第一卷第三章第五节，中译的错误
肥刀 2010-01-30
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中文来源：人民网节选
http://scitech.people.com.cn/GB/25893/3477434.html
3.5《传播》
众所周知，通过从外部接受或借鉴知识和思想、习俗和信念，连同种类与用途众多的材料器具和技艺，文明国家及其他国家在历史时代内获益匪浅。在大多数文明世界里，饮食同样通过这种传播过程而在种类上得到了巨大增长，并经常导致商业进口——比如茶就是17世纪时首次由中国传入英格兰的。引进的动植物通常被证明是能够引种成功的。因此，往往随着优等品系的生产，家养动物、谷物、西红柿等被喂养或栽培下来。所有这些都是通过传播实现的。
瓷器从中国传入不列颠的最终影响，就说明了传播的一个重要的文化结果。为中国瓷器之美所激励，17和18世纪英国的陶工以中国为竞争对手，生产出了优质的白色陶器、盐釉石器，后又生产出了真正的瓷器，所有这些都是制陶史上的显著进步。众多可比案例表明，当引进的文化特质进入到技术进步的环境中时，传播作为一个激励因素有着巨大价值。另一方面，若进步迟缓或者不足，则对于新的文化特质可能仅仅是被动接受，并不会引起深入发展，甚至文化自身都会退化或者消失。
传播引进通常并非是接受者自愿或有所预见的，随着征服者文化的大规模灌输或大面积强加，有时候是通过入侵和征服采取“强制贷款”的形式，早期的不列颠往往如此。凡在文化借贷者和放贷者略有差异之处，有关的文化特质必定迅速渗入到接受者的生活方式中去——在文明世界的许多地方，有着无法穷尽的诸多实例，新近发生的各种电器的传播，就是这样的例子——作为社会和物质发展的一个公认要素，传播过程仍旧在继续。
另一方面，从文化高地向文化低地的传播，则会产生多种不同结果。在非洲的许多地方，当地人骑的自行车是外国产的，因为当地人还不能制造。这样的许多例子中，正如加油罐代替本土陶器，而欧洲服装与当地纺织品竞争一样，引进导致了土特工艺品的退化。
史前时期就产生过类似的后果，虽然有关文化的对比不如今天的明显。通过商业的传播，已植根于在落后地区尚未绝迹的古老的实物交换方法中了。
因此，在人类进步中，传播并不是一个全新特征。早在旧石器时代，猎人和食物采集者很难拥有一个稳固的栖息地，为占据临近的狩猎园区，这些群体之间肯定有了思想交流和武器较量。而且，考古学上的及其他方面的证据都清晰地表明，即使是在人类早期时期，也有可称为迁移的人群动迁了。在迁移和少数几次接触中达成的部落契约，对石头、骨头和其他材料形式工具的多元化和标准化，都起了相当重要的作用。新石器时代的传播范围大了，机会也多了，尽管好几代人之内的陆地运输和旅行仍都是徒步进行的。
传播程度可以说明不同地区的文化特质的相似性，特别是在那些相距甚远的地方和有文字记载的史前时期，传播引起了昔日剑拔弩张的争端。在早期和稍晚些时候，除了相关个体的文化特质外，旧大陆内部的传播所起的基本作用，是毋庸置疑的。因此，我们可以继续考虑传播首次获得完全机会的史前状况；这发生在几个世纪的历程中，跨越了三大洲：亚洲、非洲和欧洲。同时，要切记许多文化特质被引入进步的人工环境后的潜在演化能力——培育思想和实体的文化温床。所以，很长时间以来，传播就是人类进步中的一个基本动态要素，只有这样，人类的思想、发现和发明才能在新的更富有激励的状况下拓展潜力。
新石器时代文化的初始特征发展的那些世纪——在此期间狩猎者和食物采集者首先成为农场主和牲畜喂养员——在人类发展史上是最有意义的。那时采取的措施，对于构造后来几次文化革命（cultural revolutions）所依赖的文明，是非常关键的。在近东、埃及和波斯间延伸着的广大地区的某些个别区域，就是通常所说的“新月沃地”（fertile crescent），大多数考古学证据就此作了揭示。
有证据表明，引起新文化发展的原动力在公元前5000年前就有了。在谷物栽培（第14章）和有蹄动物驯化（第13章）——狗在更早时就被驯化了——的过程中，好多个世纪而不是年份被消耗掉了。新出现的机会和动机，产生了其他新领域的发现和发明。假定当时充足的谷物供应能满足冬天和夏天消耗之所需，对土壤肥沃性和人类自身种族繁殖力之间的作用和反作用，使得人类首次以较大群落在固定地方群居下来。
随着这些变化，社会交往机会增多了，导致更多进步的思想和信息的交流机会也增多了。特别是像陶器制作、纺纱和织布（第15章，16章）等新工艺的出现。劳动分工产生了专业化。随着石器工具装柄过程中研磨、抛光和定型等工作效率的提高，陶轮和车轮出现了（第9章）。世纪变迁，金属被发现后，又有了金属制作。私有财产和贸易传播有了保障后，图画记载法渐渐演变成象形文字系统，这导致了后来美索不达米亚、埃及和印度河流域的不同文字体系（第29章）。
公元前4000年至公元前3000年间，在埃及和新月沃地，新石器时代革命得到确立。到公元前3000年，在近东的三大河流域的广大地区，出现了繁荣的、高度组织化的城市和城邦。城市革命这一术语，被柴尔德（V. G. Childe）应用到技术起基本作用的社会整合之中。
在这些城镇群落及其周边的耕地上，出现了王国和后来的帝国。这些早期文明的基本统一，最终为社会文化和物质文化的多样性和迅猛发展所掩盖。除了战争和征服，内部交流并不能做到始终如一地有效中和不同气候、地貌和艺术、产业，以及社会与宗教信仰、惯例等发展中的其他因素。这些早期文明内部和对外的传播过程，并不是一幅连贯一致的图景，而是不得不像七巧板游戏那样将复杂且支离破碎的各部分拼凑到一起。即使如此，这个图景的基本轮廓还是能装配出来的，并且更多的细节正不断被举证。
英文来源：自己手打。
Ⅴ. Diffusion
It is common knowledge that within historical times civilized and other countries have benefited by accepting or borrowing, from outside, knowledge and ideas, customs and beliefs, together with material appliances and techniques of many kinds and uses. Food and drink, also, in most parts of the civilized world, have been enormously increased in variety by this process of diffusion, which has often led to commercial importation --- as, for example, in the case of the tea that we in England first obtained from China in the seventeenth century. Introduced animals and plants have often proved capable of naturalization. They have thus been bred or cultivated, often with a production of superior strains, as with our domesticated animals, our food grains, and our potatoes. All these reached us by diffusion.
The introduction of porcelain from China into Britain eventually had an effect which illustrates an important culture result of diffusion. The English potters of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were stimulated by the beauty of Chinese porcelain to attempt to rival it. This led them to the production of fine white earthenware, of salt-glazed stoneware, and later of porcelain itself, all representing noteworthy advances in the history of ceramics. Many comparable cases indicate the great value of diffusion as a stimulus, when an introduced culture-trait comes into a technological environment of progressive character. On the other hand, when such progress is sluggish or lacking, the new culture-trait may merely be accepted passively (if at all), giving rise to no further development and even itself degenerating or disappearing.
Borrowing by diffusion has often enough been involuntary and unpremeditated by the recipient, sometimes taking the form of a 'forced loan' by invasion and conquest, with a large-scale infusion or mass imposition of the culture of the conquerors, as so often in early Britain. Where there has been little difference in culture between borrower and lender, the culture-traits involved may have been rapidly absorbed into the way of life of the recipients --- as were various electrical appliances, for one recent example among innumerable others, in many parts of the civilized world --- and the process still continues as an accepted factor in social as well as in material development.
On the other hand, diffusion from a high culture to a low may produce different results. Bicycles are used by natives in parts of Africa, but they remain foreign objects, since the natives cannot yet make them. In some such cases, introduction has led to the deterioration of native crafts, as when petrol tins displace indigenous pottery, and European cloths compete with native textiles.
Similar effects must have been produced even in prehistoric times, though contrasts between the cultures concerned were less conspicuous than they are liable to be today. Diffusion by commerce has its roots in very ancient methods of barter, not yet extinct in backward regions.
Diffusion is thus very far from being a new feature in human progress. Even in Palaeolithic times, when hunter and food-gatherer rarely had a permanent place of habitation, there must often have been an interchange of ideas, and a comparison of weapons, between the groups which occupied adjacent hunting grounds. Moreover, the archaeological and other evidence clearly indicates that, even in very early human time, there were movements of peoples that may be called migrations. The tribal contacts established by such wanderings, as well as by less casual proximity, must have played an essential part in the multiplying, and also in the standardizing, of forms of implements of stone, bone, and other materials. Diffusion in the Neolithic stage had much greater scope and opportunities, though land transport and travel, then and for many generations, were still made on foot.
The extent to which diffusion may account for similarities in culture-traits in different regions, especially those far distant from each other and in days before recorded history, has aroused in the past controversies of great acrimony. The fundamental part played by diffusion within the Old World, in both early and later times, is now beyond question, except in relation to some individual culture-traits. We may, therefore, pass on to consider prehistoric situations in which diffusion had its first full opportunity; this took it in the course of centuries across three continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe. Let us at the same time keep in mind the potential evolutionary capacity of many culture-traits when introduced into a progressive artificial environment --- a cultural forcing-house for ideas and realities. Diffusion has thus for long been an essential dynamic factor in human progress, since only by its agency could the thoughts, the discoveries, and the inventions of men develop their potential under new and often more stimulating conditions.
The centuries following the development of the initial features of Neolithic culture, during which the hunter and food-gatherer first became a farmer and stock-breeder, were the most significant in the history of human progress. Steps were taken then that were essential to the building of civilizations upon which later cultural revolutions depended. It is in the Near East, at many points in a wide area stretching between Egypt and Persia, often spoken of as the 'fertile crescent', that most of the archaeological evidence on these matters has been unearthed.
The evidence indicates that the ferment leading to the development of the new culture was in progress before 5000 B.C. Centuries, and not years only, were consumed in the processes which led to the cultivation of cereals (ch 14) and the domestication of hoofed animals --- the dog had been domesticated earlier (ch 13). New opportunities and stimuli emerged that led into other fields of discovery and invention. Provided now with reliable sources of grain for winter as well as summer consumption, men were enabled, by action and reaction between the fertility of the soil and the fecundity of their own species, for the first time to live together in larger communities and in permanent homes.
With these changes came increased opportunities for social intercourse, and for the interchange of ideas and information that could lead to still further progress. New arts and crafts were evolved, especially pottery-making, spinning, and weaving (chs 15, 16). Division of labour gave rise to specialization. The potter's wheel, and the vehicular wheel itself, appeared (ch 9), while stone implements were ground, polished, and shaped for greater efficiency in hafting. As the centuries rolled on, the discoveries were made that led to metal-working. After private property and diffusion by trade has assumed importance, picture-writing began its slow conversion into a hieroglyphic system, which later begat the greatly differing systems of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus valley (ch 29).
Between 4000 and 3000 B.C. the Neolithic revolution became well established in Egypt and the fertile crescent. By 3000 B.C. there were flourishing and highly organized cities and city-states over a wide area in the three great river-valleys of the Near East. The term urban revolution has been applied by V.G.Childe to the rise of social integration, in which technology played a fundamental part.
Out of these urban communities and their surrounding areas of cultivation arose the kingdoms and the later empires. The underlying unity of these early civilizations was eventually obscured by divergent and conspicuous developments in both social and material culture. Intercommunication was not sufficiently constant and effective --- in spite of wars and conquests --- to neutralize the effects of differing climate, terrain, and other factors on the development of arts, industries, and social and religious beliefs and practices. The facts relating to the processes of diffusion within and outwards from these early civilizations do not form a coherent picture, but have to be pieced together like the parts of a difficult and incomplete jig-saw puzzle. However, the main outlines of much of the picture can be assembled, and more details are constantly being adduced.
随便做的勘错表：
1、Introduced animals and plants have often proved capable of naturalization. They have thus been bred or cultivated, often with a production of superior strains, as with our domesticated animals, our food grains, and our potatoes.
引进的动植物通常被证明是能够引种成功的。因此，往往随着优等品系的生产，家养动物、谷物、西红柿等被喂养或栽培下来。
首先，potato是土豆，西红柿是tomato，这个校订也太不仔细了。然后，这两句话之间的关系没翻译出来，我的理解是引进之后，发展出了更好的品种。domesticated animals, our food grains, and our potatoes作为更好的品种的举例。中文的因果关系不对。
2、This led them to the production of fine white earthenware, of salt-glazed stoneware, and later of porcelain itself
生产出了优质的白色陶器、盐釉石器，后又生产出了真正的瓷器
earthenware，根据金山词霸2003，是黏土在较低火温下烧制成的器皿
stoneware，根据金山词霸2003，是黏土在高温下烧制成的器皿
我对瓷器了解不多，不过也知道瓷器是在极高的温度下烧制出来的，英国在中国瓷器传入之后，才开始用高温炉烧瓷。这句话是英国瓷器发展的一个过程，所以应该查一下陶瓷的专业术语，冒出个石器算什么啊。
3、Where there has been little difference in culture between borrower and lender, the culture-traits involved may have been rapidly absorbed into the way of life of the recipients
凡在文化借贷者和放贷者略有差异之处，有关的文化特质必定迅速渗入到接受者的生活方式中去
“略有差异”实在很别扭。干嘛不说“差异不大”“没什么差异”。
4、Bicycles are used by natives in parts of Africa, but they remain foreign objects, since the natives cannot yet make them.
在非洲的许多地方，当地人骑的自行车是外国产的，因为当地人还不能制造。
这句话翻译没错，可意思没翻译出来。意思应该是：非洲人引进了自行车，也使用自行车，可当地并没因为这个刺激发展起自行车制造，因为当地没达到制造自行车的水平。
5、native crafts
土特工艺品
不是物品退化，是手艺退化，还是当地手工业/手工艺好点。
6、The extent to which diffusion may account for similarities in culture-traits in different regions, especially those far distant from each other and in days before recorded history, has aroused in the past controversies of great acrimony.
传播程度可以说明不同地区的文化特质的相似性，特别是在那些相距甚远的地方和有文字记载的史前时期，传播引起了昔日剑拔弩张的争端。
不同地区，尤其是在有文字记录前那些相距甚远的地区之间，具有相似的文化特征，是否是由传播引起，这点在昔日引起了尖锐的争论。
7、It is in the Near East, at many points in a wide area stretching between Egypt and Persia, often spoken of as the 'fertile crescent', that most of the archaeological evidence on these matters has been unearthed.
在近东、埃及和波斯间延伸着的广大地区的某些个别区域，就是通常所说的“新月沃地”（fertile crescent），大多数考古学证据就此作了揭示。
在近东（现称中东），被称为“新月沃地”（我国称两河流域）的埃及和波斯之间的广阔土地上，很多地方出土了众多可以证明（上述）事实的考古学证据。
近东的定义，见维基：http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-cn/%E8%BF%91%E6%9D%B1
新月沃地的定义，见维基：http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-cn/%E6%96%B0%E6%9C%88%E6%B2%83%E5%9C%9F