台灣地區筆譯工作者運用翻譯工具之現況

Abstract

隨著翻譯產業蓬勃發展，筆譯工作者面臨日益升高之翻譯需求時，除了準時交付翻譯案件，仍需同時滿足翻譯的質與量。藉助翻譯工具，譯者便能提升工作競爭力，因應產業變化後之翻譯工作形態；翻譯工具協助整合譯文內容、提升翻譯效率、降低翻譯成本。

本研究旨在探討面臨全球快速變化的翻譯產業，台灣地區之筆譯工作者是否為提升自我競爭力而採用語音辨識、翻譯記憶及術語管理三種翻譯工具。透過網路問卷瞭解受訪譯者背景與各項工具之使用情形後，本研究再針對翻譯記憶軟體調查使用效益，期藉此讓更多台灣地區譯者瞭解、甚至採用翻譯工具。

本研究以英國學者Heather Fulford於2001年針對英國自由譯者進行之翻譯工具調查方法為基礎，並將調查結果與其他英國近年相關研究成果逐一比較。研究發現第一，台灣譯者運用語音辨識、翻譯記憶及術語管理軟體之情形比2001年英國譯者使用情形普遍，而單就翻譯記憶軟體普及率卻不及其他研究所得結果。第二，促使台灣譯者使用調查中三種翻譯工具之主要誘因為來自翻譯客戶之要求。第三，台灣譯者對三種翻譯工具所持態度正面多於負面。第四，為使翻譯工具更普及，其未來研發應著重於簡化使用軟體之前置工作，亦即工作環境之設定。Faced with the rising demand of translation brought about by the rapid development of the translation industry, translators must satisfy the needs of their clients by completing work punctually while maintaining quality. With the aides of translation tools, translators can maintain consistency of translation works, improve work efficiency as well as lowering costs.

This exploratory study aims to investigate the current situation of adoption of voice recognition, translation memory and terminology management software amongst Taiwan-based translators in an attempt to understand the proliferation of these translation tools and to explore Taiwan-based translators’ perception about them.

Based on Fulford’s 2001 study, this survey compares research results of recent relevant studies in the UK, and concludes with the following discoveries: 1) Adoption of the translation tools is more pervasive in Taiwan as of 2007 than in the UK in 2001, whereas the take-up rate of translation memory software alone appears lower than that of other UK reserch results, 2) Demands from clients serve as the most compelling force for Taiwan-based translators’ adoption of translation tools, 3) Taiwan-based translators in general hold favorable views toward translation tools, 4) Future development of translation tools are suggested to adress the issue of complex work-environment set-up procedure to increase the adoption rate.