下示例:原句的从句句式单一且使用了大量的冗余系动词be;修改后用“数量+with+加症状”的表达使句式更加简洁,更符合论文的要求。
原句:The clinical symptoms were that diarhea was 26 cases, bellyache was 17 cases, dehydration was 12 cases, fever was 8 cases and vomit was 2cases.(患者的临床症状有腹泻26例、腹痛17例、脱水12例、发热8例、呕吐2例)
修改:The symptoms of the clinical cases included 26 with diarrhea, 17 with abdominal pain, 12 with dehydration, 8 with fever and 2 with vorit.
(2)语句翻译过度简略:中文摘要语句表达较为简略,但英文摘要需具备一定的独立性,可能需通过添加内容以增强翻译内容的可理解性和逻辑性,使语意表达更加完整,如下示例:该句表达了两个含义,第一是采集粪便标本,第二是将病原体进行分离和培养。原句看似简略,但是粪便标本只能作为第一个含义的主语,而第二个含义中主语已变为病原体。修改后虽然变成了两句,但语意表达更为清晰。
原句:Stool specimen of diarrhea cases were collected, separated and cultured.(对采集到的临床腹泻粪便标本进行病原体分离与培养)
修改:Stool specimen of the diarrhea cases were collected, and the pathogenic bacteria were separated and cultured.
(3)表达习惯:中英文写作时有不同的表达习惯。如句首数字的表达、修辞顺序等。如下示例:习惯上,数字不作英文句子的句首。麻疹病例measles case,而病例的状态如confirmed、probable或suspected等形容词一般置于病例名称之前,故应为confirmed measles case,虽然中文表述为“麻疹确诊病例”,但由于主句中已明确提及了麻疹病毒,所以在前面的状语中省略了mcasles。修改后句子更加简明且符合英文表达习惯。
原句:56 measles virus were isolated from the throat swab and urine samples of 121 measles confirmed cases.(从121份麻疹确诊病例的咽拭子和尿液标本中分离到麻疹病毒56株)
修改:Among the 121 confirmed cases, 56 strains of measles virus were isolated from the throat swabs and urine samples.
还有一种如“There were 77 limbs survived after operation”完全中文式翻译,不仅语法错误,而且在英文表达中能找到主语的一般不用“there be”句型,故此句可修改为“Seventy-seven limbs survived after operation”。
(4)医学术语的使用:如常规化疗不应该是“regular chemotherapy”而是“conventional chemotherapy”;“遗传代谢性疾病”以英语为母语的人惯用“inborn error of metabolism”,而不是“in-herited disorder of metabolism”;在表示“显著的”含义时“significantly”更隐含着“统计学意义上的显著”,而“obviously”“markedly”均不能表达该含义;在描述“健康人”作对照时不使用“person”而应该是“control”或“subject”。
另外,在此类错误中也应注意不能自造词,如“多尿”不可以用“multi-urine”,字典里没有此词,而应该用专用名词“polyurea”;“超声造影检查”不应为“contrast tuned imaging gray scale ultrasound”而是“contrast enhanced ultrasound”。
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