留学申请文件写作和修改系列：推荐信

改稿注：留学申请文件的写作和修改是本号的一个重要内容，服务的是准备到国外留学的中国学生。黑字部分是原文，绿字部分是修改文。

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter of recommendation to support Miss Lin Xiaoli’s application for your prestigious university. I have been acquainted with Miss Lin since I taught her English Reading in 2013. I came to know her even better when she took my class Academic Thesis Writing in the spring of 2016.

As her instructor, I had an opportunity to closely observe Miss Lin’s outstanding performance in class and learn about her other abilities as a student of English. In my classes, she invariably took an active part in various course-related discussions with her fellow students and often raised many good questions. As one of the top students in her class, she was able to precisely point out such deficiencies as grammatical mistakes, asymmetric sentence structures and misuse of punctuation in example-based learning. She is exceptionally self-disciplined and highly motivated.

Miss Lin is good at self-innovation, which I think is one of her most treasured scholastic aptitudes. Instead of choosing simple paper topics, she always came up with creative thoughts in material selection. Based on her practical experience in campus Model United Nations, she once focused on the study of the language features in academic writing for MUN.

She has a great passion for studying the English language. Sometimes, I posted English translations and writing on my WeChat official account and she often consulted me about the English usage employed in the works. I think Miss Lin is indeed a person who is not easily content with what she has achieved in her studies.

Another aspect I would like to mention is her all-round development in campus activities. Every time I attended campus events like college evening party and drama competition as a guest or a judge, her performance could always come into my notice. I firmly believe that her excellent team spirit and interpersonal communication skills will make her stand out in future campus life.

Taking all these favorable factors into account, I am convinced that the persistent girl with great courage to pursue higher education deserves your positive consideration.

Yours sincerely,

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am pleased to recommend Miss Lin Xiaoli to you for your Master’s program at your university. I have known Miss Lin since I taught her English Reading in 2013. And she took my class of Academic Thesis Writing in the spring of 2016. So I have learned a great deal about her over the past few years.

As her instructor, I had an opportunity to closely observe Miss Lin’s outstanding performance in class and learn about her other abilities as a student of English. In my classes, she always took an active part in various course-related discussions with her fellow students and often raised many good questions. As one of the top students in her class, she was able to identify and correct various types of mistakes and errors existing in some of my past undergraduate students’ graduation theses which I used in my lessons as supplementary exercise materials. She always completed the assignments on time which I gave to the class. I find that she is exceptionally self-disciplined and highly motivated.

Miss Lin demonstrates a strong innovative spirit, which I think is one of her most treasured scholastic aptitudes. When writing term papers, she always selected very new and hence very challenging topics rather than old and easy ones. In conceptualizing the research frameworks for these topics, she could always come up with original ideas or theses. Based on her practical experience in the intercollegiate Model United Nations (MUN) debates, she once made a very detailed study of language features in MUN discourses.

Miss Lin is keen on studying the English language. She has read all my English articles and translations I post every day in my public subscription account onWeChat, a very popular cross-platform instant messaging service in China. She often consults me about modern English usage employed in my posts. I believe that Miss Lin is indeed a student who is not easily content with what she has achieved in her studies. She has a wide range of interests. She often participates in meaningful campus activities. Drama competitions are one of her favorite extracurricular pastimes. Each time I served as a guest or a judge for these events, I found that she put her whole self into these artistic activities.

Miss Lin is a student who is ready to take any great challenges in academic research and able to grow to maturity by directly confronting them. She has great potential to develop in her academic career. I firmly believe that her coming to study at your university as a graduate student will add to great cultural diversity on campus. I sincerely hope that she will be given an opportunity to continue her education at your university.

Sincerely yours,

写作和翻译训练指南要点：

1. 具备必要的各种英英词典并且勤用它们，这些词典包括搭配词典和近义词词典。当写作时脑海里蹦出一个想用的词，可是对它的用法其实并没有把握，就停下来研读，直至最后确定是否合用。经常是要连环查阅反复验证。对非母语写作者而言，要写出更好的句子，你几乎每用一个关键字词时都在查阅核实后才决定是否可以使用。就是说，你写作时几乎永远在查。无查阅不写出，无查阅觉得没法写出，才是正常的必要的心理习惯和实践习惯。不查不放心，查了才放心。只有多查，那些字词的用法才能慢慢记住并学会实际如何使用。

2. 每天写5~10句话的流水日记，作为复习、巩固和新遇英语词语和进一步熟习句法的练习机会；每周写一篇短文 (essay)，一来作为前面讲到的练习机会，二来作为锻炼自己逻辑思维能力及观察、分析和解决问题的能力的机会。在这个漫长的过程中，毅力是不可或缺的使人坚持修炼并取得成功的性格因素。

3. 写任何东西，只要有时间，作为每篇成品的第一阶段要反复修改。要坚信，每审读一遍都会有收获。所以，修改20遍都是有必要的。修改时要对自己的用词用语勇于和善于怀疑。查阅词典核查其正误成为你最重要的自我纠错的手段。记住，你自己写的东西很少会有人帮你纠错，只有靠自己纠错。修炼是为了在自己漫长的职业生涯中最终能培养起超强的职业性的错误自我意识能力、自我辨识能力和自我纠错能力。

4. 一定要警惕自己其实写得不好（有很多自己不易觉察的错误）而自我感觉良好的心理倾向，也一定要警惕觉得自己写得比别人好的心理迷失。要培养起看到别人写得其实比自己好自己一眼就能看出的心理状态和能力，从而激发自己多多修炼；看到别人用了你预想不到的词语或表达方式时，要立即对其进行深度研读，连环查阅多部工具书，如有必要还要反复谷歌或雅虎，以确认此词语使用或表达方式是准确地道的，从而最终变成自己的确切无误的词语积累。在这个艰苦的过程中就能培养自己谦虚谨慎的心理状态，意识到自己作为非母语写作者，其实还有很多自己未能觉察到的错误，还有很多想要表达其实未能写出的表达方式和用语。要认识到，非母语写作更是没有止境的。

5．平时不怕慢，平时的慢是为了积累，慢体现和包容很多必要的步骤。平时的慢是为了未来某个时间节点接受考试时能做到快而比较准确地道。当然，只要不考试，是可以永远慢的。对非母语写作而言，慢可以是一种养成的爱好。慢了一定阶段后，或许发现自己写得好一点了。到了你真要快或被迫快的时候或场合，就能做到快而差错率不那么高了。

6．只读不写不是正道，同时动笔写才是正道。遇到自己多么不想写的时候也要逼着自己写。只要写，就是开始着手培养自己的英语思维能力了。英语思维能力或叫语感是最不容易获得的东西，只有亲手动笔写才有了获得它的可能性。

7. 写作能力和翻译能力是紧密相关的，写得好才能译得好，写不好就译不好，要想译得好必须首先写得好，因为写得好就能对自己的译句具有起码的正误判断力（当然要考虑翻译的忠实性问题）。多写并且写得好是前提，但多译对写也有很大的帮助，因为译也是一个写的过程，是复习、巩固和新遇词语的过程，也是一个不断考虑合适句法的过程。但是，单译不写是不行的。只要没有翻译任务，平时更多的时间还是应该先用于练习写作。翻译任务来了，也要把它看成是一个练习写作的过程。

8. 起码要熟读5000个英语常用单词，最好对它们的用法能做到了如指掌，烂熟于胸。还要做到横向比较，融会贯通，这包括对一个词的同义词和近义词的掌握和使用。要花费八分之一的精力鉴别和学会使用所谓同义词和近义词。

9. 每天坚持英语阅读。使用多部词典阅读碰到的英语常用5000字可以视作阅读的一部分，但更重要的还是要阅读各个领域里的读物，依靠广泛的阅读来新遇、复习、巩固英语词汇并丰富各科知识。阅读时不遇到新字或看似熟悉但其实没有掌握的字则已，一旦遇到则一定要打开英英词典仔细研读，并最好记录到自己的Excel字表里。尤其要积累各种尽可能多的表达方式包括短语动词（phrasal verb）和句子副词（sentence adverb）。广泛阅读是积累观察事物能力的必需的步骤，故当然不能单纯阅读词典。但广泛阅读一定要和仔细研读词典词条结合在一起进行。