данные разной природы
English translation: data of various nature (kind(s); types)
| GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| 07:50 Jul 21, 2011 |
| Russian to English translations [PRO] Science - Science (general) / scientific writing | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||||
|  Selected response from: Rachel Douglas United States Local time: 09:30 | ||||||
Grading comment
| |||||||
| Summary of answers provided | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 +7 | data of various nature |
| ||
| 4 +1 | data of various types |
| ||
| 4 | data of different kind |
|
| Discussion entries: 10 | |
|---|---|
Answers
2 hrs confidence: 
peer agreement (net): +1
peer agreement (net): +1data of various types Explanation: This would seem a more natural way to say it. (Plenty of Google hits, FWIW.) |
| |
| Login to enter a peer comment (or grade) | ||
2 hrs confidence:
data of different kind Explanation: ---- |
| |
| Login to enter a peer comment (or grade) | ||
10 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +7
peer agreement (net): +7data of various nature Explanation: ... reconciliation of data of various nature... -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 4 hrs (2011-07-21 12:49:59 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- The sequence plural noun + of + singular collective noun denoting quality is not foreign or unnatural in English. It is relatively old-fashioned but good writing, unfortunately not used frequently in the age of MS Word grammar-check programs that will demand a plural after the "of." For example, if you subject this sentence from an 1882 chemistry dictionary by an Englishman to MS Word spell-checking: "The interior of the plant contains juices of various nature, which cannot pass through the epidermis, whereas that membrane is always impregnated to a certain extent with the moisture of the air." ... MS Word will (wrongly) demand that you change "nature" to "natures." Here's a Google Books (published works only) search on "of various nature," in which the usage is demonstrated by native writers of English, as well as in translations and other articles by foreigners. http://www.google.com/search?q="of various nature"&hl=en&noj... -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 11 hrs (2011-07-21 19:49:03 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- I'm not terribly interested in defending myself against attacks on my command of English or competence in written English in a variety of contexts, about the motive for which (attacks) I can only speculate. But, just in case anybody might have been confused by the "Discussion" section, perhaps a few points are relevant. - The phrases "of various nature" and "of various kind(s)" are synonymous. - The use of a singular noun such as "nature" or "kind" in constructions of this type is a traditional one in English, which has become less frequent in recent decades, yet is still comprehensible, concise, and often graceful in prose, including scientific prose. - The plural noun "data" is not decisively different from any other plural noun that might precede that construction. - Even if there were ZERO examples returned by Google, the construction "data of various nature" would still be legitimate, understandable, and not offensive to the ear in English prose, including scientific prose. It's not the only option, but it's a legitimate one. - Since pronouncements have been made about the supposed incompetence, arbitrariness, and ignorance of contextual demands, in the very suggestion of using such a construction, we might as well look at a few of the handful of instances by native writers of English (as far as I can tell; and if the words of a foreigner snuck in there, they still sound fine), available in the Internet: "The records of a business and enterprise contain a great deal of data of various nature, all of it important to a greater or lesser degree and for different reasons." "By using a GIS system for the record, combination and analysis of data of various nature, the validity of maritime archaeological projects is considerably enhanced." "Publications: ... photometry of peculiar A-type stars: computer analysis of astronomical data of various nature ..." (Clip from bibliographical material in an entry in American Men & Women of Science, 2003.) "The approach suggested is both simple to apply and applicable to a wide class of spectroscopic data of various nature." |
| |
Grading comment
| ||