Some Common Grammatical Mistakes in EST Translation
1. Disagreement违反一致性原则
英语主语(subject)与谓语(predicate)、代词(pronoun)与先行词(antecedent)在性(gender)、数(number)上以及一些主从复合句(principal/subordinate complex sentence)在时态上要保持一致，否则就会造成违反一致性原则(disagreement)的语法错误。
1) 代词与名词不一致(pronoun/noun conflicts)
A. 代词与先行词不一致(disagreement between pronoun and antecedent)
e.g.
If one had considered the consequences carefully, you would not have agreed to sign the contract.
Improved translation:
If one had considered the consequences carefully, he would not have agreed to sign the contract.
B. 指示代词与其所修饰的名词不一致(disagreement between pronoun and the noun modified)
e.g.
These kind of studies was not started until the new experimental equipment was imported from a developed country.
Improved translation:
a. This kind of study was not started until the new experimental equipment was imported from a developed country.
b. These kinds of studies were not started until the new experimental equipment was imported from a developed country.
2) 主语与谓语不一致(subject/predicate conflicts)
This is one of the monographs on the molecular biology that has been published by the publishing house.
Improved translation:
This is one of the monographs on the molecular biology that have been published by the publishing house.
3) 主从复合句时态不一致(principal/subordinate conflicts in tense)
e.g.
Last week we paid a visit to the national Museum of Nature, in which we have seen a lot of rare animal specimens. (主语与定语从句时态不一致)
Improved translation:
Last week we paid a visit to the national Museum of Nature, in which we saw a lot of rare animal specimens.
e.g.
He had to discontinue his undergraduate studies because his physical condition becomes worse and worse. (主语与状语从句时态不一致)
Improved translation:
He had to discontinue his undergraduate studies because his physical condition became worse and worse.
4) 时态与时间不相呼应(disagreement between tense and time)
e.g.
In the postwar period Yugoslav economy has developed asymmetrical in which industry and infrastructure have been favored to the detriment of agriculture, having a negative result on the entire economic development.
Improved translation:
In the postwar period Yugoslav economy developed in an imbalanced way, industry and infrastructure were favored, which led to the detriment of agriculture and thus caused a negative result on the entire economic of Yugoslav.
2. 语法知识在科技翻译中的具体运用
2.1 数量关系
例： Shortly before the uninhabited space station reached orbit in .May 1973,aeroaynamic pressure ripped off a meteoroid and heat shield.
原译：在1973年5月无人空间站到达轨道前不久，空气动力压力扯破了一个流星体和挡热板。
分析：首先，从逻辑上看，说：“空气动力压力扯破了一个流星体”，是不合事理的，荒谬可笑的。其次，从语言上看，不定冠词a是说明shield的，而不是说明meteorlid的。否则，无法解释在名词shield 之前为何没有冠词。通过逻辑分析和语言分析可以清楚地看出，名词meteoroid和名词heat原来都是名词shield 的定语。A meteoroid and heat shield 的意思是：一个防流星体和防热的护罩。
例：开制国产第一套双桶洗衣机连体桶注塑模具的明飞模塑创建于1984年，
Mingfei Mould & Plastic, founded in 1984, developed the first twin-tub injection moulds of double-tube washing machine.
