原文：

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 hisfather, 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.

原文： 我们北外网院从一开始就提出了 12字方针，即资源、服务、过程、监 控、质量、效益。

原译1:

A guideline with 6 key points was adopted by the institute at its inception. Those key points are: resources, service, process, supervision, quality and benefits.

原译2:

Our Institute of Online Education is built on the commitment to provide resources，services，processes, monitoring，quality and results.

汉语的12字方针，意思很含糊。没有下面的解释，无法理解六个方面 的联系。英语要求具体明确。译者根据下文的解释，在译文中直接揭示几个概念之间的联系。