權威記錄中外國人名翻譯問題及其對檢索之研究

Abstract

為瞭解國內圖書館界對人名權威記錄中譯名相關做法、館員所遭遇之問題與人名權威記錄中譯名對使用者檢索之影響，本研究除透過文獻分析法瞭解人名之特性意涵、人名權威記錄著錄之規則與圖書館使用者對WebPAC檢索產生之問題外，並透過三種研究方法更深入瞭解，包括：以結構觀察法瞭解圖書館書目中人名譯名處理對圖書館使用者檢索產生之影響，再透過訪談法瞭解新聞界、出版界進行外國人名翻譯的基本作法與原則，最後，藉由內容分析法分析圖書館界進行外國人名翻譯時所使用之參考工具。研究結果發現： 1.人名權威記錄中譯名之著錄未能表現出人名的語法特性，且圖書館館員進行人名翻譯無法達到新聞界、出版界中之信達雅原則。 2.圖書館人名權威記錄中外國人名翻譯所存在之問題，包括有：圖書館對人名權威記錄著錄欠缺完整性、同一外國作者多筆人名權威記錄、建立譯名權威記錄之目的只為取該作者之作者號、無專責單位負責建立譯名權威記錄、人名權威之MRAC格式的採用得配合自動化系統、館員自行翻譯之譯名受其主觀意識影響、圖書館採用之譯名標目與傳媒使用之譯名不相同。 3.圖書館對於權威記錄中譯名的處理造成使用者檢索失敗或查全率不高，包括有：人名權威記錄中重視發音字體而忽略表意字體、自動化系統對於人名檢索之指引功能不足與已婚婦女冠夫姓造成譯名標目擇取與使用者檢索所下之譯名不同等。 根據上述研究結果，本研究建議圖書館界可與新聞界、出版界間達成人名譯名做法之共識，統一規範及其標準；且圖書館不論規模大小，均應適度進行人名權威控制，建議由國家圖書館籌劃與各圖書館共同合作建置人名權威資料庫，收錄中央通訊社譯名資料庫中之譯名，以增加人名權威資料庫的完整性，並提供外國人名翻譯與其權威相關問題之教育與訓練；再者，圖書館WebPAC應加強配合權威控制與指引功能，以提高使用者檢索之效益。This study is conducted as a contribution to exploring the principles of translating foreign personal names for authority records in the academic field of library sciences, to understanding how catalogers deal with problems related to the translations, and to analyzing how the translations may influence the user’s retrieval of information. This study adopts the method of literature analysis to examine specific meanings and characteristics of personal names, rules of registering personal names in authority records, and problems related to the translations the user faces in utilizing the information retrieval system of WebPAC. Moreover, this study further probes into the issue of translating foreign personal names for authority records from three different perspectives of research. One of the research perspectives adopts the method of structural analysis to expound the effects of the translations presented in the library bibliography on the user’s retrieval of information. Another research perspective, through the method of interviewing, reveals basic principles and courses for translating foreign personal names in journalism and publishing. The last research perspective examined in this study uses the method of content analysis to investigate the reference tools applied for translating foreign personal names in the academic field of library sciences. The research results of this study demonstrate the following discoveries:

1. A number of the translations cataloged in authority records cannot properly represent specific grammatical usages and characteristics of foreign personal names. Furthermore, the quality of the translations carried out by librarians hardly reaches the general standards of faithfulness, expressiveness, and elegance abided by translations undertaken in journalism and publishing.

2. Current problems about the translations of foreign personal names in library authority records include the following issues: the translations cataloged in authority records of different libraries have not yet been well integrated; multiple kinds of translations collected in authority records could refer to the same author; an authorized organization specifically in charge of the translations has not yet been established; the present use of the MARC format adopted by the authority records of translations must adapt itself to the format of the library automatic system of retrieval; translations by librarians are generally done under influences of subjective selections; translations adopted in libraries diverge from general usages accepted in journalism and publishing.

3. The disintegrated authority records of translations of foreign personal names have caused failure or incompleteness in the user’s retrieval of information. Reasons that lead to the unsuccessful or inefficient information retrieval may be traced back to the following problems occurring in the authority records of translations: librarians have put much more emphasis on the pronunciation of words than the meanings represented by personal names; the referential function of the library automatic system of retrieval is inadequate to effectively display searched results of the translations collected in authority records; different ways of selecting last names of married women for translation also result in the user’s difficulty in information retrieval.

Based on these research results, this study advances some suggestions on translating foreign personal names for authority records. First, the academic field of library sciences may try to reach an agreement on translations of foreign personal names with journalism and publishing. In addition, libraries, regardless of their scales, should undertake appropriate control in their applications of the translations through the establishment of authority records. The National Library may cooperate with different scales of libraries and moreover subsume the translation database of the Central News Agency to organize a wide-ranged and integrated database of authority files. The National Library may furthermore play the role of providing continual education and training pertaining to translations of foreign personal names and their authority records for domestic librarians. With regard to the library system of information retrieval, libraries should try their best to enhance their control over the data of translations and the referential function of WebPAC so that the efficiency of the user’s information retrieval may be raised to the greatest extent.