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Professor Pedantic 教授的考究學問
【學術專欄】
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 friend read two of my papers and told me I wasn’t a confident writer. I asked her how she could tell, and she couldn’t say. But it is true: I am not overly confident. How can I seem to be confident until I actually gain confidence?
朋友看了兩篇我的論文，說我的文章讀起來很沒有信心，我問她是怎麼看出來的，她也說不上來，但我確實不是很有信心。在實際獲得信心前，我該如何讓文章讀來有信心呢？
Without reading your papers, I can’t really tell you how your lack of confidence manifests itself in your writing. Yet it is true that writers of uncertain mastery always run the risk of showcasing their shaky command of the writing craft. Their shakiness ripples through a sentence. But supremely confident writers sometimes produce weak writing, too, victims of their hubris. Given the choice, I would rather be an under-confident writer and use it as a prod to improve. So don’t lose faith in yourself and in your ability.
沒有看過你的論文，我也不知道你的文章哪裡顯得缺乏信心，不過如果作者無法完全掌握文章，確實會從游移不定的寫作技巧中顯示出來，猶疑不安的感覺會在句子間蔓延。但是充滿自信的作者若過於自大，有時也會寫出差勁的文章。要讓我來選，我寧可作信心不足的作者，督促自己努力改進。所以對自己和自己的能力要有信心。
Your objective—to fool a professor into thinking you are a confident academic author—is legitimate and worthwhile. Confident writing is a tool of persuasion. Even the appearance of confidence is more apt to persuade. So how can you do it? One way is to write emphatically. That is, use forceful, declarative words that unmistakably make a point. Stay away from diffident word choices. Avoid fuzzy words like “probably” and “things” and “kind of” and phrases like “stuff like that.” (I joke. You wouldn’t dare.)
你想讓教授覺得你的論文看來充滿自信，這麼想沒錯，而且很值得努力。寫作要有信心，才能說服讀者，即使只是看起來有信心，也更具說服力。該怎麼做呢？寫作時，語氣應更加堅定，運用強而有力、決斷的字詞，明白提出觀點，不要膽怯，不要用模糊的字詞，像是「可能」、「之類的」、「有點」，或是「這一類的東西」（開玩笑的，你還不至於這麼寫吧！）
Another way to show confidence is to have your sentences lead somewhere. If they wander to and fro, they suggest that you as a writer are lost. A sentence should declare itself, rather than hint and mince. Let a sentence introduce a thought to be embellished or completed by a following sentence. Such tight construction, rife with thoughtful word choices, leaves a reader so caught up in reading that questions of confidence never arise. It is simple: Research thoroughly; organize cleanly; write as if you believe it.
想表露自信還有個方法，就是保持句子意思明確。如果句子不停兜圈子，代表作者大概也迷路了。句子的意思應能一目瞭然，而非吞吞吐吐、意有所指。先寫一個句子介紹主旨，再用後面的句子修飾、補足意思。如果文章結構緊密、用字遣詞思考周到，讀者就會完全沉浸在文章中，絲毫不會懷疑作者沒有信心。記得充分研究、巧妙組織，相信自己所寫的內容，就是這麼簡單。
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 friend read two of my papers and told me I wasn’t a confident writer. I asked her how she could tell, and she couldn’t say. But it is true: I am not overly confident. How can I seem to be confident until I actually gain confidence?
朋友看了兩篇我的論文，說我的文章讀起來很沒有信心，我問她是怎麼看出來的，她也說不上來，但我確實不是很有信心。在實際獲得信心前，我該如何讓文章讀來有信心呢？
Without reading your papers, I can’t really tell you how your lack of confidence manifests itself in your writing. Yet it is true that writers of uncertain mastery always run the risk of showcasing their shaky command of the writing craft. Their shakiness ripples through a sentence. But supremely confident writers sometimes produce weak writing, too, victims of their hubris. Given the choice, I would rather be an under-confident writer and use it as a prod to improve. So don’t lose faith in yourself and in your ability.
沒有看過你的論文，我也不知道你的文章哪裡顯得缺乏信心，不過如果作者無法完全掌握文章，確實會從游移不定的寫作技巧中顯示出來，猶疑不安的感覺會在句子間蔓延。但是充滿自信的作者若過於自大，有時也會寫出差勁的文章。要讓我來選，我寧可作信心不足的作者，督促自己努力改進。所以對自己和自己的能力要有信心。
Your objective—to fool a professor into thinking you are a confident academic author—is legitimate and worthwhile. Confident writing is a tool of persuasion. Even the appearance of confidence is more apt to persuade. So how can you do it? One way is to write emphatically. That is, use forceful, declarative words that unmistakably make a point. Stay away from diffident word choices. Avoid fuzzy words like “probably” and “things” and “kind of” and phrases like “stuff like that.” (I joke. You wouldn’t dare.)
你想讓教授覺得你的論文看來充滿自信，這麼想沒錯，而且很值得努力。寫作要有信心，才能說服讀者，即使只是看起來有信心，也更具說服力。該怎麼做呢？寫作時，語氣應更加堅定，運用強而有力、決斷的字詞，明白提出觀點，不要膽怯，不要用模糊的字詞，像是「可能」、「之類的」、「有點」，或是「這一類的東西」（開玩笑的，你還不至於這麼寫吧！）
Another way to show confidence is to have your sentences lead somewhere. If they wander to and fro, they suggest that you as a writer are lost. A sentence should declare itself, rather than hint and mince. Let a sentence introduce a thought to be embellished or completed by a following sentence. Such tight construction, rife with thoughtful word choices, leaves a reader so caught up in reading that questions of confidence never arise. It is simple: Research thoroughly; organize cleanly; write as if you believe it.
想表露自信還有個方法，就是保持句子意思明確。如果句子不停兜圈子，代表作者大概也迷路了。句子的意思應能一目瞭然，而非吞吞吐吐、意有所指。先寫一個句子介紹主旨，再用後面的句子修飾、補足意思。如果文章結構緊密、用字遣詞思考周到，讀者就會完全沉浸在文章中，絲毫不會懷疑作者沒有信心。記得充分研究、巧妙組織，相信自己所寫的內容，就是這麼簡單。
