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作者：丁衡祁 陳小全
開展素質教育是我國教育改革的重要舉措。對外宣傳中，“素質教育”無疑也是個非常重要的短語，國內一些媒體通常將其翻譯為 quality education，例如：
The Ministry of Education has worked out new policies to further promote quality education that highlights the cultivation of independent thinking, creative spirit and practical ability, said a senior official. (chinadaily.com.cn 11/13/2000)
再看另外一個翻譯例子：
為了消除當前教育體制的弊端，我們要在全國范圍內全面實施以德育為核心，以創新精神和實踐能力為重點的素質教育。（原文）
To overcome disadvantages in current educational system, we must carry on the quality education centering on moral education and emphasizing creativity and practice all over the country.（譯文）
對于將“素質教育”翻譯成 quality education 的情況早已有人提出異議，并給出了一些不同的譯法。如：education for all-round development，quality-oriented education和competence-oriented education等。但上述各種譯法均有不足，education for all-round development 改變了切入點，指的是讓學生得到全面發展的教育；quality-oriented education 與 quality education 并無本質上的區別；而 competence-oriented education中的 competence 一詞僅僅表示“能力”，這在一般的字典里都能查到，“素質教育”的內涵要遠遠超出 competence 所能覆蓋的意義。
那么“素質教育”應如何翻譯呢？這就需要通過大量查證來進行反復研究。我們學習研究的結果表明，quality education 的意思是實際上是“高質量的教育”，香港的一些網站將quality education 翻譯為“優質教育”。英語中有大量“形容詞+quality+名詞”的用法，例如 high quality service，high quality education，good quality equipment，good quality office space，top quality cotton 等等 ；同時用“quality+名詞”表示“高質量的某種東西”的情況也很多，最常見的例子是 quality products，而 quality products 實際上就等于 products of high quality。類似的情況還有 quality printed output，quality display 等。再看下面的例句，注意句子中的 quality assurance systems 表示“高質量的（人壽）保險體系”。
The aim of the guidelines is to establish quality assurance systems for the industry and to create a sound basis for further improvement in the areas of health, safety and the environment.
再看下面的幾個例句, 其中的 quality education 均表示“高質量的教育”：
1. St Mary's is a good school providing quality education.
2. All young people have the right to quality education.
3. The demise of quality education, once the jewel in Britain's crown, has been a feature of the three Conservative administrations since 1979.
4. Making parents aware of the virtues of the school, the buildings, the playing fields, the swimming pool etc. isn't necessarily related to providing quality education.
值得注意的是，quality 一詞如果用作復數名詞, 或者放在 personal quality 這個詞組中，也可指人的具體的素質表現，例如：
1．A young senior manager still committed and working to high standards would be "successful" as would an older manager with the same qualities progressing more slowly to senior levels.
2. The officials, the MPs and the industrialists get together over sandwiches to mark each candidate for their intellectual capacity, the ability to speak, write and organize, and personal qualities like their influence on others, their sense of responsibility or determination.
3. Personal qualities and work characteristics, such as self-confidence, co-operation, enthusiasm, leadership, attitudes, initiative and so on.
4. Hodgson et al (1984) also found that some schools required qualifications whereas others looked for personal qualities such as flexibility and good interpersonal skills. （在這里，學歷qualifications 和素質personal qualities正好形成了對照）
5. The third element covers personal and social skills, communication and relationships, the ability to work in groups and personal qualities such as initiative, responsibility, self-reliance and leadership.
既然 quality education 不等同于“素質教育”，那么“素質教育”應該怎樣譯成英語呢？ 有一篇專門論述“素質教育”的文章，其“素質教育”的英譯是 EQO (Essential-qualities-oriented) Education：
"Trans-century EQO (essential-qualities-oriented, called su yhi jiao zu in Chinese) Education Project".
United Nations in China 網站報道中的“素質教育”也是essential-qualities-oriented schooling：
The (Chinese) government's recent promotion of a shift from examination-oriented to essential-qualities-oriented schooling (suzhi education), is being followed up with guidelines on curriculum restructuring and textbook compilation (after the National Conference on Education, 1999).
前面提到的兩個翻譯例子中還有一些其他問題，特別是“創新精神”和“實踐能力”的英譯與原文精神有距離。此處重點討論的是“素質教育”的英譯問題，因此對其他問題不再贅述， 現提供一個重譯供參考：
To overcome the drawbacks of the prevailing education system we must promote throughout the country the essential-qualities-oriented education that stresses the cultivation of moral integrity and emphasizes the development of creativity of the mind and hands-on abilities.
Caliber 一詞也可以用來指人的素質。根據 Chambers 21st Century Dictionary 的定義，caliber一詞的意思是“quality；standard；ability”；Webster's New World Dictionary將其解釋為“degree of worth or value of a person or thing; quality or ability”。由此可見，caliber大致相當于我們所說的“素質”。我們在一英語國家的網站見到過這樣一則招聘廣告，標題是：Looking For High Caliber Talent（招聘高素質人才）。類似的例子還有：persons of caliber and substance（有素質、有內涵的人），management staff of the highest caliber（高素質的管理人員）以及This man was a person of high caliber.（此人素質很高。）
下面再看幾個關于caliber 用法的例子:
1. He wanted someone of high caliber, with business and administrative skills.
2. The Department of the Environment admits it is almost impossible to recruit the caliber of inspectors it wants on salaries starting at about ?15,000.
3. The caliber of the new staff is impressive and the pay-bill alone will reduce by more than ?0.25m a year.
4. Quite frankly the salaries you offer these C P Os are much too low; if they weren't retired police officers, you wouldn't get the caliber of person.
5. Most listed companies do not yet have enough independent directors to fulfill the roles, and it is even doubtful whether enough individuals of the right caliber are available for these positions, particularly in view of the heavy legal responsibilities that any company director incurs.
6. The Committee on the Management of Local Government was appointed, to consider in the light of modern conditions how local government might best continue to attract and retain people of the caliber necessary to ensure its maximum effectiveness'.
其實，學生素質、教師素質、干部素質、黨員素質等都可以用 caliber 這個詞來翻譯，
因為Caliber可以是學術方面的素質：
the wide and generally understood variations in academic caliber between American universities.
Time to turn one's thoughts to matters of a more intellectual caliber.
The European Business Studies degree prepares students for the European fields of business activity, and has always attracted a high caliber of student with language skills and an urge to do business in the varied market places of Europe.
High-caliber lecturers at UNITAR. Good lecturers sometimes inspire students to do well in their subjects.
British scientific research was of a high caliber.
Caliber也可以指專業和業務方面的素質：
Many agents are worried about the current caliber of editors.
Lawyers in local government seek trainee solicitors of the highest caliber.
If theatre artists of this caliber are prepared to launch a production from Plymouth, it seems a fair bet that the Theatre Royal management has got its act together.
The caliber of the expedition leaders ensures that these young travelers are able to complete trips that would be too complicated to organize for themselves.
I expected six or seven caliber applicants, though others in the business said I would be surprised by the numbers to apply.
The Executive Portfolio is a comprehensive program of executive education for high-caliber management professionals.
Efforts should always be rewarded and whilst good salary levels are essential to retain the right caliber of staff, bonus payments for exceptional effort or particular success will be rewarded by increased motivation.
從下面這則招聘廣告的上下文來看，caliber 明顯地具有“素質”的含意：
"High-caliber skills for high-caliber people
Choosing to study for an MBA in the UK is a giant step towards investing in your future employability by enhancing your range of management skills.
The MBA is designed for well-qualified managers who wish to add value to their practical experience by gaining an in-depth understanding of up-to-date approaches to management and its development. ...
As a result, your educational experience will be enriched by studying with high-caliber students. ..."
此外，caliber還可以指政治方面的素質：
The persistent concern to increase councilor caliber through reorganization makes it equally clear that the essential object of reorganization has been to make local government more functional … by restructuring it...
After the next election, there will be 80 or 90 women of remarkably high caliber on the Labor side.
It's just that there aren't enough sufficiently high caliber members in the party's lower ranks.
We must make sure that the Communists play the leading role in the organs of political power, and therefore the Party members who occupy one-third of the places must be of high caliber. This will be enough to ensure the Party's leadership...
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丁衡祁，對外經濟貿易大學商務英語系教授，2002 年退休后被對外經濟貿易大學卓越國際學院聘為英語教學研究中心主任。曾任對外經濟貿易大學研究生部主任兼師資培訓中心主任。曾被派往中國駐美國舊金山總領事館任商務領事。曾在中央電視臺主講英語教學節目《奪魁》（Bid for Power）。現為中國翻譯協會理事，《中國翻譯》雜志編委，中國譯協對外傳播委員會成員，全國翻譯專業資格考試英語專家委員會委員，中國日報網站英語點津“翻譯擂臺賽”特約專家，中國對外翻譯出版公司專家顧問委員會委員，中國進出口銀行英文譯審。
陳小全，對外經濟貿易大學商務英語系副教授。1982年畢業于北京外國語大學；曾任教于清華大學外語系和對外經濟貿易管理干部學院英語系；1987-88年，在英國曼徹斯特大學學習并獲語言學碩士學位；1995-98年，在我國駐英國使館經商處任一秘兼調研室主任。十幾年來，主要從事基礎英語及商務英語教學與研究；近年來開始從事實用文體的翻譯與研究。中國翻譯工作者協會中譯外委員會委員及《中國翻譯》雜志特約撰稿人，為該雜志“翻譯自學之友”及“漢英對照欄目”供稿。