represent一词的含义及其翻译 在科技资料翻译中，represent是颇难对付的一个动词。这个词最为人们熟悉的一个意义是“代表”，然而，在很多场合下它却不表示此义。下面我们选用几个实例，说明这个词在具体语言环境中的意义和翻译。 1，意为be，可译作“是”。如： The convective heat of molten magma in the upper 10 km of the continental crust represents a significant geothermal energy resource. 大陆地壳10公里深度以内熔岩中的对流热是一种重要的地热能资源。 2，意为appear as, 可译作“为”。如： The area of the earth is about 510 million square kilometers. Of this total, approximately 360 million square kilometers, or 71 percent, are represented by the oceans and marginal seas. The remaining 29 percent, 150 million square kilometers, are represented by the continents, which protrude from the water like enormous islands. 地球的总面积约为五亿一千万平方公里。其中大约三亿六千万平方公里，即地球总面积的71%，为各大海洋和陆缘海。剩下的29%，即一亿五千万平方公里，为各大洲，宛如几个巨大的岛屿从水域中突起。 3，意为designate，可译作“成为”。如： The rifts therefore represent divergent plate boundaries where seafloor spreading is taking place. 这样，大洋中脊就成为板块分离边界，海底扩张就发生在这里。 4，意为denote, 可译作“表示”。如： Specific gravity is a number which represents the ratio of the weight of a mineral to the weight of a mineral to the weight of an equal volume of water. 比重为一数值，表示一种矿物的重量与等积水重之比。 5，意为show，可译作“表明”。如： The hydrologic cycle represents the continuous movement of water from the oceans to the atmosphere, from the atmosphere to the land, and from the land back to the sea. 水分循环表明水的不断流动：从海洋到大气层，从大气层到陆地，又从陆地返回到大海。 6，意为symbolize，可译作“代表”。如： This is the top view of an oxygen-silicon tetrahedron. The four large spheres represent oxygen atoms, and the dark one represents a silicon atom. 这是一个硅氧四面体的俯视图。图中四个大的圆球代表氧原子，那个暗色的圆球则代表一个硅原子。 7，意为be the equivalent of, make up, 可译作“占”。如： The continental shelves represent 7.5 percent of the total area of the oceans, which is equivalent to about 18 percent of the earth's total land area. 大陆架占海洋总面积的7.5%，约等于陆地总面积的18%。 8，意为involve, carry, 可译作“含有”。如： A computer is a device that takes in a series of electrical impulses representing information, combines them, sorts then, analyses and compares the information with that stored in the computer. 计算机是一种装置，它接收一系列含有信息的电脉冲，对这些脉冲进行合并，整理，分析，并将它们与储存在机内的信息进行比较。 1 responsible for 的译法 responsible for 这一短语既可用于人，又可用于物；在句中通常做定语、状语和表语，意思是“对……负责”。例如，He should be responsible for the accident.（他应当对这一事故负责）responsible for在科技英语中十分常见，如都译作“对……负责”，有时则会显得十分牵强，因此要加以引申。常见的译法有以下三种： 一、译作“担负……” 1， Electric charges, positive and negative, which are responsible for electrical forces, can wipe one another out and disappear. 担负电力的正负电荷是能够相互抵消和消失的。 2，Already responsible for many plastics, fibres and synthetic rubber, petrochemicals will play an important role in tomorrow's demand for new things. 石油化工产品已经担负起制造多种塑料、人造纤维和合成橡胶的任务，在满足未来对新产品的需求方面仍将起重要的作用。 二、译作“引起”、“是引起……的原因” 这时的be responsible for 相当于bring about的意思。 3，There are probably several factors responsible for water and salt retention and ascites in hepatic disease. 引起肝病患者水、盐潴留和腹水的原因可能不止一个。 4，The stimuli believed to be responsible for secretion are vagal and humoral. 据认为，迷走神经和体液刺激是引起分泌的原因。 5，Streprococci and staphylocci are responsible for a wide variety of infections. 链球菌和葡萄球菌是引起许许多多不同感染的原因。 三、译作“由于……才……” 在这类句中，responsible for往往作表语，介词for后面的宾语一般是动作意义的名词。 6，The weather was responsible for the plane's delay. 由于天气关系飞机才误点了。 7，The attachment of atoms of different kinds to each other is responsible for compounds having characteristic properties different from those of the elements of which they are made. 由于不同种原子的相互结合，化合物才具有与组成该化合物的那些元素不同的特性. 2 本文来源：https://www.wddqw.com/doc/c762653f87c24028915fc3e8.html