昨天我在貼文中提到 (採檢結果) 介於陰陽之間，舉的例子是：
“…an increased number of tests with ambiguous results leading to challenges in health care support.” 所以我說「介於陰陽之間」可譯成 “tests with ambiguous results”。
今天，我們在國家教育研究院李振清教授主持的「雙語詞彙審譯會」上熱烈討論了我提議跟疫情有關的用語。英國律師 Peter Whittle 建議把「介於陰陽之間」譯為 inconclusive test result，我們都同意這是比 tests with ambiguous results 更好的翻譯。
我查到美國退伍軍人部 (Department of Veterans Affairs) 網站對 inconclusive test result 有以下解釋：
An "inconclusive" result might mean "insufficient" or "indeterminate." "Insufficient" simply means that there was a problem with the sample you provided that prevented it from being tested at all. "Indeterminate" means that the test didn't provide a clear negative or positive result.
我昨天提的 (檢驗結果)「時陰時陽」是 “testing positive and negative on and off; fluctuating between positive and negative” 根據的語料是：
“I am currently infected with Covid-19 in Brisbane, Australia. ... for 17 days and testing positive and negative on and off.”; “fluctuates between positive and negative”。
今天我們討論的結果則是譯為 inconsistent test results。五月五日 San Francisco Chronicle 上就有一篇報導檢驗結果「時陰時陽」的文章：Why some coronavirus patients are getting inconsistent test results?
翻譯，尤其是中譯英，很難一步到位，往往需集思廣益、多方考證、仔細推敲、不斷琢磨。更不能敝帚自珍，要勇於放棄，才能「前修未密，後出轉精」。(Jerome Su, May 18, 2020)