译者为了弄清楚原文的意思，需要对原文的写作背景、写作意图、篇章布局、遣词造句等进行反复的推敲或查证。在这个过程中，往往会发现原文含糊不清、不符合逻辑或事实之处。汉译英时，这种情况尤其常见。

究其原因，一是汉语属于“写意”型的语言，一句话读起来大致能明白，深究起来，可能就说不清了。二是作者粗心大意，想到什么写什么，没有进行深人的思考和调查。

遇到这种情况，译者就需要做出选择：是按原文的字面翻译，还是按应有的逻辑或事实翻译。回答是：如有可能，请作者修改原文；如无法与作者沟通，尽可能按应有的逻辑或事实翻译；不得已时，可以再现原文含糊或错误之处。

示例1：

公元前138至119年间，汉武大帝使者张骞两赴西域，历时数十年之久，开辟了戈壁上的丝绸之路。

原译:

From 138 B. C. to 119 A. D. , Zhang Qian travelled twice as an envoy of Emperor Wu in Han Dynasty to the West Region, and blazed a trail known as the Silk Road in the Gobi in the course of several decades.

中文用“开辟”一词，给人的印象是之前不存在丝绸之路，张骞开创了丝绸之路。事实并非如此。这条路不是几个人可以开创的，而是多少年来各地人民通商的自然结果，张骞出使西域，使这条道路更加通畅、繁荣。另外，“丝绸之路”的说法当时并不存在，是后人创造的说法。

改译:

It was between 138 and 119 BCE, in the reign of Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty, that Zhang Qian was twice dispatched as imperial envoy to the Western Regions on long expeditions lasting many years. Thanks to him the routes through the Gobi Desert expanded into what later came to be known as the Silk Road.

示例2：

公元1271年，意大利商人Marco Polo继其父之衣钵，不远万里来到中国，在中国乔居17年后返回故乡。他不仅是中西文化传承的使者，而且让古老的丝绸之路从中亚延伸至欧洲大陆。

原译：

In 1271, Marco Polo, an Italian merchant, inherited his father's mantle and travelled hundreds and thousands of miles to China, where he lived for 17 years before returning to his hometown. He not only served as a transmitter between Chinese and western cultures, but also helped stretch the ancient Silk Road from Central Asia to Continental Europe.

“继承衣钵”指前人死后，后人继续前人事业，但马可波罗是随父亲和叔叔到中国来的，严格来说，并非继承衣钵。中文的表达并不恰当。如果翻译为英文inherited one's mantle，问题会继续留在英文。同时，马可波罗到中国来，也不过是走过丝绸之路，而不是由他延长了丝绸之路。

改译：

In 1271, the Italian trader Marco Polo made the long journey from Italy to China with his father, remaining here for 17 years before returning to his homeland. He was not only an ambassador between Western and Eastern cultures, but also a pioneer on the Silk Road from Europe through Central Asia.