Translation tips & tricks

翻译技巧与诀窍 

There are lots of free translation services on the net, but they all have a problem. The translations are carried out by machine, not humans, and whilst they are very clever programmes, they are flawed. If you don't believe me, translate a piece of well-written English into your own language, it can be a lot of fun. Machines just cannot give you the accuracy a professional human translator will deliver.

现在互联网上有很多免费的翻译服务，但是它们都有一个缺点：机器翻译不能等同于人翻译。尽管程序很智能，但还是难免不足。你若是不信，去找一篇优美的英文用程序翻译成你的母语，说不定让你捧腹大笑。机器再智能，也精确不到一位专业翻译的水平。

But, you can take steps to make your machine translations as accurate as possible, therefore reaping the benefits of this valuable technology. By following these tips you should be able to produce consistent and intelligible results.

但是一些小窍门却可以使机器翻译的结果变得尽可能精确，让你能够充分享受这一高科技的好处，得到清楚、流畅的译文。

Be Concise

一切从简
 
Remember that machine translation is a computer process that prefers common words and phrases.

机器翻译是电脑程序，更“中意”常见的单词和短语。 

Start with simple, clear and formal sentences and phrases.

以简单、明了、正式的句子、短语开篇。 

Keep sentences short, limiting them to 15-20 words for best results.

保持句子短小，最好把字数控制在15至20个之间。

If a sentence contains multiple ideas/thoughts, break them into one sentence per idea/thought.

如果一个句子含有多个意思或想法，把它们逐一分开。 

Avoid unnecessarily complex words and sentences.

避免使用无用的单词和句子。 

Write clearly and formally

行文明了、正式 

Word your documents in such a way as to avoid idioms, clichés, colloquial expressions and slang.

行文避免短语、套语、口语、俚语。 

Consider the literal meaning of words and try to express this instead.

尽量使用单词的字面意思。 

Avoid Ambiguity

避免一语双关

Try not to use words that have more than one meaning, for example:

不要使用含有多种意思的单词，例如：

- Use "movie" instead of "film"

-用“movie”替代“film”

- Use "painting" or "photograph" instead of "picture"

-用“painting”或者“photograph”替代“picture”

Words ending in "ing" can sometimes be ambiguous, such as "rowing", which can be a noun or a verb. Where possible, choose an alternative. 

以ing结尾的单词有时会含有多种意思，比如“rowing”这个词，可以做名词，也可以做动词。只要可以，找到替代词。

怎样，这篇文章中的小窍门有没有帮助到你呢？记得在使用翻译机器的时候试试吧！>>>试试在线全文翻译

Always check spelling and grammar

注意拼写和语法 

Incorrect spelling or grammar leads to translation errors, for example, if a word is spelt incorrectly, the translator will not be able to identify the word.

拼写错误或者语法错误都会造成翻译错误。一个词若是拼错了，译者就很有可能无法识别出这个词。

Include appropriate accents

使用合适的重音符号 

Always use the correct accent marks in your text.

在你的文本中使用正确的重音符号。

Be aware of Punctuation Pitfalls

警惕标点陷阱
 
Avoid the use of complicated punctuation marks such as parentheses and hyphens.

避免使用括号、连字符此类复杂标点。

Avoid abbreviations or if you need to use them, keep them consistent.

避免使用缩写。如果必需，在文中保持一致。

Use articles in front of listed items, for example:

在列举项目前使用冠词，如：

Instead of: the judge and jury, use: the judge and the jury

“the judge and the jury”，而不是“the judge and jury”

Do not leave words out

不要漏掉单词 

Some words can be implied in everyday use, such as "that, which, who," etc. and are often omitted when writing text - try not to do this as they may be required in the target language.

有些词，像“that, which, who”在口语、写作中往往被省略。使用翻译机器时不要漏掉这些词，目标语也许会用到。 
 
小编：机器翻译非常机械化，不能灵活运用词汇的各种释义，所以不能完全依赖于机器翻译哦！不过用良好的全文翻译系统翻译一下却可以给你一些句子、句型的思路，在此基础上理顺一下译文即可，可以节省不少时间。

怎样，这篇文章中的小窍门有没有帮助到你呢？记得在使用翻译机器的时候试试吧！>>>试试在线全文翻译