摘要：不少译者,特别是科技文章译者,常把“design”一词仅译为“设计”,以为这当然正确无误,又不失时髦。其实“, design”是个常用词、多义词,它在科技文体中的词义演变尤其应加注意。本文将列出“design”一词的笔者所能收集到的几种典型词义,并举例说明其应用。

关键词：科技英语；科技翻译；翻译方法

Abstract: Many translators , especially those working on scientific English translation ,often translate the English word “design” only into Chinese word“设计”,which they think naturally reasonable and correct, and as something in the fashion. In fact, the word “design” is often used ,with its many meaning ,in many fields. Close attention should be paid to the basic meaning and its evolution of the word “design”. In the present paper, the author provides, as many as possible ,the typical meanings and the usages of the word “design”.

Key words: scientific English; translation of English scientific articles; translation method

有不少译者,特别是英语和专业根底都不太深的译者,一见到“design”,就觉得应当天经地义地把它译成汉语的“设计”。“design”的误译不仅给许多翻译文章造成文意晦涩,而且也像病毒一样感染了汉语写作。这种情况在广告词中比比皆是。例如,什么“卓越的超静设计”,什么“现代流线型设计”,什么“横向膨胀设计”,什么“全新燃气设计”等等,不一而足。所有这些这个设计,那个设计,看来多半源于对英语“design”一词的长期的误译。

为了纯洁祖国的语言,我们必须追根溯源。为此,作者在长期的翻译教学和翻译实践中注意了积累这方面的资料。本文比较深入地研究了“design”在不同领域里的词义和用法,对于其在科技和工程领域的较新的词义和用法更给予了特别的关注。

1. 作动词表示:设计,进行设计(工作)

①Our scientist s are designing robot s for doing the dangerous work. 我们的科学家正在设计从事危险作业的机器人。

②He has designed all the scenes and costumes. 他设计了全部布景和服装。

③This engine is designed to be maintained at low cost . 这种发动机是按维护成本低的原则设计的。

④This aircraft has been designed to fly at 800 kilometers per hour. 这种飞机是设计用于以每小时800 公里的速度飞行的。

⑤He spent 15 years working as a civil engineer for the government , designing highways and dams. 他担任政府的土木工程师15 年,从事公路和水坝的设计工作。

⑥He designs a large firm of carpet manufacturers. 他在一家大型地毯公司搞设计工作

⑦The elect ronic equipment has been designed for speeding up production. 这种电子设备是设计来加速生产进程的。

⑧Standard machines have been designed to meet these requirement s. 已经设计出多种标准机床来满足这些要求。

⑨Well - designed inst rument s can work reliably in critical conditions. 精心设计的仪表能在严酷的条件下可靠地工作。

lu The designers have to determine what standard part s can be used and what part s have to be designed f rom scratch. 设计师必须确定,可选用何种标准件;而哪些零、部件则必须白手起家从头设计。

2. 作动词表示:“设计”所引申出的诸多词义, 如“打算”等

①We shall have to design a new curriculum for the third year. 我们必须为第三学年设置一套新课程

②Can anyone design a better timetable ? 有谁能想(提、拟、定) 出一个更好的时间表?

③The gloves were designed for ext remely cold climates. 这种手套是为极冷的气候条件而准备的。

④This course is designed as an int roduction to the subject . 这门课是作为本学科的导论而开设的。

⑤This route was designed to relieve t raffic congestion. 这条路线是为缓解交通拥挤而开辟的。

⑥The book is designed to be used in the following two ways. 这本书是按下述两种使用方式来编写的。(或:这本书可按下述两种方式来使用。)

⑦It is necessary to design the experiments such a way that the environmental effects are eliminated. 应当这样来规划这些实验,就是要消除环境因素对它的影响。

⑧A bearing is a machine element designed to t ransmit loads to a shaft rotating relative to the bearing. 轴承是一种机器零件,用来把负载传给相对于此轴承转动的转轴。

⑨ Therapeutic measures are designed to promote the natural healing processes. 安排治疗措施的目的在于促进自然康复过程。

3. 作名词表示:设计

①A common design need is to detect the presence or absence of a clock signal. 一个通常的设计要求就是检测有无时钟信号。

②This self2reset feature simplifies the design of the magnetics. 这种自复位的功能可简化磁性元件的(结构) 设计。

③Another important factor in furnace design is the cont rol of nit rogen oxide emission. 高炉设计的另一个重要因素就是控制一氧化氮的排出。

④Suitable lubrication can be achieved only through good design of the bearing. 只有通过轴承的正确设计才能获得合适的润滑作用。(或: 只有通过轴承的合理构造才能获得合适的润滑作用。)

⑤Usually several designs and redesigns will be undertaken before the product is brought to the general public. 通常,产品需要经过几次设计和再设计,才能提供给公众。

⑥The development engineer produces a concept or model that is passed on to the design engineer for converting into a device ,process ,or structure. 开发工程师通常提出构思或建立模型,然后把这种构思或模型转交给设计工程师, 以便把它们转变为某一装置、某项过程,或某种结构。

4. 作名词表示:造型,式样,花样,图案,型别, 结构等

①This university was const ructed f rom the design of a famous architecture. 这所大学是按一座著名建筑物的式样建造的。

②They have a great variety of designs and sell at reasonable prices. 它们(货品) 的式样很多,而且售价合理。

③These object s , simple and natural in design ,are beautiful as well as useful. 这些物品,造型朴素大方,既美观,又适用。

④Their motorcycle indust ry led the world in designs and craft smanship. 他们的摩托车工业在造型和工艺方面世界领先。

⑤Her dress has a beautiful design of flowers. 她的衣服上有美丽的鲜花图案。

⑥Because a unit substation is invariably installed indoors , the t ransformer must be of fireproof design. 因为组合变电站总是安装在室内的,所以所用变压器必须是防火(类) 型的。

⑦This machine is simple in design ,yet it is efficient in operation. 这台机器结构简单,然而工作效率却很高。

5. 作名词表示:机械结构,装置,设备,机件,机型或根据上下文译成某具体的装置

①The search coil in this design let s you detect a penny buried approximtely 2 inches in the ground. 本探测器的搜索线圈可以探测出埋在地下2 英寸深的一个便士。

②With an FFT software option , you can find the harmonic content in a vibration or identify resonant f requencies in a mechanical design.

(在本示波器中) 增加快速傅氏变换软件的选件,我们就能找出某种振动的谐波成分,或确定出某一机械结构的谐振频率。

③Yokogawa’s DL1540 Oscilloscope’s vertical design saves bench space. 横河公司的DL1540 型示波器的立式机型可节省工作台面。

④Even in small quantities , the 12C508 cost s ＄1150 and thus provides an inexpensive and small design for this application. 即使少量购买,一片12C508 芯片也只售1150 美元。因而,此种芯片便可为这种应用场合提供价廉和轻小的(硬件) 结构。

⑤This cheap machine looks good but it is of bad design and doesn’t work well. 这台廉价的机器看起来倒好,但构造很差劲,且运转不正常。

⑥ Transducers in Mechanical and Electronic Designs is the name of a book.《机械装置与电子装置中用的传感器》是一本书的名字。

⑦The basic designs of capacitive sensors are such that they can handle abrasive ,corrosive ,and otherwise difficult substances. 电容式传感头的结构应作得耐磨,抗腐蚀,和能接触其他类型传感头所难于接触的物质。

⑧In some designs the hinge pin is made movable to provide additional heel pressure. 在某些机械结构中,将把铰销作成活动的,以便提供更多的后部压力。

⑨As production techniques of elect rical transducers advanced ,associated measuring techniques and systems became more established ,and as new t ransducer designs became more readily available ,they found applications in all indust ries and sciences in addition to those types of transducers already in widespread use. 随着各种电气式传感器生产技术的发展,相伴的测量技术和测量系统就变得更加成熟。而且,当我们可以方便地选用各种新型传感器时,不仅现在已经广泛使用的传感器,而且整个传感器都可在各个工业和科技部门得到广泛的应用。

luDetermining the appropriate size of filter capacitors in power-supply designs is often difficult. Most designers tend to over do it and addunnecessary cost and size to the design. However ,you can use a stepping feature in Microcap V(Spcet rum Software , www. spect rumsoft . com) to accertain the t rade2off s choose the best values for your design. 确定各型电源装置用滤波电容器的电容量常常非常困难。多数设计人员倾向于把电容量选得较大,从而给所用电源装置增加了不必要的成本和尺寸。不过, 我们可用Microcap V 程序的可选用计算步距的特点(Spect rumSoft 公司的软件, 网址: www. spect rumsoft . com) 来协调各参数大小,并为我们所用的电源装置选取最合适的滤波电容器的电容量。

6. 作名词表示:电路结构,电路方案,电路等

①In this design , the f requency is approximately 370kHz. 在本电路中,所用频率大约是370kHz

②The beat oscillator uses a similar Colpitts design. 拍频振荡器采用了一个类似Colpitt s 电路的电路。

③During normal start2up and when charging the load’s capacitors ,the design permit s current beyond the short2circuit current limit to pass. 在正常的启动期间和在给负载的各电容器充电之时,本电路允许通过超过短路电流极限值的电流。

④If you use a shunt current2sense design ,as shown here ,you must ensure that the commonmode range includes the positive supply rail ,otherwise unpredictable operation can result . 如果我们使用本图所示的一种敏感分路电流的电路(方案、结构) ,我们就必须保证共模信号输入范围能包括正电源的最大值,否则就会造成不可预见的工作状态。

⑤The design in Fig. 1 forms a high2f requency , 10 W dc2dc converter that switches at 600 kHz. 图1 所示电路(方案、结构) 即可构成一个高频的, 10W 的,开关频率为600kHz 的dc2dc 变流器。

⑥Many analog designs call for ratiomet ric resistor combinations in which the precise ratio is more important than the actual resistor values in the network. 许多模拟电路需要比例电阻器组合,在这种组合中,精确的电阻比值要比电路中各电阻器的实际电阻值更为重要。

⑦The circuit in fig. 1 provides a 5V ,15W output . . . . The design in fig. 1 uses discontinuous-conduction mode (in which the flyback transformer undergoes complete demagnetization in every cycle) , with maximum duty cycle set to 50 %. 图1 所示电路可提供5V ,15W 的输出。

⋯图1 所示电路还采用了断续导通工作方式(在本方式下,回扫变压器将在其每一周期经历一个完整的去磁过程) ,其最大占空比则设定为50 %。

⑧The design in figure 1 is an upgraded version of the circuit in a previous Design Idea( Edge detector runs of f single supply , EDN ,Dec. 4 ,1997 ,p. 140) 1 图1 所示电路是先前“设计思想”栏目刊载的一篇文章中的一个电路的升级版本(见《信号边沿检测器仅用单电源供电》,EDN ,Dec 4 ,1997 ,p1 140) 。

从本节最后两个例句可最清楚不过地看出,这里的design 就是circuit ,简直是确凿无疑的事了。

7. 作名词表示:故意,不良企图

①It was done by design ; and not by accident . 这件事是故意的,而不是偶然所为。

②They will never succeed in their sinister design. 他们的罪恶企图永远不会得逞。

③The greedy man had designs on her fortune. 这个贪婪的人图谋她的钱财。