发布日期：2025-01-04 11:02    点击次数：196

在英语中表示概数的词很多，如many，much，any，some，a great deal of,a large number of，hundreds of，thousands of等。这些概数有明确分工，有的用来修饰可数名词，有的用来限定不可数名词，有的两者都可用。我们开始学英语就接触概数词，o对它们很熟悉。例如:在专利文献中经常可以发现译者一见到“a number of”或“a plurality of”，就译为“许多、多个、若干”等。在专利文献中，技术特征的数量是一个非常重要的方面，在译这些概数词时要非常小心。下面列出一些在英文专利文献中常用的概数词和汉语中常用概数词的含义，就可以根据对应的含义来选择合适的译法。1. 限定可数名称的概数词有：manyused mainly in negative sentences and questions to mean large number of”. Many给人以巨大数量或数目的印象但事实上，它是相当模糊的，其释意在很大程度上取决于说者和听者在特定情景中的期望值。multiplea large number or quantity.pluralityvery many of the same type, or of different types.severalsome; consisting of a number more than two, but not very many.quitea little or a lot but not completely.fewa small number,not many or not enough.a fewsome,or a small number of something，used in expressions such as “quite a few”or “a good few”to mean quite a large number.a number ofseveral of a particular type of thing.a multitude ofa large number of people or things.a couple oftwo or a few things that are similar or the same.2. 限定不可数名词的概数词有：littlesmall in size or amount.mucha large amount or to a large degree.a bit ofa slight but not serious amount or type of somethinga great deal ofa large amount;much3. 限定可数名词和不可数名词的概数词有：somea large amount or number of something.anysome,or even the smallest amount or number of.alot ofa large amount or number of people or things.plenty ofenough or more than enough, or a large amount.alarge/vast/quantity ofthe amount or number of something,especially that can be measured or fixed.over...more than,or increasing beyond a particular limit or point.about...a little more or less than the stated number or amount; approximately.汉语中一些概数词的含义：几个:两个或两个以上的，但通常为十个以下。表示肯定观念，意思是“虽少但仍有一些”，相当于英语中的several、some、a few。若干:比两个多，但比许多要少的一个不定数目，相当于英语中的several许多:很多。很多数量的人或物。相当于英语中的many、much、a great deal of、a lot of、numerous.多个:属于几个或许多的，或在几个或许多之间的。相当于英语中的multiple.一些:表示少量事物或性状。几个、若干，相当于英语中的a number of、a little of、some.[例].a plurality of conductive contact springs extending from said frame towards said aperture opening...[译文]······大量导电接触簧片从屏蔽元件的框架沿孔径开口的方向延伸······[评述]虽然前面说过plurality表示a large number，但是在介绍权利要求这一部分时，我们特别强调过，在权利要求中，a plurality of只表示后面跟的是一个复数名词，并没有“多个”或“大量”的含义。[例]...a shielding element having a number of contact spring closing an aperture opening...[译文]....··屏蔽元件具有大量的接触簧片，用于关闭孔径开口.[评述]译者将a number of译为“大量的”。我们从前面的定义中可以了解到，a number of表示several of a particular type of thing，而several又解释为:some; consisting of a number more than two, but not very many。a number of实际上与汉语的“若干”的含义更接近。摘自《专利文献的英汉翻译》