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常見中式英文(七十五)
2016/09/17 09:25
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中式英文: 

Many unitersities offer a large number of scholarships as an incentive to attract outstanding students to enroll in their schools.

改錯研析: 

1. Many universities offer a large number of scholarships as an incentive to attract more outstanding students to enroll in their schools.

2. Many universities offer a large number of scholarships as an incentive to enroll more outstanding students.

3. Many universities offer a large number of scholarships as an incentive to boost enrollment of outstanding students.

(1) 原句為中文直譯,因此只能再翻回中文才看得懂,是標準的中式英文。attract 是「及物動詞」,後接「受詞」outstanding students,之後再接的 to 應該是「介係詞」而不是「不定詞」,如以下 Merriam-Webster 例句:

The chance to travel around the world attracted me to a career as a flight attendant.

(有環遊世界的機會吸引我加入空服員行列。)

原句中 to 被誤當「不定詞」,其後接了「原型動詞」enroll,也就是把 attract somebody to something 的句型變成 attract somebody to do something,雖然看起來很順,但英文當中並無此用法。

(2) enroll in their schools 根本不知所云,「第三人稱複數所有格」their 的「先行詞」必須是「第三人稱複數名詞/代名詞」,排除 scholarships 之後,符合此條件的唯一「先行詞」就是 many universities,可是代換之後成了 enroll in these universities' schools,不管怎麼解釋都不對,因為 their schools 的 their,「先行詞」必須是「人」(如大學招生組人員)才合理,不會是「大學」universities。

(3) 「吸引」不見得非要直譯把 attract 寫出來不可,這是中式英文最大的成因,其實沒有 attract,一樣能表達「吸引」的意涵,而且反而比硬套 attract 來得更明確清楚。 

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