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很多字詞並非表面所見的意思，字詞的組合會產生不同的解釋。這樣的慣用法，我們稱之為「比喻」。一個成功的比喻，作者本身必須相當瞭解字詞的源起。以下的句子為讀者介紹一個比喻及其來源。
Imagery buries itself in language and takes on new meaning. The transplanted and transformed sets of words are called “figures of speech.” For a figure of speech to be effective, however, a writer must first understand the original meaning of the phrase. The following sentence contains a common figure of speech. Its original meaning is explained.

“The committee was chronically slow in responding to public concerns until protestors began showing up at monthly meetings to badger the committee chairman.”
「該委員會回應大眾疑慮向來反應遲緩，直到抗議人士出現在每月例會上糾纏主席，情況方才改觀。」

Badgers are members of the weasel family that live in burrows and eat grubs and rodents and such. They are not dangerous to larger mammals, or people, unless cornered and then can become quite vicious in their defense. The hair of the badger is commercially popular for use in various brushes. They have short legs perfect for digging but also handy for galloping at a quick pace, which badgers can do for short distances. It is a night hunter. All in all, the badger is a tough little omnivore that has adapted well to various climates and thrives in many of them.
獾是鼬鼠科動物，住在洞穴裡，以蛆蟲和嚙齒類為食。獾對大型哺乳動物和人類不具威脅性，不過若逼急了，在防衛時也相當兇惡。獾的毛很有用處，常用來做各種刷子。獾四肢短小，適合挖洞，也能快跑一小段距離。獾也是夜行性掠食動物。總而言之，獾是強悍的小型雜食類動物，能適應各種氣候，在其中幾種氣候生長良好。

When a person is said to “badger” another person, he is being accused of harassing the other person. The usage came about from the experience of pioneer peoples who found badgers to be noisome creatures. The human response was to trap the animals and set dogs upon them. They thus harassed the badgers, usually unto death. The term now is generally used to describe people who persistently harass someone. Such people seem not to know when enough is enough and insist on making a point ad nauseam. Note: Persisting is a good thing, badgering is not.
若說某人「badger」（糾纏）別人，意思是說他騷擾對方。該用法來自墾殖先民的經驗，他們發現獾是種惹人厭的動物。於是設陷阱捕捉，放狗去咬。被狗糾纏的獾通常會被咬死。「Badger」這個詞現在多用來形容某人騷擾他人，不知適可而止，鬧個不休，令人生厭。注意，持續不懈是好事，但持續不懈的騷擾可就不受歡迎了。

TPS的編輯教授在此歡迎關於學術文章的所有詢問，當然，其實他並沒有足夠的時間給你。他擁有終身教職的教授身份，也是著名的學術巨作作者。即便如此，他仍大方地接受你們的詢問。將關於學術方面的詢問寫在下方，你將獲得教授的親自指導，陶冶對學術的探索與啟發。
The professor awaits your query on academic writing, though in all honesty, he doesn’t have a lot of time for you. He is a tenured full professor and working on yet another magnificent academic tome. Even so, he has graciously consented to entertain your question. Submit it and prepare to be edified.

QUESTION: My professor keeps finding mistakes in my papers, such as typos and mistakenly used words, as well as other things I won’t mention. I proof my papers like crazy and still can’t seem to eliminate all the errors. Any suggestions?
我的教授一直從我的論文裡找到錯誤，不管是錯字、用詞不當，還有一些我不想提的錯誤。我拼命檢查，但還是沒辦法找出所有錯誤。可以給我一點建議嗎？

I am curious about the unmentionables, the “other things” wrong with your papers. I presume they fall into the category of silly mistakes, which we all make but usually not in graded or published work. You may be suffering from a lack of commitment to your craft. If you intend to stay in the academic realm, you had better become more prideful in your researched and written finished product. You probably don’t leave your room without double-checking that your pants are on and your socks match. Showing as much concern about your papers is advisable.
我很好奇你沒提的那些錯誤是什麼，我猜大概是一些很好笑的錯誤，這種錯誤我們都常犯，但不會讓它出現在要打分數或發表的文章裡。或許你對自己的專業還不夠投入，如果你想留在學術圈。應該更看重自己研究與寫作的文章。你走出房門前，一定會先檢查褲子有沒有穿好、襪子有沒有配成對；你對自己的文章也該投入同等的關心。

Proofing is not rocket science. It is more like custodial work. You are cleaning up after someone—yourself—with the goal of having a thoroughly clean and ordered piece of writing when you finish. Proofing and double-checking your paper is not a creative work. It is purely a functional labor designed to enhance what you have created by eliminating deficiencies and smudgy mistakes. As in room-cleaning, paper-proofing should be systematic, thorough, and methodical. You should look at every word and paragraph as if seeing them for the first time.
校對沒什麼高深的學問，比較像是看守的工作，你接手某個人（也就是你自己）留下來的工作，好好打理，目標是完工後文章從頭到尾都乾淨整齊、有條不紊。校對、檢查不需要什麼創意，單純注重實際功用，改正文章缺點與錯誤，提升文章品質。校對就像打掃房間，必須運用得宜的方法，有系統地全面進行，你得像第一次閱讀文章一樣，重新讀每個字詞、每段文句。

Finally, it is not a one-person task. You might be a meticulous editor, but proofing your own work is likely to fail. Why? False assumptions you made while writing the piece still are assumed. A re-reading of a sentence is not as revealing as a first reading. Poor sentence structure you worked out in your mind still seems to work when your mind encounters it again; familiarity breeds sloppiness. The way around these problems is to have another set of eyes, another brain, another writer proof your paper. You will be surprised what he finds and what you missed.
最後，校對也不能只仰賴同一個人。不管你作編輯有多仔細，檢查自己的文章還是很可能出錯。為什麼？因為你寫作時可能有些錯誤的假設，而這些假設現在依然存在。重讀句子看到的，不如第一次看到的多。一個差勁的句子結構，如果第一次看不覺得有問題，再看一次還是不覺得有問題，看久你就麻木草率了。要解決這個問題，你得找另一雙眼睛、另一個腦袋、另一個寫作的人，替你校對文章。看到他發現了什麼、你又遺漏了什麼，你一定會很驚訝。

Correct best answer: Replace “Medea” with “media.”

“The document was shredded as directed by the Chief Executive Officer, yet the explosive contents somehow survived to be blown up by print and broadcast media.”

The murderess from Greek mythology, Medea, would have felt right at home blowing up something, but the allusion to her in this sentence otherwise makes no sense. On the other hand, “media” are known for their zeal in publicizing sensitive, private documents. Such misuse of a word can happen quite accidentally, perhaps when a recently-read word floating in the recesses of your mind is inadvertently inserted. Or it can happen from not knowing how to spell. Either way, a reader is stopped in his tracks. A second pair of eyes usually would catch this slip-up.
「Medea」是希臘神話中的女殺手，要她炸毀東西可說是輕鬆自如，不過在這個句子裡用她的典故卻有點說不通。而「media」（媒體）樂於散佈敏感、私人的內容，又是眾所周知的。這類詞彙的誤用，可能是無意間發生的，或許是不久前讀過的詞彙從心靈深處冒出腦海，不小心用到句子裡，也可能是因為不曉得詞彙怎麼拚寫，無論哪一種都會打斷閱讀。找另一個人檢查，就能避免這種錯誤。

撰寫學術文章時，每字每句都需要謹慎著墨。改變幾個字就會使完整的一句話變得令人摸不著頭緒。下列的句子中，為使這句話能完整且有意義的表達，請選出你認為會令人感到困惑的字，我們將提供7-11/星巴克咖啡NTD200元禮券，給予挑出混淆字，並寫出最佳替代字的第1位粉絲，最適的解答與獲獎的粉絲姓名，將於明天公佈於本TPS的專頁。請將你的答案寫在下方，獲得免費購物禮券的幸運兒可能就是你哦!
Every word is important in a well-written academic paper. Changing just a word or two can turn a clear sentence into a confusing one. Tell us what word you would change in the following puzzling sentence to render it more meaningful. The first best answer will receive a NTD200 7-11/Starbucks Gift Certificate.

題目Contest Sentence:
“The document was shredded as directed by the Chief Executive Officer, yet the explosive contents somehow survived to be blown up by print and broadcast Medea.”

並非所有與學術議題相關的文章，就能稱之為「學術文章」。本篇專欄將節錄不同學術議題的內容，分析常見的寫作錯誤，並分享潤修與寫作的技巧。
Not all articles written on academic topics are written in proper academic English. In this "This is not academic writing" column we examine short excerpts from academic texts to illustrate common writing errors and explain how to correct them.

Unacceptable 不被認可的文章

“The darling hummingbirds flew to the feeder and floated in the air above it, their wings fanning the evening air, their beaks sucking up sweet water. The ornithologist sat still on a nearby perch and counted how many visits to the feeder the birds made. He watched the water level in the feeder fall lower and calculated how much water was taken on by each tiny bird. After sitting more or less without moving for three hours, the bird-watcher shut down the screen on his laptop and said fare-thee-well to the little gang of migratory birds.”

This writer tried to be endearing. This is evident in the use of such words as “darling,” and such phrases as “the little gang” of birds. Endearment is not a virtue in an academic paper. Other flaws include the assertion that the scientist sat, bird-like, on a “perch.” More likely, it was a chair or stool. The writer says the birds were “sucking up”—a colloquial expression— “sweet water;” when in fact the water was “sweetened.” The scientist is said to have calculated how much each bird drank, which is unlikely because the birds cannot be individually identified. Rather, he calculated the amount of water consumed by an individual bird. The writer clearly was not precise in his description. Can you spot other weaknesses?
作者顯然想討人喜歡，從「darling」（小可愛）與「the little gang」（一幫小傢伙）等用詞就看得出來，但是學術文章不該裝可愛。另一個問題是形容科學家像鳥一樣，坐在「perch」（橫桿）上，但實際上他應該是坐在椅子或凳子上。文中又說鳥兒「sucking up」（喝）「sweet water」（甘甜的水），但前者太口語，後者應改為「sweetened water」（糖水）；說科學家計算「each bird」（每隻鳥）喝了多少水，但不可能一一分辨每隻鳥，因此這說法也不對，而應該說他計算「an individual bird」（一隻鳥）喝了多少水。由此可見作者形容不夠精確。你是否還發現其他問題？

Acceptable 認可的文章

“The hummingbirds darted to the feeder and hovered above its lip, their wings a blur, their beaks delicately drawing from the pool of sugared water. The ornithologist sat unmoving nearby and counted the visits of each bird to the hanging feeder. He watched the level of the water in the feeder slowly drop and calculated from the measurable decline the volume of water taken on by an individual sipping bird. After sitting virtually motionless for three hours, the bird-watcher closed the screen on his laptop and bade goodbye to the menagerie.”

A writer peering ahead at an academic writing project should respect the task. It not only will require research and writing abilities, it will tax the writer’s endurance and concentration. Learning to become efficient and self-regulating as a researcher and writer is the reason for this series, “7 Ways to Pace Yourself through a Paper.” Each of the suggestions will be presented on the TPS Fan page before being compiled.
若您即將致力於學術寫作專題，應該好好重視這項工作。這不僅需要研究與寫作技巧，也仰賴毅力與專注。「按部就班寫作論文的七大步驟」將教您學會如何自律，提高研究與寫作的效率。每項建議都會刊登在 TPS 粉絲專頁，並在最後集結於 TPS 學術電子報中。

Way # 6 – Beware of breathers, plateaus and other obstacles
建議六：小心寫作的喘息、高原期和其他障礙

An academic writing project can be a slog. The first stage of it sometimes produces anxiety, and only later as the work progresses does exhilaration set in. But at some point the project takes on all the characteristics of work, and a writer begins to think in terms of taking a breather. Beware of breathers. The need to take a breather is a signal that a pace of a project is not sustainable. A correct pace is steady, but not exhausting; regular breathing should be sufficient for the job.
學術寫作可能變得很苦悶，苦悶的第一階段是焦慮，只有等工作有了進展，心情才會逐漸開朗。不過到了某個階段，工作的辛苦在寫作中展露無遺，讓寫作的人想停下來喘息。請注意，如果你想停下來喘息，就代表這個寫作步調無法讓你持續寫作。正確的步調讓你有穩定進展，卻不會筋疲力盡，只要固定休息，就應該能繼續工作。

A plateau is another danger point. A plateau occurs when a writer completes a section of research or of writing—and stops. He has climbed a foothill and wants to gaze back upon it. Thus does premature satisfaction become a barrier to progress. It becomes an excuse to hang around rather than press ahead. While interim goals are important in a research-writing project, they are way stations, not ultimate destinations. Dawdling over them leads nowhere.
而高原是另一個阻礙；高原是指完成研究或寫作的某一個段落，然後就停下來了。作者爬上了一個小山丘，然後想回頭張望。所以，一開始就志得意滿只會阻礙進步，讓作者停滯不前，儘管期中目標對寫作很重要，但卻只是中途的停靠站，而不是最終的目的地。裹足不前終將一事無成。

In short, don’t let a good start on a paper go to waste because you lost your way. Don’t get too satisfied too early. Clearly, solid research by itself is not enough. Neither is a great lead, a content-rich middle section, or a well-organized conclusion. Succeeding in any one of these does not constitute overall success. A professor looks at the complete package, and a writer must do the same. So, take a deep breath, take pride in good work done on a section, and then move on.
簡言之，論文寫作有了好的開始，別因為迷失方向而浪費了，切勿一開始就洋洋自得。只有紮實的研究顯然不夠，好的開頭、內容豐富的中間章節，或結構嚴謹的結尾，也顯然不夠。在這幾個部分的其中一些做得好，不代表整篇文章成功。教授注意的是整體內容，你寫作時也應該如此。所以，深吸一口氣，好好欣賞自己某一階段的表現，然後繼續邁進。

Answer: We believe the sentence is best completed this way:

“Each motorcycle engine in the test blocks was revved up till a sound like the wrenching of steel plate reverberated off the walls of the testing facility.”

Many are the ways to describe the screeching, keening sound of a small engine being operated at high rpm, usually for short duration. When bolted to a test block, an engine is pushed to its outer limits of operation by engineers who are quite ready to let it fly apart if it cannot withstand the stresses. The writer compares the sound of an engine in extreme distress to the sharp, shuddering sound that erupts when a sheet of steel is violently twisted apart. The metallurgical comparison is effective because it doesn’t ask a reader to leave the shop in his mind for a comparable sound found in nature. Ranging too far afield for descriptions can cause a reader to stumble.
小型引擎以高轉速操作時（通常持續時間較短），會發出尖銳刺耳的聲音，這聲音有很多描述方法。工程師把引擎用螺栓固定到試驗塊上後，會發動引擎並推到最高速限，如果引擎受不了壓力，就會飛散開來。文中把承受極端壓力的引擎發出的聲音，比擬為鋼片猛力撕扯開來時，爆出的尖刺聲響。以金屬來比喻效果良好，因為讀者的想像力不必轉到引擎部門以外，設想另一個自然的聲響。描述若離主題太遠，讀者不易理解。

No formula exists for the writing of a superior sentence, but this much is known: The best sentence has no weak part. The following sentence is incomplete. In five or fewer words, complete the sentence in a way that strengthens the whole of it. The first TPS Fan to complete the sentence as we believe it is best completed will win a NTD200 Eslite Bookstore and Shopping Mall Gift Certificate. Another Eslite certificate will be awarded to the first Fan to complete it in an alternate way that, in our estimation, also is effective. The explanation and the names of the winners will be published tomorrow on this TPS Fans page.
怎麼寫出好句子沒有標準答案，不過起碼我們知道，優秀的句子每個環節都很完美。下面有一句未完成的句子，請用五個字以內完成句子接龍，寫出完整的句子。最先完成句子，並寫出最佳解答的一位TPS 粉絲，將獲得兩百元誠品圖書商場購物禮卷；另增設特別獎一名，頒給符合文意又別具創意的粉絲。接龍解答與獲獎粉絲姓名將在明天公布於本 TPS 專頁，敬請密切鎖定、先睹為快！

題目Contest Sentence:

“Each motorcycle engine in the test blocks was revved up till a sound like __ __ __ __ __ reverberated off the walls of the testing facility.”

很多字詞並非表面所見的意思，字詞的組合會產生不同的解釋。這樣的慣用法，我們稱之為「比喻」。一個成功的比喻，作者本身必須相當瞭解字詞的源起。以下的句子為讀者介紹一個比喻及其來源。
Imagery buries itself in language and takes on new meaning. The transplanted and transformed sets of words are called “figures of speech.” For a figure of speech to be effective, however, a writer must first understand the original meaning of the phrase. The following sentence contains a common figure of speech. Its original meaning is explained.

“In the light of the teacher’s explanation, the classroom of students suddenly saw the anagram that had hidden itself in full view.”
「教師的講解讓教室裡的學生眼睛一亮，原本不甚明白的字謎豁然開朗。」

Anyone with less than perfect eyesight knows how much easier it is to read text when it is fully lit by a direct light source. The shapes of the letters grow crisp, the contrast between the white background and the black lettering becomes stark. Shadow that blurred comprehension retreats and the page is perceived in total clarity. And it all is a result of light illuminating the written matter so that the retinas of your less-than-perfect eyes can function as they are engineered to function. The thing called vision is taken for granted until light fails us and we cannot see.
視力一般的人都知道，如果有充分光線直接照耀，閱讀會容易許多。字體輪廓變得清晰，白紙黑字對比更銳利，干擾理解的陰影退去，能徹底看清書面的字句。這都是因為光線照亮了文字，讓原本不完美的眼睛視網膜徹底發揮原有的功能。我們向來把視覺看得理所當然，但沒有光線，我們也就看不見了。

Writing that the students suddenly perceived the full possibilities of a word “in the light of the teaching’s explanation” does not mean that the teacher literally threw a switch on the classroom wall. Rather, she helped the students “see” the answer by giving them hints or otherwise guiding them in the right direction. In doing so, she enlightened the students as surely as a lamp lights a page. The metaphor is an old one that plays on the concept of “seeing” with the mind’s eye. It is not so commonly used as to be a cliché; it communicates so clearly that it always seems fresh.
文中說明教師的講解讓學生眼睛一亮（in the light of the teaching’s explanation），豁然開朗，頓時了解詞彙所有意思。教師並不是真的打開牆上電燈的開關，而是提點學生，讓學生往正確方向思考，從而「看出」答案。如此一來，就像燈光照亮書頁，教師也啟發了學生。這個隱喻以心智的雙眼所見為發想，雖然並不新穎，但不致常用到成為陳腔濫調，且能清晰地傳達意義，因此總讓人耳目一新。

TPS的編輯教授在此歡迎關於學術文章的所有詢問，當然，其實他並沒有足夠的時間給你。他擁有終身教職的教授身份，也是著名的學術巨作作者。即便如此，他仍大方地接受你們的詢問。將關於學術方面的詢問寫在下方，你將獲得教授的親自指導，陶冶對學術的探索與啟發。
The professor awaits your query on academic writing, though in all honesty, he doesn’t have a lot of time for you. He is a tenured full professor and working on yet another magnificent academic tome. Even so, he has graciously consented to entertain your question. Submit it and prepare to be edified.

QUESTION: I love academics. I crave intellectual stimulation. However, I do not like writing academic papers and the subsequent publishing scene. How do I learn to embrace a part of the academic life that frankly doesn’t interest me?
我喜歡學術，我渴求學術智識上的刺激，但是我不喜歡寫學術文章，以及學術發表場面。坦白說我一點也不喜歡這部分，但我要怎麼學會接受它？

Your frankness is refreshing, if somewhat disturbing. You seem committed to a profession while rejecting one of its principal tenets—sharing knowledge gleaned from research. The tension inherent in that dichotomy does not bode well for your career in academia. It is not unlike the young person who wants to be a champion swimmer yet is fearful of water. One cannot win a breaststroke contest standing beside the pool. In the same way, achieving satisfaction as a scholar is not likely unless your aversion to writing is overcome.
你的坦白很新鮮，不過有點令人擔心。你似乎專心致志於一項專業，卻又不接受這項專業的主要原則－分享研究中獲取的知識。這種分裂造成的拉鋸，對你的學術生涯不是個好預兆。年輕人想當游泳冠軍，可不能怕水，只站在池邊是贏不了蛙式比賽的。同樣地，不能克服對寫作的反感，也無法在學術上成功。

How do you learn to at least like writing in a scholarly vein? You learn the same way the erstwhile reluctant swimmer learns to accommodate full-body immersion in water: You jump in. First you must decide scholarship and academia are your best vocational choice. Then you must commit to the joys and challenges of the profession. You already evidently embrace the joyous parts of the scholarly life; getting your arms around the part that challenges you is the remaining task. You may never love writing, but you would be wise to learn to like it. It isn’t going away.
該怎麼學會至少「不討厭」學術寫作？就像以前不敢游泳的人一樣：跳下去，整個人浸入水裡。首先你得確定要選擇學術研究為業，接著你得為其中的快樂與挑戰付出。顯然你已經擁抱學術生涯中快樂的部分了，剩下來就是對挑戰展開雙臂了。你可能永遠不會喜歡寫作，但你會懂得不討厭寫作。寫作的問題不會自己解決。

To help yourself, you should determine just what it is you deplore about writing academic literature. Is it grammar that defeats you? Put in the time to master it. Is it a failure of imagination, an inability to clearly project an original thought onto a written page? Is it impatience, an unwillingness to sit at a keyboard for the duration of a writing project? These are mechanical issues that someone with a true love of learning ought to be able to successfully address. You are on the right track by admitting your hang-up. Now you must get rid of it.
要解決問題，你應該找出自己究竟討厭學術寫作的哪部分。困擾你的是文法嗎？多花時間熟悉文法。或者你缺少想像力，難以把獨創的想法清楚表達在紙上？還是缺乏耐力，不願意坐在鍵盤前寫作？如果你對學習有熱情，一定能順利處理這些技術問題。能承認自己的寫作問題已經是成功的第一步了，現在該想方法解決問題了。