中式英语之鉴Part One

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Learn to Eliminate Redundancies

Eliminating redundancies requires a deeper understanding of English words and learning the subtle differences between words with similar meanings. In my opinion, it requires us to learn a word not simply by remembering its Chinese meaning, but by remembering its English meaning. And not only that, but also by learning its meaning in context. This allows us to distinguish the difference between words, eliminating redundancies.

The ways to deal with redundant twins:
1.Delete one of them simply.
2.Replace both members of the pair with a new word that expresses the thought better than either of the original two.
3.Add a word or two that will clarify the intended meaning of one or both terms.

However, the author also said that it is generally better to risk including a redundancy than to risk losing an element of the intended sense, especially you cannot make a sure judgment about a given pair of words or find a better version.

Actually, it should be noted that there are not only Chinese translators would have the impulse to employ redundant twins, but also native speakers of English. Indeed, some redundant twins have been seen together in public so often that they have gained a kind of respectability. We also need to remember these approved redundant twins.

Chinese translators are impacted not only by their mother language, but also the casual speakers and writers who is native speakers of English but neither notice nor care that there is no significant difference between the two elements.