写作基础练习课上，一位学生问了一个尴尬的问题：
Rachel 老师，这里不是让我们表达“我认为”吗，怎么答案是 I believe, 这不是“我相信”吗？
一种深深的无力感向我袭来：怎么这些学英语长达七八年的学生，竟问出这种问题？
但很快我就调整了心态：嫌弃学生的提问，貌似不是一个老师的高级素养。所以下课以后我几乎是钻牛角尖似地好好想了一下这个问题：作文里表达个人观点用 I believe 更好还是 I think 更好？又或者，学生广为背诵的“我认为”高级表达串真的有意义吗？
百度搜索问题：求高手“我认为”的英文翻译，至少十种
Google了一下，原来母语为英语的人也会纠结这个问题。
Quora提问：Is there a profound difference between "I think" and "I believe"?
国外论坛讨论： “I think” vs. "I believe"
对此，这些人大致同意这个结论：I think 和 I believe 两者之间就是一个语气强弱的区别。
在“我认为”的语境中，前者倾向于表达经过思考论证而得出的观点，而后者强调一种自己不打算用证据来支撑的想法，类似的表达还有I feel.
这么来看，说 I believe而不说 I think可以理解为是一种模糊限制 (hedging) 手段，弱化自己的立场，减少受到反驳的可能性。
就像国外论坛里，经常有人在发表完评论之后，加一个“IMO”(in my opinion)，也是出于避免被喷的目的。
下面是一个有代表性的关于 I think, I feel 和 In my opinion 细微区别的解释原文:
I have noticed a distinction between“think” and “feel.” The former suggests your belief is the result of intelligence, that you have good reasons for what you believe; the latter suggests your belief is something you hold uncritically and without evidence. If someone wants to depreciate your position, he may characterize your belief as something you feel rather than as something you think.
And if you want to express your views without fearing contradiction,“opinion” is even weaker than “feel.” Using the word “opinion” essentially announces lack of evidence. In fact, it is almost as if opinions are neither true nor false, but only whimsical notions for which one has affection.
虽然上面的解释和结论源于native speaker，但我们也没必要将其奉为圣旨。
首先，语言的意义是发展变化的，说不定哪天人们对于某个词的用法就彻底翻盘了。其次，这种区分，对于写作来说，也许意义不大。
事实上，我们应该做的并非探究 I believe和 I think的区别，而是认识到它们的相同之处：
两者均属于“显性”表达观点的方式(explicitly expressing one’s opinion)，而在更为正式的学术写作中，较受青睐的是“隐性”方式(doing so implicitly)。
也许有人会说，中国人要参加的英语能力考试，四六级也好，托福雅思也好，都有考虑到考试者non-native speaker的身份，其作文文体充其量也只是semi-academic，准学术写作。对于“我认为”这样的表达，即便是不太正式、偏口语化的I believe，I think，In my opinion等，都是被允许的。
被允许，不代表被推荐。
所以，我们还是有必要来看看更为正式的学术写作中，如何“隐性”表达个人观点。*
常见的做法是不用人称代词：
It is worth noting that some writers on business strategy are well aware of this problem.
It is reasonable to assume that such changes have significant social and economic effects.
It is essential to have good professional advice and to review your insurance cover from time to time.
It seems that education is not even essential to happiness.
It would seem that the date of the invention of the mechanical clock is some time between 1280 and 1300.
也可以用副词来表达个人观点：
Interestingly, virtually all published studies from around the world have reported similar findings. （有趣的是）
Significantly, leading Japanese computer makers have adopted export strategies similar in some respects to those of the car industry. （重要的是）
There is, surprisingly,still a good deal of uncertainty about whether animals can solve problems of this kind. （让人惊讶的是）
总结一下，I believe 和 I think, 以及所有量贩兜售的表达“我认为”的表达（In my opinion, as far as I am concerned, from my point of view, as for me, I hold the view that, I am of the opinion that, I consider / find / feel / suppose / presume / assume that ...）都是以第一人称开头的“显性”表达，更适合用在非正式写作中。但即便是在雅思托福这样对正式度要求不高的考试中，适当运用另外一类更为“隐性”的手段来表达个人观点，大概会让你的文章更容易得到高分。
*部分例证源自Macmillan Dictionary Blog
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