汉语好是当然的,这个不必多言。
可是,在科技领域,英语和汉语的语法结构的区别还是很明显的。英语可以中心词前置,而汉语就不行。这往往导致同样的逻辑结构在英语里可以通过复杂的长句来进行逻辑严密的表述,而在汉语里往往要应用几个短句来表达,这往往会导致中心词模糊,逻辑结构断裂。
为了表述一个复杂概念,使之逻辑严密,结构紧凑,科技文章中往往出现许多长句。有的长句多达七八个词,以下即是一例。
The efforts that have been made to explain optical phenomena by means of the hypothesis of a medium having the same physical character as an elastic solid body led, in the first instance, to the understanding of a concrete example of a medium which can transmit transverse vibrations ,and at a later stage to the definite conclusion that there is no luminiferous medium having the physical character assumed in the hypothesis.
为了解释光学现象,人们曾试图假定有一种具有与弹性固体相同的物理性质的介质。这种子尝试的结果,最初曾使人们了解到一种能传输横向振动的具有上述假定所以认为的那种物理性质的发光介质。
再如: Behaviorists suggest that the child who is raised in an environment where there are many stimuli which develop his or her capacity for appropriate responses will experience greater intellectual development. 分析: (1) 该句的主语为behaviorists, 谓语为suggest, 宾语为一个从句, 因此整个句子为Behaviorist suggest that-clause 结构。 (2) 该句共有五个谓语结构, 它们的谓语动词分别为suggest, is raised, are, develop, experience等, 这五个谓语结构之间的关系为: Behaviorist suggest that-clause 结构为主句; who is raised in an environment为定语从句, 所修饰的先行词为child; where there are many stimuli为定语从句, 所修饰的先行词为environment; which develop his or her capacity for appropriate responses为定语从句, 所修饰的先行词为stimuli; 在suggest的宾语从句中, 主语为child, 谓语为experience, 宾语为greater intellectual development. 在作了如上的分析之后, 我们就会对该句具有了一个较为透彻的理解, 然后根据我们上面所讲述的各种翻译方法, 就可以把该句翻译成汉语为: 行为主义者认为, 如果儿童的成长环境里有许多刺激因素, 这些因素又有利于其适当反应能力的发展, 那么, 儿童的智力就会发展到较高的水平。
在这个句子的翻译中,英语中的中心词child在汉语译文中成了一个定语修饰词。
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