应高度重视大学网页英文简介的质量——评北京师范大学英文简介

阿让

随着计算机和网络时代的到来，互联网已成为人们获取信息的重要渠道。对正走向世界的我国各大学来说，网页是展示其形象的一种重要手段。那么，各大学的网页质量如何呢？最近，出于职业的敏感，笔者浏览了我国师范教育的“老大哥”——著名的北京师范大学——的英文网页，发现在短短的三个网页中（Brief History, Profile of the University, Teaching & Research）竟出现了多达30多处英语语法错误或不符英语表达法的现象。笔者现将其指出来，希望以此为戒，引起各大学对各自英文网页建设质量的重视。

为了便于读者对照，笔者按顺序逐一指出，不作归类分析。

1．在上述三个网页中，开头的“STUDAY WELL”均出现拼写错误，应改为“STUDY  
WELL”。

2．In 1912, the Faculty of Education was named as Beijing Normal College,  
with affiliated middle school and primary school.这句中的“named as”
应改为“named”。“ named as”意为“任命某人出任某个职位”，而不是“命名”。另外，“with affiliated middle school and primary school”结构上也不符合英语表达习惯，改为“with a middle school and a primary school attached to it”较好。（另，据最新研究成果，我国的“中学”译为“secondary school”较为恰当）

3．In 1904, the education program was expanded into four years, and in 1908. The  
Faculty was separated from the Metropolitan University.这句中存在标点符合错位，应将1908后的句号改为逗号，“The” 的大写改成小写“the”。

4．By 1917, the College had developed a relatively complete range of academic  
areas, which includes 12 departments or sections.本句存在时态呼应错误，应将“includes”改成“included”。另外，这里的“areas”值得商榷。

5．In 1920, Beijing Normal College started the postgraduate program of education,  
the first session of students are from Jinling University, Peking University and  
other universities and colleges all over China.本句有两处错误，一是时态错误，应将“are from”改成“were from”；二是语法结构错误，应在第二个分句“the first”前加“and”或另成一句，这是典型的中式英语（Chinglish）。

6．Beijing Normal College was renamed as Beijing Normal University in 1923, which  
was the first normal university in Chinese history of education.这句也有两处错误，其一是“renamed as”应改成“renamed”，理由同1；其二是“Chinese”应改为“China’s”。
  
7．The Women’s College of Education of Peking University was merged into Beijing  
Normal University in 1931, and the University was renamed as National Beiping  
Normal University.本句的错误同上。

8．In 1937, after the Anti-Japanese War started, the university moved to  
Shaanxi Province.本句的“Shaanxi”是否拼写错误？另外，前一句的“the University”与本句“the university”指同一学校，为何一个大写，一个小写？这种大小写不一致的情况还有多处。

9．In 1952, the University incorporates the school of Science of China  
University.本句存在时态错误，应将“incorporates”改成“incorporated”。

10．Now the university is one of the national bases for training excellent teachers  
and specialist.这里有一个单复数的问题，既然“teachers”是复数，那么“specialist”也应该是复数才对。

11．Beijing Normal University was designated as a member University of the  
“Project 211” and became a university which gained governmental focus for  

investment.这句话谈的是北京师范大学现在的情况，应使用现在完成时，而不是过去时。另外，这句的英语表达也有待改进。

12．在“Profile of the University”网页中，为何“Full-time Faculty Members”用复数，而“Academician”却用单数？从后面的数字看，北京师范大学实际上不止一位院士。

13．Since the very beginning when the University was a faculty of  
Metropolitan University, it has attached great importance to education:  
the school invited famous scholars and intellectuals to lecture here, and  
it implemented a very strict examination system.这句英文存在至少两处错误，一是时态呼应问题，“it has attached great importance to education”使用的是现在完成时，为何后面的具体陈述却使用一般过去时？二是为何“the University”变成了“the school”？这句的整个结构也很别扭。

14．In undergraduate education, the school has established an educational  
goal···这句的“the school”能用来指北京师范大学吗？

15．In order to realize this goal, Beijing Normal University adjusted its  
education plan several times according to social demands in recent years.本句以使用现在完成时为好。

16．The university not only attaches importance to the study of basic courses,  
but has also enlarged the proportion of practice in the study process, not  
only give prominence to specialized courses, but also to diversify the  
students’ knowledge.这句话无论从措词还是结构上都带有典型的中式英语特点。时态呼应也存在问题。

17．Teaching material written by Beijing Normal University professors have  
been awarded prizes in the comparative appraisal of university textbooks  
many times.这句存在语法错误，主语是表单数的“Teaching material”，谓语动词怎能用复数“have been”呢？“comparative appraisal”是何意？

18．In graduate education, the University states its goal is “to promote  
overall quality of graduate education, especially the education for doctoral  
candidates, to establish a high quality education base with complete  
discipline, optimized structure and diversified training  
formats.”这句话存在多处错误。“states its goal is”应改成“states its goal as”；“ to establish”前应加“and”；“ discipline”应改成复数“disciplines”；“optimized structure”应在前面加冠词“an”。

19．In order to realize such a goal, the University has brought forward  
the ideas of “strengthening the course for master candidates” and  
“optimizing the training process of doctoral candidates.”这句话中的“the course”应改成复数“the courses”。

20．There are several institutions of the University, which have been named  
training base for humanities or science.这句不符合英语句型表达习惯，用词也存在问题，应改成“In the university, there are several institutions which have been designated  
as training bases for humanities or science”。

21．the Institute of International and Comparative education这个专有名词的大小写不合规范，“education”的第一个字母也应该大写。

22．the delivery of knowledge是“传授知识”吗？

23．high quality research results应改成“high quality research achievements”。

24．There are also above 300 research projects in humanities and  
social science performed by professors of Beijing Normal University, with  
38 of them are nation projects.本句中“with 38 of them are nation projects”是介词短语，怎么能使用谓语动词形式“are”呢？另外，“nation”应该改成“national”。

26．In the end of 2001应将“In”改成“At”，这是固定搭配。

必须承认，北京师范大学是我国一所著名高校，校内人才济济，上述错误本来是完全可以避免的。但由于领导思想上没有重视，而英文负责人又没有慎重从事，才出现如此糟糕情况。必须指出的是，出现这种情况的绝不止北京师范大学。许多高校的英文简介带有严重的中式英语特点。

令人欣慰的是，也有一些大学的英文简介做得非常出色，如北京大学和清华大学。这些大学的英语简介不是中文版的简单翻译，而是从措词到结构上都遵循了英语的习惯，为我们树立了很好的榜样。当然，上述两个大学的英语简介也不是十全十美。如在北京大学的简介中，“During the  
War of Resistance Against Japan, Peking University moved to Kunming, a city  
in Yunnan Province, together with Tsinghua University and Nankai  
University, formed the National Southwestern Associated University”一句中存在一个语法错误，后一个并列谓语“formed the National Southwestern Associated University”前应该加连词“and”。全句改成“During the War of Resistance Against Japan, Peking University  
moved to Kunming, a city in Yunnan Province, and formed the National  
Southwestern Associated University together with Tsinghua University and  
Nankai University”为佳。另外，在“Old Photos”网页中，图片说明没有译成英文，这不能不说是个遗憾。在清华大学的英语简介网页中，笔者也发现了两处明显的错误。“Although Western culture was pervasive in the early history of the university, Chinese culture
were also cherished and widely studied”一句中，主句主谓在数上存在不一致问题，应该将“were”改成“was”。“He sought to best way to promote Chinese higher education”中有拼写错误，应把“to best”改成“the best”。


学术批评网(www.acriticism.com)首发  2002年12月8日