醫學論文翻譯的常見問題包括：失真、誇飾、冗詞贅語、矛盾、重複、非人化等，本文初步探討了醫學論文翻譯這些問題的對策。這些問題暴露出了作者科學態度、邏輯思維、理論素養和寫作技巧的缺陷，降低到了科學傳播的水準，值得各位作者註意。本文分析了這些常見問題，並且初步探討了這些問題的英文翻譯對策。
失真、誇飾
有些作者喜歡在自己的文章中說自己的工作never reported in the literature, a breakthrough, a new method, a new theo-ry, a new discovery, the first report, 這些“拔高”類詞語在學術論文中不用為好。畢竟世界上同類科學文獻如煙海，是不是有可能漏查了呢？你沒有見到，不見得就存在。所以還是留有餘地、有分寸為上。科學家的論文不是因為寫了上述詞語才能獲諾貝爾獎。
冗詞贅語
冗詞贅語在英文翻譯論文中較普遍，是“中國式英語”的特徵之一，屬於常說的“拼寫無誤，語法不錯，但外國讀者感到難懂、甚至不懂。”。
原句：Special scrutiny should be given to the assumption that adult patients are aware of gaps and deficiencies in their performance and should there fore be involved with their doctors in a mutual process of setting their treatment programs.
改過：Adult patients who recognize their deficiencies should hilp their doctors to plan their treatment programs.
註:全句37個詞，有抽象名詞、行話。被動語態用了兩次。整個句子內容重複、累贅。歸納起來，簡單文字就可說明。
原句：In April 1992,we successfully treated 2patients by percutaneous transluminal excimer laser peripheral angiopla-sty (PTELPA) and in November 1992,6 patients by PTELPA.
改過:We successfully treated 2 patients in April and 6 patients in November 1992 by percutaneous transluminal excimer laser peripheral angioplasty.
註:原句:年份及PTELPA重複，顯累贅，不如重寫。
原句：Excimer laser coronary angioplasty and percutaneous translrminal coronary angioplasty can complement each other's difficiencies in the treatment of coronary atherosclerotic diseases.
改過：Excimer laser coronary angioplasty and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty can complement each other in the treatment of coronary atherosclerotic diseases .
註:原句:顯然受中文影響“互相彌補不足”。在英文中照譯則不可，complement each other已經有互補缺陷、不足之義。
原句：With the rehabilitation of sciences in China in the 1980s,many instruments used for visual electrophysiology ha-ve been developed or made in Hangzhou,Ji’nan,Xi’an,Shanghai,Chongqing and Shenzhen so as to meet the needs of the application and research of visual electrophysiology.
註:原句顯然是受中文影響死譯而成的，詞語重複冗繁visual electrophysiology 可避免重複，developed代替made。
Alexander Pope （1688-1744）說過：詞彙如葉片，太多了，深層意思就難以體會了（Words are like leaves;and where they most abound, much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found.）說明寫作、翻譯一再強調的問題：言貴洗練。每個詞要有所指否則便為冗詞。
非人性化
非人性化(dehumanization)語言在醫學論文中有氾濫現象。但當是科學刊物，讀者是外國人，用詞尊重人必須注意，醫學離不開人道主義和人權。因此，非人道詞語的使用是與先進的高科技醫學不相容的。如：
原句：On emergency examination,he was injured and had bilateral basal crackles.
改過：Emergency examination revealed that he had been injured an hand bilateral basal crackles.
註：按原句意思則是在檢查時將病人弄傷了，如果是這樣，那是醫療事故（malpractice），拿人命作兒戲了。
常見論文中明明說的是patients,標題的“材料與方法”照譯成Materials and methods,將人當作材料當然是非人化。如果留意一下，完全可以改過來，用中性的詞subjects(物件)比material好。另外一種情況是case與patient不分。Case作病例、病案解，有嚴格的定義，不能代替patient。
矛盾、重複
原句：Of 25 penicillin-sensitive patients recently treated with cephalothin,one had fatal anaphylactic shock but recov-ered.
改過：Of 25 penicillin-sensitive paients recently treated with cephalothein,one had anaphylactic shock but recovered.
註:原句：中fatal是多餘的，用了則顯然不合邏輯。休克都可致命，死者不可復生這是常識。
原句：Occurrences of hemolytic-uremic syndrome in nonrelated siblings and thrombocytopenic purpura in a husband and wife have been reported.
改過：Occurrences of hemolytic-ruemic syndrome in siblings and thrombocytopenic purpura in a husband and wife have been reported.
註:siblings的意思就是兄弟姐妹，既然是同胞兄弟姐妹，那有沒有關係之理？
原句：The patient complained of daily night sweats,fevers,and extreme fatigue.
改過：The patient complained of night sweats,fevers,and extreme fatigue.
註:night sweats 當然是天天如此，何以加daily,此屬畫蛇添足，不合邏輯。
原標題：Diagnosis and treatment of internal medicine.
改過：Diagnosis and medication
原句：This finding shows that the measurement of LOH at 3p24 and 7q31 may be an useful predicting marker for the prognosis of breast cancer.
改過：This finding shows that measurement of LOH at 3p24 and 7q31 may be an useful predicting marker for the pro-gnosis of patients with breast cancer.
註:3p24和7q31位點LOH測定是有可能成為乳腺癌病人預見後評價的指標，這裡英文中不可缺少patients,中文中常說“什麼病預後”，不能在英文中照搬。
原句：The pathological diagnosis was intramuscular hemangioma of the mixed capillary and cavernous type.
改過：Pathological diagnosis showed an intramuscular hemangioma of the capillary and cavernous type.
註:“……診斷是……”不能照搬中文，否則就成笑話。
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