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This is not academic writing 學術文章不是這麼寫的
【寫作技巧】
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 modern Olympic Games kicked off in 1896. They have been run every four years since in the summer months, except for three times when world wars interfered with them, in 1916, 1940, and 1944. Political rivalries spoiled others in the form of boycotts and terrorism. Probably the most spectacular Olympic extravaganza was the 2008 Games in Beijing. The host country won the most gold medals – 51 – and 43 other world records were set by the best of 11,000 athletic competitors. A measure of the Beijing Games success was yet another world record: It boasted the largest TV audience in Olympic history.”
This excerpt from a paper on the international Olympic Games reaches too far and falls short in its word choices. The writer declares that the Games “kicked off” and are “run” every four years. What next, a “finish line” at Games end? Sports terminology has its place; this isn’t it. Saying political “rivalries spoiled” some Games trivializes international relations. The Beijing event was declared to be a “spectacular” “extravaganza,” which is a subjective assertion. The writer further asserts “the best” athletes set world records, when arguably some truly superior athletes won events in which no record was set. What else unacceptable do you see?
本段文章討論國際奧林匹克運動會，用詞有點過頭，不太恰當。文章說奧運會每四年 “kicked off”（揭幕；開球）、“run”（舉辦；跑步）一次，接下來是不是要說奧運結束，抵達 “finish line”（終點線）？運動詞彙有適合的地方，用在這裡並不恰當。說 “political rivalries spoiled”（政治鬥爭破壞）了幾次奧會，未免把國際關係看得太簡單。說北京奧會是 “spectacular” “extravaganza”（壯觀的盛會），則是主觀評斷。文章甚至宣稱 “the best”（最出色的）運動員創了世界紀錄，但或許有些更優秀的運動員贏了比賽，只是沒有創紀錄。你還看到哪些不恰當的用法？
Acceptable 認可的文章
“The modern Olympic Games began in 1896. They have been staged in the summer every four years since, except for three times when major wars precluded them, in 1916, 1940, and 1944. World politics marred others in the form of boycotts and terrorism. None of the Olympic gatherings were more successful than the 2008 Games in Beijing. The host country won more gold medals – 51 – than any other and 43 world records were set by some of the 11,000 athletes. One measure of success was another world record: the largest TV audience in Olympic history.”
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 modern Olympic Games kicked off in 1896. They have been run every four years since in the summer months, except for three times when world wars interfered with them, in 1916, 1940, and 1944. Political rivalries spoiled others in the form of boycotts and terrorism. Probably the most spectacular Olympic extravaganza was the 2008 Games in Beijing. The host country won the most gold medals – 51 – and 43 other world records were set by the best of 11,000 athletic competitors. A measure of the Beijing Games success was yet another world record: It boasted the largest TV audience in Olympic history.”
This excerpt from a paper on the international Olympic Games reaches too far and falls short in its word choices. The writer declares that the Games “kicked off” and are “run” every four years. What next, a “finish line” at Games end? Sports terminology has its place; this isn’t it. Saying political “rivalries spoiled” some Games trivializes international relations. The Beijing event was declared to be a “spectacular” “extravaganza,” which is a subjective assertion. The writer further asserts “the best” athletes set world records, when arguably some truly superior athletes won events in which no record was set. What else unacceptable do you see?
本段文章討論國際奧林匹克運動會，用詞有點過頭，不太恰當。文章說奧運會每四年 “kicked off”（揭幕；開球）、“run”（舉辦；跑步）一次，接下來是不是要說奧運結束，抵達 “finish line”（終點線）？運動詞彙有適合的地方，用在這裡並不恰當。說 “political rivalries spoiled”（政治鬥爭破壞）了幾次奧會，未免把國際關係看得太簡單。說北京奧會是 “spectacular” “extravaganza”（壯觀的盛會），則是主觀評斷。文章甚至宣稱 “the best”（最出色的）運動員創了世界紀錄，但或許有些更優秀的運動員贏了比賽，只是沒有創紀錄。你還看到哪些不恰當的用法？
Acceptable 認可的文章
“The modern Olympic Games began in 1896. They have been staged in the summer every four years since, except for three times when major wars precluded them, in 1916, 1940, and 1944. World politics marred others in the form of boycotts and terrorism. None of the Olympic gatherings were more successful than the 2008 Games in Beijing. The host country won more gold medals – 51 – than any other and 43 world records were set by some of the 11,000 athletes. One measure of success was another world record: the largest TV audience in Olympic history.”
