中式英语之鉴第一章读书笔记

老人小孩先发言

Part One of The Translator’s Guide to Chinglish focuses on 'Unnecessary Words,' aiming to help readers identify and eliminate redundant, repetitive, or meaningless words in Chinglish, thereby improving the conciseness and accuracy of English expression. Below is a summary of the core content of this section:
1. Redundant Nouns and Verbs  
Redundant Nouns: Many nouns in sentences appear unnecessary due to repetition or implied meaning. For example:  
  In 'living standards for the people,' 'for the people' can be omitted because 'living standards' inherently refers to people.  
  In 'the cause of peaceful reunification,' 'cause of' is redundant and can be replaced with 'peaceful reunification.'
Redundant Verbs: Some verbs exist only as a formality, while the actual action is carried by a noun. These should be simplified by converting the noun into a verb. For example:  
  'make an improvement'→ 'improve'  
  'conduct an examination' → 'examine.'  
2. Unnecessary Modifiers  
Redundant Modifiers: The meaning of a modifier may already be implied in the word it modifies. For example:  
  'mutual cooperatio' (cooperation is inherently mutual);  
  'new innovations' (innovations are inherently new).  
Intensifiers: Words like very or extremely are often redundant and can be replaced with more precise vocabulary. For example:  
  'extremely important' → 'vital'or 'crucial.'
3. Repetition and Redundant Structures
Synonymous Repetition: For example, in a series of measures, a series of is redundant because measures already implies plurality.  
Overuse of Abstract Nouns: For example, the prolongation of the existence of this temple can be simplified to this temple has endured.
Nominalization: Convert abstract nouns into verbs or adjectives. For example:  
economic revitalization → revitalizing the economy
correctness of the policy → the policy is correct.
4. Common Error Types and Solutions
ategory Nouns: Words like situation or practice often add no real meaning. For example:  
oppose the practice of extravagance → oppose extravagance.
Redundant Verb Phrases: For example, make great efforts to do→ strive to do.
Redundant Passive Voice: For example, approval should be given→ approve.  
5. Examples and Exercises
The book provides numerous examples to demonstrate revision techniques. For instance:  
Original: The government will make efforts to promote economic development.  
Revised: The government will promote economic development.
Exercises require deleting redundant words, such as changing chieving the goal of modernization to modernize

Summary
The core idea of Part One is that vigorous writing is concise. It emphasizes making English clearer and more powerful by removing redundant words, simplifying abstract expressions, and avoiding repetitive phrasing. Through systematic categorization and example analysis, the author, Joan Pinkham, provides practical methods for identifying and correcting Chinglish. This section is particularly useful for Chinese learners and translators.