台灣醫療翻譯市場需求初探

Abstract

醫療發展研究和醫療服務的普及皆需要翻譯服務，然而目前尚未有專注於我國醫療翻譯市場需求或組成的相關研究。因此本研究採用非隨機滾雪球問卷調查法，初步探究台灣醫事人員的翻譯服務使用經驗、滿意度、招募管道、聘用標準，以及對於機器翻譯之看法。本研究共收集239份有效問卷，結果顯示，大約四成的醫事人員使用過翻譯服務，使用過筆譯者較口譯多。過去一年間，口譯或筆譯的使用頻率皆以 1 至 5 次為主，筆譯頻率較口譯高。在口譯使用經驗上，逐步和同步口譯最常用於醫病溝通和國際會議。其中醫病溝通以越南語和印尼語最多，其他場合則以英語和日語為主。至於口譯需求，受試者自評口譯需求最多的場合為醫病溝通和國際會議。筆譯最常用於學術文章和研究申請文件，且都以英語為主。受試者自評需求最多的項目包括學術文章、研究申請文件和衛教單張。筆譯的服務滿意度略高於口譯，且口譯的滿意度意見較筆譯分歧。不論口譯或筆譯，令受訪者較滿意的項目包括與譯者的溝通、翻譯品質和服務態度。價格和招募譯者的難度則是不滿意較多。聘用管道和聘用標準部分，最多人透過認識的人介紹、同業推薦和透過翻譯社，最重要的三項標準為翻譯品質、溝通順暢和服務態度。受試者的機器翻譯使用率較真人翻譯高，但滿意度較低。最多人認為機器翻譯的優勢在於便利性，最有疑慮之處則是翻譯準確度。有五至六成的人認為，機器翻譯發展會降低自己對於真人翻譯的需求量，然而其中仍有四至六成的人會因為能夠與真人譯者溝通、翻譯準確度和專業相關背景知識而選擇真人。本研究擴大過去文獻對於台灣醫療翻譯需求類型之探討，更納入機器翻譯趨勢的討論，也增加使用者職類，提供台灣北中南地區醫事人員大致的翻譯需求樣貌。The advancement and accessibility of medical services necessitate translation and interpretation services, yet there is a lack of research on Taiwan's medical T&I market. This study conducts a survey on Taiwanese healthcare professionals to explore their T&I user experience, satisfaction levels, recruitment channels, hiring criteria, and views on machine translation. With 239 valid responses, findings reveal that about forty percent have utilized T&I services, with more usage of translation than interpretation. Both services were used 1 to 5 times in the past year, with translation being used slightly more. For interpretation, consecutive and simultaneous are the most frequently used and are primarily utilized for medical communication and international conferences. English and Japanese were the most used languages in various contexts, while Vietnamese and Indonesian are more prominent in medical communication. Translation services were predominantly employed for academic articles and research application documents, primarily in English. Greater demand was also expressed for health education brochures.Satisfaction levels with written translation slightly exceeds interpretation. For both services, areas of satisfaction included communication, output quality, and service. Dissatisfaction mostly stems from price and the difficulty of recruiting translators. Most users recruit via referrals and agencies, and when selecting translators and interpreters, participants prioritize output quality, communication, and service.Compared with human T&I services, machine T&I sees higher usage but lower satisfaction rates. Convenience was cited as its advantage, but accuracy concerns persist. Similar to the results for human T&I services, machine interpretation is mainly used for medical communication while translation is mainly used for academic papers. Although more than half of the participants anticipate reduced reliance on human T&I in the future, many would still prefer it for the ability to communicate with a real person, translation accuracy, and sufficient medical knowledge.This study offers insights into the T&I demands of diverse medical professions in Taiwan, and discussed the impact of machine T&I along with its future implications.