The following guide originated from a speech I gave to Chinese authors writing scientific papers (mostly in medicine and microbiology) in English.

浅述中国人在英文写作常见的错误

——写在审读某医学、生物学杂志后

我是一个日英科技翻译，也常帮助中国某生物学杂志审稿。我发现不少来稿者在 英文写作时常存在一些错误，且其中有些是作者们的共性错误。两年前我曾受朋友之托，在某大学做过相关英文写作方面的讲座。现在，我整理了讲稿并补充了一些 实例，归纳出我所见过的科学工作者撰稿中常见的英文错误，并提出修改意见，意在帮助中国的学者、专家们提高其论文的英文撰稿水平。

以下行文我将使用三种符号，以表示不同的含意：

1.“☓”及红色英文词，表示“错误/不行”。

2．“✓”及绿色英文词，表示“对/行”。

3．“△”及粉色英文词，表示“不一定不对/应该这样说”。

1. 在中英文翻译中，“应用”、“进行”和“采用”等词应翻译成“use”，而不是“apply” 。

即：☓ application/apply → ✓use

例1：将基因序列分析技术应用于传统方法鉴定可靠率低或无法鉴定的细菌…

☓ gene sequence analysis was applied to identify bacteria that cannot be identified accurately by conventional methods in a clinical laboratory

✓ gene sequence analysis was used to identify bacteria that cannot be identified accurately by conventional methods in a clinical laboratory

例2：应用描述性流行病学方法对肺结核病例的流行病学特征进行分析。

☓ descriptive epidemiology was applied to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of tuberculosis incidence

✓ descriptive epidemiology was used to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of tuberculosis incidence

2. 要注意英文生词的单数形式（Singular）和复数形式（Plural）。

表1：

例1：……方针提供了可靠的依据。

☓……The policy provided reliable informations

✓……The policy provided reliable information

例2：国内外学者融合基因疫苗进行了许多研究。

☓ Many researches on fusion gene vaccines have been studied both domestically and abroad

✓Numerous studies of fusion gene vaccines have been conducted both domestically and abroad

3. 在英文中，单数形式（Singular）和复数形式（Plural）的差别，应予以强调！

例1：2例患者给以抗生素。

2 patients were given an antibiotic

2 patients were given antibiotics

这句话的表达和理解容易产生歧义——采用的抗生素是1剂还是2剂以上?！？

译成是2 patients were given an antibiotic ，还是 2 patients were given antibiotics？