變化中的翻譯職業
The Changing Face of Translation and Interpreting
變化中的翻譯職業
From fountain pens to typewriters to speech recognition. From index cards to electronic dictionaries and the knowledge the Nuremberg trials to telephone and video remote interpreting.
從鋼筆到打字機再到語音識別工具。從索引卡到電子詞典和知識高速公路。從紐倫堡審判中的首次現場同聲傳譯到如今的電話和視頻遠程同傳。
As the world changes, so do many aspects of the work of translators and interpreters. Graduates today can barely believe what they hear about the working conditions of their predecessors only 30 years ago. Today a wealth of information is at our fingertips. We have a plethora of tools to enable us to translate faster and more consistently. We can consult colleagues all over the world without leaving our desks.
世界在變，翻譯工作也隨之發生諸多變化。今天的畢業生們很難相信，僅僅30年前他們的前輩們面臨的是一個多麼不同的工作環境！而如今，動動手指我們就可以獲得海量的信息。我們可以利用諸多工具使翻譯速度更快，前後更加一致。我們可以穩坐辦公室與全球各地的同事對話交流。
For clients, too, translation has changed. No longer do they battle to find a local translator to meet their needs – professional associations all over the world have directories of members waiting to assist. They can send out a text before leaving the office in the evening and have the translation waiting when they come in again next morning, thanks to communication over time zones. They can balance their costs and their target audiences over different projects by using translators in different parts of the world. They can consult their own clients on the other side of the world or a doctor in another country owing to the availability of expert telephone interpreters. They can run a text through a machine translation program and get an immediate idea of what it is about.
對於客戶而言，翻譯也大不一樣了。他們再也不用爲找到一位符合要求的當地譯者而大動干戈，因爲全球各地的翻譯專業協會編制的會員名錄可提供衆多會員供客戶選擇。得益於跨時區的溝通，客戶晚上離開辦公室前發出的文件，第二天早晨回到辦公室時就可以拿到譯稿。他們可以通過各種項目與全球不同地區的譯員合作，找到成本和目標受衆之間的平衡。他們可以通過熟練專業的電話口譯員向位於另一個半球的他們自己的客戶或異國的醫生進行諮詢。他們可以將一篇文章輸入機器翻譯程序，馬上了解其大意。
All these things underlie the theme for International Translation Day 2015, which is: The Changing Face of Translation and Interpreting Le nouveau visage de la traduction et l’interprétation The changes present us with both new challenges and new opportunities. Speed, cost and volume are most often cited. But it is much more than that. For the practitioners they mean working smarter and being open to change, adapting to new changing roles, learning new skills and mastering new tools. But the basics do not change.
諸如此類的變化構成了2015年國際翻譯日的主題，即：變化中的翻譯職業（The Changing Face of Translation and Interpreting）這些變化呈現給我們的是新挑戰和新機遇。業界經常提及速度、成本和數量，但這遠遠不夠。對於翻譯從業者來說，這種變化意味着他們需要更加智慧地開展工作，更加開放地迎接變化，適應不斷變化的新角色，學習新技能，掌握新工具。
The role of translators and interpreters today is the same as it was a thousand years ago: to enable people to communicate. Quality remains the touchstone in any assignment and this still depends on the skill and experience of the translator or interpreter and selecting the right person for the job. Translators still have to craft each text to fit its purpose. Clients still need to brief the translator or interpreter of their needs properly. Translators still need to keep themselves fresh, up-to-date and on the ball through continuing professional development.
然而，翻譯的基本規則並沒有改變。 今天口筆譯工作者的角色與一千年前相比沒有什麼變化，即：讓人們更好地進行溝通； 質量仍然是每一項翻譯任務的檢驗標準，而質量仍取決於譯者的技能、經驗以及與任務的匹配度。譯者仍然需要根據譯文的用途精心打磨每一份文稿。客戶仍然需要向譯者清晰準確地表達其需求。譯者仍然需要通過持續不斷的職業充電來保持精力充沛、更新相關知識、維持敏銳的反應。
What will the face of Translation and Interpreting be in the future? For millennia, living and breathing translators or interpreters have been the embodiment of unparalleled linguistic skills, specialised training, professional conduct and a passion for their work. The best equipment can help them do an even better job, but cannot get to the heart and soul of a text or the nuances of negotiations. On International Translation Day 2015, therefore, let us celebrate the great advances that have been made in translation and interpreting, but most importantly celebrate the individuals who are at the heart of this profession and who make it possible for the world to be a global village but at the same time a universe full of possibilities in the past, at present and in the future.
翻譯在未來將是何種面貌呢？幾千年來，一代又一代的翻譯工作者展示出了無與倫比的語言技能、專業培訓、職業操守和工作熱情。最好的工具可以幫助他們工作得更好，但無法深入文字的核心和靈魂，或體現出談判過程中的細微差別。因此，在2015年國際翻譯日即將來臨之際，我們慶賀翻譯領域所取得的重大進展，但更重要的是，我們要向廣大翻譯工作者致敬，是他們構成了翻譯事業的核心，是他們讓這個世界變成了一個地球村，一個保留了人類豐富的歷史、現實和未來多樣性的共同家園。
