Scientific Writing: Active and Passive Voice (aspects of translation)

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Scientific Translation
Scientific Writing: Active and Passive Voice
(aspects of translation)

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Active vs Passive Voice
Content:
Most common passive verbs and structures
Some differences between the active and passive voices
The traditional and modern approaches to the choice of the
voice

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Active vs Passive Voice
Choosing between the active and passive voices is sometimes a matter of style
and depends on what you want to emphasize in a sentence. The usage of active
versus passive voice is often a source of confusion in scientific writing.
Traditionally, the passive voice was used in scientific writing , but in recent times,
there has been a shift from this trend, with journals and editors increasingly
showing a preference for the active voice.
Such questions keep bothering researchers when they write their papers.
Should authors depart from tradition and stop using the passive voice
completely?
Which is preferable, the active or the passive voice?

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Active vs Passive Voice
Before we get to that, let’s understand the difference between these two kinds of
construction.
All sentences in English- either in the active voice or in the passive voice.
The active voice refers to a sentence format that emphasizes the doer of an action.
ACTIVE: The authors conducted experiments on planetary gear trains.
Here, the doer (in this case “the authors”) seems important.
On the other hand, in the passive voice, the action being performed is emphasized,
and the doer may be omitted.
PASSIVE: Experiments were conducted on planetary gear trains (by the authors).
In this construction, the phrase “by the authors” can be omitted, which means that
the reader already knows or does not need to know who the doer is; only the action
is important.

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Active vs Passive Voice
Until recently, it was the norm to use passive construction in scientific
writing. Authors were advised to strictly avoid using the active voice, especially
the use of first-person references, such as “I”, “we”, “my” and “our”, in their
academic research papers.
The passive voice (pluses)
an impersonal tone
more objective and formal
Active: In this study, we numerically analyzed the thermal responses of WEDM
wire electrodes using a finite element model.
Passive: In this study, a finite element model was used to numerically analyze
the thermal responses of WEDM wire electrodes.
If you compare the two examples below, you will see that the passive voice
sounds impersonal and therefore, more formal than the active.

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Active vs Passive Voice
Most
common
passive
verbs
Other verbs mainly used in the passive
made,
seen,
found,
considere
d, given,
used,
done,
shown
achieved, aligned (with), applied, approved, asked, associated
(with), attributed (to), based (on), born, brought, calculated, called,
carried (as), chosen, classified, compared, composed (of), coupled
(with), deemed, defined, derived, described, designed, determined,
discussed, distributed, documented, drawn, entitled (to),
estimated, examined, expected, explained, expressed, extracted,
flattened, formed, given, grouped (with/by), held, identified,
illustrated, inclined, intended, introduced, involved, kept, known,
labeled, left, limited (to), linked (to/with), located (at/in), lost,
measured, needed, noted, observed, obtained, performed, plotted,
positioned, prepared, presented, recognised, regarded, related
(to), replaced, reported, represented, required, said, situated,
subjected (to), transferred, viewed.
verbs never
used in the
passive
appear,
arrive,
belong.
consist,
come, die,
happen, fall,
lack, last,
occur,
remain,
resemble,
rest, seem,
stay, wait.

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Passive patterns
1. Subject + Verb (say, think, feel, expect, .) + that
Clause
a. They say that he knows some very important people.
b. People felt that the police were doing valuable work.
c. Everyone thought that the Government had shown little
regard for public opinion.
thought [θɔːt] (от think – думают, полагают)
believed [bɪ’liːvəd] (от believe – верят)
considered [kən’sɪdəd] (от consider – рассматривают, полагают, считают)
reported [rɪ’pɔːtəd] (от report – передают, сообщают)
known [nəun] (от know – известно)
expected [ɪk’spektəd] (от expect – ожидают)
alleged [ə’leʤd] (от allege – утверждают)
understood [ˌʌndə’stud] (от understand – понимают, воспринимают)

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Passive patterns
2. The impersonal IT
a. It is said that he knows some very important people.
b. It was felt that the police were doing valuable work.
c. It was thought that the Government had shown little
regard for public opinion.

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Passive patterns
3. COMPLEX SUBJECT
SUBJECT +Passive verb+TO infinitive
a. He is said to know some very important people.
b. The police were felt to be doing valuable work.
c. The Government was thought to have shown little regard for
public opinion.

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COMPLEX SUBJECT
Model 1. Subject + Passive voice +to infinitive
She was reported to come soon.
Model 2. Subject + Active voice +to infinitive
He seems to know about your marriage.
Model 3. THERE+ predicate (Active voice) +to infinitive
There is sure to be some news from them.
There are unlikely to be any objections to my proposal.

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Active vs Passive Voice. Practice
Task 1. Translate the following sentences into English. Rewrite the
sentences in possible alternative passive forms.
1. Мы понимали, что г-н Смит готов встретиться с британским
премьер-министром.
We understood that Mr Smith was willing to meet the British Prime
Minister.
It was understood that Mr Smith was willing to meet the Prime Minister.
Mr Smith was understood to be willing to meet the Prime Minister.

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Active vs Passive Voice. Practice
2. Кто-то утверждает, что препарат не вызывает нежелательных
побочных эффектов.
Somebody claims that the drug produced no undesirable side effects.
It is claimed that the drug produces no undesirable side effects.
The drug is claimed to produce no undesirable side effects.

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Active vs Passive Voice. Practice
3. Люди ожидают, что к следующему году электроснабжение будет
на исходе.
People expect that the electricity supply industry will be running into
surplus capacity by next year.
It is expected that the electricity supply industry will be running into
surplus capacity by next year.
The electricity supply industry is expected to be running into surplus
capacity by next year.

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Active vs Passive Voice. Practice
4. В настоящее время исследователи считают, что единственная
проблема с дневным сном это то, что он слишком непродолжителен.
At the present time, researchers believe that the only problem with
daytime sleep is that it is too short.
At the present time, it is believed that the problem with daytime sleep is
only that it is too short.
At the present time, the problem with daytime sleep is believed to be only
that it is too short.

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Active vs Passive Voice. Practice
5. Большинство людей в настоящее время думают, что лишь
небольшая часть окиси азота выделяемая в атмосферу каждый год,
является результатом использования ископаемого топлива, в первую
очередь угля.
Most people now think that only a small fraction of the nitrous oxide
emitted to the atmosphere each year comes from fossil-fuel use, primarily
coal.
It is now thought that only a small fraction of the nitrous oxide emitted to
the atmosphere each comes from fossil-fuel use, primarily coal.
Only a small fraction of the nitrous oxide emitted to the atmosphere each
year is now thought to come from fossil-fuel use, primarily coal.

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Active vs Passive Voice
You should aim to make the language of your article as
reader-friendly as possible.
Therefore, it is acceptable to use the passive voice when it is
required.

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Active vs Passive Voice
Thank you for your attention!