一位東南亞裔社區口譯員的自述

Abstract

本文藉由一位東南亞裔新移民社區口譯員口述回溯其生長歷程、因婚姻移居台灣進而從事社區口譯的過程，探討社區口譯這項在台灣尚未制度化的職業之於這位社區口譯員的影響。本研究採用質性研究方法的敘事研究，文中強調研究參與者與研究者共同參與並互動的研究過程。一方面由研究對象口述回顧生命歷程，另一方面研究者也以自身的經驗參與互動與反饋，使得研究本身不只是現象的研究，而是生命經驗的映照與反思。

透過研究參與者實際社區口譯經驗的分享，可得出以下發現： （一）新移民擔任社區口譯員的動機多是出於幫助其他新移民與自我成長，其中家庭的支持對於新移民能否外出工作與否扮演關鍵因素 （二）台灣的醫療院所仍缺乏通譯資源，且能服務的語種也不夠多元 （三）台灣的東南亞裔的社區口譯員社會地位低落，不受服務單位或服務對象尊重，原因在於多數人並不清楚社區口譯員在醫病過程中扮演的角色 （四）電話口譯應是在公部門預算與資源有限的情況下，可提供最及時通譯資源與運用有限人力的方式

文末提出本研究未竟之處，以及提供未來可進行後續研究的建議。

This thesis is a self-described story about a Southeast Asian migrant community interpreter. By mining her memories and reflecting on her experiences, she tried to explain how community interpreting, a profession that is not yet institutionalized in Taiwan, helped shape her new life in Taiwan. The research process, using narrative analysis as research method, was not merely a one-sided telling of a story, but rather an interaction between the interviewee and the researcher. The researcher also tried to reflect on her own experiences related to the interviewee’s story, while adding some humane touch to the research.

After reviewing the life experiences narrated by the interviewee, the researcher presented the following findings: 1. The two main motivations for migrants to become community interpreters are helping other migrants and seeking personal growth. The support from their families is the key determinant as to their availability to work. 2. The language services provided at healthcare facilities in Taiwan are very limited in terms of availability of interpreters and the number of languages in service. 3. The social status of Southeast Asian community interpreters is relatively low because neither healthcare providers nor the general public have a clear idea in terms of the roles community interpreters play in medical consultations. 4. Telephone interpreting seems to be the most feasible way to extend current public interpreting services to a larger scale given the constraints in budget and resources in public sectors.

At the end of the thesis, the researcher stated the limitations of the research and proposed some aspects related to community interpreting in Taiwan that can be further observed and studied.