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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
“Alcoholism affects physical and psychological functioning and disrupts the social life of a serious drinker. It is a progressive illness that can kill you if someone doesn’t step up and help. The three methods of intervening are medical screening, pharmacological treatment, and going into therapy. The first method (screening) is chancy. The other two take longer and can get pretty intense. No method is guaranteed to work, because alcoholism is a tough disease.”
The previous paragraph is infused with language unsuited for an academic paper. “The social life of a serious drinker” is a colloquial expression. (What is a “serious drinker?” Is it a person who is seriously intent on getting drunk, or one who is seriously in trouble with alcohol?) The phrase “that can kill you if someone doesn’t step up and help” is personalized and awkwardly rendered. “The three methods” sentence contains nonparallel elements. The characterization of one method as “chancy” is slangy. The final two sentences are rife with conversational and shorthand language that diminish their effectiveness. The more academic version appears below.
這段文章並不適用於學術論文。 “The social life of a serious drinker” 相當口語，其中的問題包括 “serious drinker” 如何定義? 是指蓄意喝醉的人，還是有嚴重飲酒問題的人? 接下來“that can kill you if someone doesn’t step up and help”讀來會感覺是針對個人且表達方式相當怪異。另外，文中提到的 “The three methods” 三種方式排列不夠工整，首句出現的 “chancy”太過俚俗，後兩句則接近對話且表達太過簡略，使得文句的效果大打折扣。此段文章編輯潤飾後內容，刊登如下。
Acceptable 認可的文章
“Alcoholism affects physical and psychological functioning and disrupts social cohesion by overriding inhibitions. It is a progressive illness that can be a fatal one in the absence of intervention. The three methods of intervening are medical screening, pharmacological treatment, and behavioral therapy. The first method (screening) is voluntary and serendipitous, the latter two longer term and more intense. None is a panacea, because the disease is so pernicious.”
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
“Alcoholism affects physical and psychological functioning and disrupts the social life of a serious drinker. It is a progressive illness that can kill you if someone doesn’t step up and help. The three methods of intervening are medical screening, pharmacological treatment, and going into therapy. The first method (screening) is chancy. The other two take longer and can get pretty intense. No method is guaranteed to work, because alcoholism is a tough disease.”
The previous paragraph is infused with language unsuited for an academic paper. “The social life of a serious drinker” is a colloquial expression. (What is a “serious drinker?” Is it a person who is seriously intent on getting drunk, or one who is seriously in trouble with alcohol?) The phrase “that can kill you if someone doesn’t step up and help” is personalized and awkwardly rendered. “The three methods” sentence contains nonparallel elements. The characterization of one method as “chancy” is slangy. The final two sentences are rife with conversational and shorthand language that diminish their effectiveness. The more academic version appears below.
這段文章並不適用於學術論文。 “The social life of a serious drinker” 相當口語，其中的問題包括 “serious drinker” 如何定義? 是指蓄意喝醉的人，還是有嚴重飲酒問題的人? 接下來“that can kill you if someone doesn’t step up and help”讀來會感覺是針對個人且表達方式相當怪異。另外，文中提到的 “The three methods” 三種方式排列不夠工整，首句出現的 “chancy”太過俚俗，後兩句則接近對話且表達太過簡略，使得文句的效果大打折扣。此段文章編輯潤飾後內容，刊登如下。
Acceptable 認可的文章
“Alcoholism affects physical and psychological functioning and disrupts social cohesion by overriding inhibitions. It is a progressive illness that can be a fatal one in the absence of intervention. The three methods of intervening are medical screening, pharmacological treatment, and behavioral therapy. The first method (screening) is voluntary and serendipitous, the latter two longer term and more intense. None is a panacea, because the disease is so pernicious.”
