翻譯行業四大病你有體會嗎？

最新 02-15

The translation industry is booming. There are large companies bringing in millions of dollars in profit each year. Some of those companies claim to have over 10,000 translators available to help clients. Most importantly, there are more ways than ever for a potential client to get what they need, and they have many translation agencies, apps and freelancers to choose from. But are those in need of translation really getting the best service?

翻譯行業正在蓬勃發展。一些大公司每年盈利達上百萬美元，其中有些公司聲稱自己有上萬名譯員為客戶提供服務。最重要的是，對於潛在客戶來說，他們比以前更容易得到想要的服務，他們有許多翻譯機構、應用程序以及自由譯員可供選擇。但是，那些需要翻譯的人得到的真是最好的服務嗎？

Let』s look at some problems that are currently plaguing the industry as a whole, and then at how some are doing things right.

下面我們來看看目前翻譯行業整體存在的一些問題，以及一些正確的範例。

1. Translators Aren』t Being Properly Vetted

譯員未經合理審核

On Glassdoor, a site where employees can post reviews of their employer, someone wrote on one of the biggest companies in the industry:

在Glassdoor網站上，僱員可以發表關於僱主的評論。有人在該網站如此評價行業內最大的翻譯公司：

「They lie to clients that their documents will be handled internally, while all are sent to unverified translators in other countries. Anyone can work for [redacted] if they have a computer and pass an easy 300 word test.」

「他們對客戶謊稱文件會由內部譯員翻譯，但是他們將所有文件都外派給未經審核的外國譯員。只要能通過300字的簡單測試，擁有一台電腦，就能任職。」

I』ve copied that word for word because it holds such truth for how a lot of agencies in this industry are run. It』s a good business model: get cheap labor from another country (or even within their own country), charge the client 200% more than what you paid the translator, and then pray the poorly-paid translator did a good enough job that the client won』t complain.

我逐字逐句地把原話抄了下來，因為這就是這個行業中很多翻譯公司的真實狀況。這是個很棒的商業模型：從其他國家（抑或從本國）獲得廉價勞動力，向客戶收取比支付給譯員多200%的費用，然後祈禱這個低薪的譯員能夠翻譯得很好，客戶不會投訴。

Almost all agencies use independent contractors and not employees. That means many agencies only speak to the translator through email, where it』s much easier to disguise fluency in languages, credentials and even if you』re the person you』re claiming to be. It』s a slippery slope, which is why a thorough vetting process needs to be in place.

幾乎所有翻譯機構都使用獨立合同工而不是專職員工。這就是說，許多機構僅僅通過郵件與譯員溝通，這樣，偽造語言的嫻熟程度和相關證書就變得更加容易，甚至你就是自稱的那個人。這是一種滑坡效應（譯者註：大錯誤往往從小錯誤開始），因此，應該建立起對譯員的全面審查程序。

2. Translators Are Barely Being Paid

譯員難以獲得報酬

There is a great group on LinkedIn with over 7,000 members where translators share ridiculous offers they receive as a warning to others. Unfortunately, offers seem to be getting lower and lower with each passing day.

領英平台上有一個7000多人的龐大群組，譯員在這裡分享他們收到的各種奇葩報價，以警示他人。不幸的是，報價似乎越來越低，與日俱減。

It』s true that you get what you pay for, but most clients don』t realize how little some translators are being paid because they only work with the agency, who charge a high price to the client and keep most of the fee for themselves. But if the translator isn』t being paid a fair wage, then what incentive do they have to turn in a high-quality translation? If the agency breaks their contract due to poor quality, they can simply go get paid peanuts elsewhere.

一分錢一分貨，這一點毋庸置疑。但大多數客戶並沒有意識到付給譯員的報酬少得可憐，因為客戶只與翻譯機構合作，機構向他們收取高價，而大部分費用卻中飽私囊。如果譯員得不到合理的薪資，又怎會有動力產出高質量譯文？如果翻譯機構因翻譯質量不高而毀約，譯員就只能獲得微不足道的報酬。

3. There Are Few Quality Standards

質量標準難尋

An agency likely doesn』t have someone on staff that can proofread a translation from English to Burmese or what have you. Because agencies use independent contractors, they have to put a huge amount of faith and trust in the translators they work with. And if their translator is being poorly paid, again, what incentive does that translator or proofreader have to spend hours slaving away to make a translation perfect?

翻譯機構可能沒有專職人員去校對從英語翻譯成緬甸語等語種的譯文，而是採用獨立承包商，因此需要格外信任與其合作的譯員。如果承包商的譯員掙不到多少錢，還是同樣的問題，譯者或校對者怎麼會有動力埋頭苦幹數小時去完善譯文？

They don』t, and who can blame them? So with no way to correctly assess quality and little knowledge about who the translator even is, that means their knowledge of whether a translation is acceptable or not could be just guesswork. But a lot of clients don』t have a way to question the translation because they』re not fluent in the language pair, and it would be too costly to ask an independent assessor to look over the completed translation. So they put faith in their agency, because what else can they do?

當然不會，誰又能責備他們呢？所以沒有正確評估質量的方法、缺乏對譯者的了解，就意味著客戶對於譯文是否能被接受的認知可能也只是臆測。然而很多客戶無法對譯文提出質疑，因為他們的語言水平達不到流暢的程度，讓獨立評估方去完整檢查譯文的成本又十分高昂，所以他們只得相信翻譯機構，否則還能做什麼呢？

4. A New World: Machine Translation

新世界：機器翻譯

We』ve said it multiple times: sometimes Google Translate is truly all you need. It is absolutely nowhere near perfect, but it can work if you need a quick, low-quality translation. A new trend in the industry is an agency using machine translation on a piece and then asking a translator to proofread it for a very low fee.

我們已經提到很多次了：有時谷歌翻譯的內容確實就是你需要的。當然，它和完美相距甚遠，但如果你追求速度而不要求質量時，它還是能滿足你的。對於翻譯行業來說，一個新的趨勢是，翻譯機構使用機翻後，再付給譯者極低的報酬做校對工作。

This is probably the future of the industry. As machines become more adept at language services, we』re going to have to change how we translate. But, at the moment, machines aren』t capable of 100% accuracy on anything that』s beyond simple and short, which only makes up a minority of projects currently. We still need capable translators that can edit machine translation, and they need to be compensated fairly. Together machines and humans can help the industry… but don』t forget the human part of that equation.

這很可能就是翻譯行業的未來。隨著機器在語言服務方面變得越來越熟練，我們將不得不改變翻譯方式。但是，目前機器翻譯只能在簡短的內容上保證100%的精確，它們只佔翻譯項目的一小部分。我們仍然需要有能力的譯者對機器翻譯的內容進行編輯，這些譯員需要得到合理的報酬。機器和人類可以共同幫助翻譯行業……但不要忘記這個過程中人類的努力。

Maybe some of you will read this and say, 「So what?」 Maybe for some translations it really is okay if the quality is mediocre at best. But it』s not okay what many of the translators in this industry are being paid. And it』s not okay that non-vetted translators are working on legal documents, doctors』 reports, government files, and more with limited knowledge. It』s not okay that the quality of translations is going unchecked.

也許一些人看到這裡會說「那又怎樣」，對於某些翻譯需求來說，質量一般般也是可以的。但在這個行業里，很多譯者沒有得到合理的報酬，這是不正常的。同樣，未經審查的譯員在有限的知識範圍內從事法律文件、醫生報告、政府文件等方面的翻譯工作也是不正常的。翻譯的質量不受控制同樣不正常。

Here』s some good news: a lot of agencies actually do great work. They know their translators personally and have thoroughly tested them, checked their credentials, and have proper proofreaders checking their work. So don』t despair! Just do some research on who you』re working with and follow these tips:

也有一些好消息：很多翻譯機構確實幹了實事。他們了解自己的譯者，並對譯者進行了全面測試，檢查他們的證書，還有專門人員對其譯文進行校對。所以不要絕望！只需研究一下與你共事的人，並遵循以下建議：

1. Shop Around

貨比三家

Don』t just go for the lowest price. Thoroughly research the company you』re looking at. Look at how their workers rate them on places like Glassdoor or translator forums. Look at their job postings and see what they require from translators. A bigger company doesn』t always mean a bigger commitment to quality.

不要只追求最低的價格。徹底研究一下你正在關注的公司，看看他們的員工是怎樣在Glassdoor等網站或譯者論壇評價他們的，以及他們的招聘通知和對譯者的要求。公司越大並不意味著質量越高。

Also, there are a lot of freelance translators available who don』t work with agencies, which might be better for your project if it』s small or if you work better directly with a translator. It takes more time to find a good match, but it could be a great option for some.

除此之外，如果你的項目規模不大或者和一個譯者直接合作效果會更好，那麼有許多不屬於任何翻譯機構的自由譯者可能會更適合你的項目。

2. Don』t Expect Great Work for Cheap

不要期望物美價廉

Just like in every other industry, you get what you pay for. It』s normal to want things for free, but translators work extremely hard. They』re providing a specialized service that most people can』t do or don』t have the time to do. They need to be paid a fair wage and deserve most of the pay from the client. If you』re paying an agency a few pennies per word, just imagine how little the translator is actually getting paid.

就像在其他行業一樣，一分錢一分貨。想吃免費的午餐是正常的，但譯者的工作極端辛苦。他們在提供大部分人沒有能力或無暇從事的專業服務。他們需要得到一份合理的工資，應該得到客戶支付的大部分報酬。如果一個翻譯機構的價格是每個詞幾美分，想像一下譯者實際上得到的報酬是多麼的少。

3. It』s Okay If an Agency Tells You No

不要介意翻譯機構拒絕你的要求

The other day we had someone email us who wanted to translate a book into Russian from English. While it sounded like an amazing project, we referred them to a small translation agency that specializes in literary translations and where the owners themselves do great Russian translations personally.

前幾天，有人發電子郵件給我們，想把一本書從英語譯成俄語。雖然這聽起來是個不錯的項目，但我們向他們推薦了一家專門從事文學翻譯的小型翻譯機構。這家翻譯機構的經營者本身俄語翻譯就做得很棒。

The truth is we could have done it. We have Russian translators. But that』s not their area of expertise, and literary translation needs to be done by specialized translators. It requires nuance, passion, knowledge, and a whole other host of things to make the cost of translating worth it. So it』s okay if you and agency aren』t a good fit. Just make sure you find this out before you pay them!

事實上，我們本來有能力完成這個項目。我們有俄語翻譯，但這不是他們的專業領域，文學翻譯需要由專門的譯者來完成。文學翻譯需要細膩、熱情、知識等諸多素質，才對得起翻譯成本。所以如果你和翻譯機構不搭也沒關係，只要確定你在付款前發現這一點就行！

This industry isn』t cheap, but it』s worth it when done correctly. Don』t forget that.

翻譯行業並不廉價，但只有正確做事才會實現價值。不要忘記這一點。

雖然句句扎心，但隨著翻譯行業的不斷發展，相信這些問題都會得到改善，並逐步解決。在全球化日益深入、「一帶一路」建設不斷拓展的當下，翻譯行業正迎來難得的歷史機遇，在新春到來之際，Yee君在此祝願各位譯者不忘初心，砥礪前行，順勢而為，大展宏圖！