to save goods from damage or destruction, especially from a ship that has sunk or been damaged or a building that has been damaged by fire or a flood

gold coins salvaged from a shipwreck 从船只残骸中打捞出的金币

After the fire, there wasn't much furniture left worth salvaging. 火灾之后，没有剩下多少值得抢救的家具。

to try to make a bad situation better

It was a desperate attempt to salvage the situation. 挽回这种局面的希望渺茫。

After the fraud scandal he had to make great efforts to salvage his reputation. 诈骗丑闻传出后，他不得不极力挽回自己的声誉。