The Science Olympics

Is it better to be a nation of adaptors than of great scientists? Since 1945 Britain and the U.S. have won 70 per cent of the Nobel prizes for science;their scientists are respected world-wide;and the two countries have consistently spent over 2 percent of GNP on R&D (Research and Development),until recently more than any other nation except Russia. They have even produced three quarters of the world's radical breakthroughs in technology. But they have increased their real GNPs in this period much less than have West Germany and Japan,which have grown richer while they have been producing fewer great scientists.

科学竞赛

一个拥有一批应用科学工作者的国家，是否比一个拥有一批大科学家的国家好呢?自从1945年以来，英国和美国的科学家赢得了70%的诺贝尔科学奖，因而两国的科学家在世界都受到尊敬；此外，这两国研究与发展的费用始终占其国民生产总值的2%以上，这个数目直到最近还高于其他任何国家（俄国除外）。在世界技术的根本性突破方面，他们甚至占了四分之三。但在同一时期，他们的国民生产总值的实际增长率，却比西德和日本的低得多。虽然西德和日本造就的大科学家比英美的少，但他们却变得更富裕了。

Before 1939, Germany was top of the Nobel league,but since 1945 has won only 7 percent of the prizes;Japan has won only three in the whole history of the awards. Nor do Japan and West Germany distinguish themselves in making radical breakthroughs in technology (e.g. brain scanners,oral contraceptives,double knit fabrics or nuclear reactors). But both countries have done better at adapting and improving existing technologies.

在1939年之前，德国曾经在获得诺贝尔奖的人数方面居于首位；但是自从1945年以来只获得了该奖的7%，日本在诺贝尔奖的整个历史上只有三人获奖。日本和西德在重大技术突破方面(例如脑扫描装置、口服避孕药、双面针织品或核反应堆等)做得都不突出。但是，这两个国家在创造性地应用和改进现有技术方面，却干得比较好。

The U.S. has made more than half of the great technological innovations since 1953. But the rest of the industrial world seems to be doing better than the U.S. at exploiting American technology. Some Americans blame indirect trade barriers (like Japan's) for this. Now American politicians and industrialists are as worried as the country's scientists and technologists about the declining international standing of American know-how in applying science to industry.

自从1953年以来，有半数以上的重大技术革新项目是美国完成的。但是，工业世界的其他国家在利用美国技术方面现在似乎做得比美国还好。有些美国人把这种情况归咎于间接贸易壁垒(如日本的壁垒)。现在，美国政界人土和工业界人士同它的科学家和技术专家一样，对于美国在把科学应用于工业的专门技能方面的国际地位越来越下降都感到担忧。