原文由 atlas 发表:
在技术文章中,prototype本意上是指研发出的第一台产品样机,但好多文章翻译总是写**的原型,这是规范说法吗?
2008年12月15日
惠普(Hewlett-Packard)公司基于该公司的压印光刻技术,研制了一款灵活的电子显示器原型。该显示器由美国亚利桑那州立大学的柔性显示器中心生产。
不规范,还是应该译为“样机”。一个词在不同的专业里会有不同的意思,由外专业的人来翻译很容易犯错。比如这句话里的flexible electronic display,是用塑料、柔性玻璃、金属箔等柔性材料制造出来的电子显示器,可以像纸一样卷起来,有别于传统的刚性显示器。因此flexible应该译为“柔性的”,而非“灵活的”。“柔性显示器”也是行业里通用的叫法。关于prototype,在计算机工程里的解释见下:
In computer engineering, a prototype generally refers either to a breadboard (or evolutionary) prototype or a throwaway (or one-off) prototype. Breadboard prototypes are often simple in a development stage, focusing on a subset of the total requirements for a product. These prototypes usually are intended to evolve into the final design. Project managers may formally identify a component as prototype to communicate with stakeholders that the component may or may not comprise the techniques ultimately allocated to the product design, or to meet business objectives. It should not be assumed that the prototype is merely for testing concepts (throwaway). That would be an aspect of a "research" project or "proof of concept." Prototypes provide the developers with a "working model" for demonstration or use by customers, quality-assurance, business analysts, and managers to confirm or make changes to requirements, help define interfaces, develop collaborating components, and to provide proof of incremental achievement of scheduled contractual agreements.