臺灣會議口譯員遠距同步口譯使用意見調查

Remote Simultaneous Interpreting: Exploring Experiences and Opinions of Conference Interpreters in Taiwan

新型冠狀病毒疾病（COVID-19）肆虐全球，使「遠距同步口譯」（remote simultaneous interpreting, RSI）成為全球會議口譯市場的新常態。各種旅行與群聚禁令導致會議主辦單位必須使用這些以網路技術開發的RSI平臺，而會議口譯員被迫適應這個新的工作模式以維持生計，臺灣的會議口譯員也不例外。本研究透過網路問卷及書面訪談探索臺灣會議口譯員的RSI使用經驗與意見。問卷詢問填答者疫情爆發前後的遠距口譯經驗、是否同意業者用來行銷RSI所提出的諸多優點、是否同意許多同行提出的諸多缺點，以及他們如何比較RSI及傳統的實體同步口譯工作模式。共41位填答者的回覆顯示，臺灣會議口譯員一般而言不滿意現階段的RSI工作經驗，且若有兩個口譯案件，所有工作條件相同，僅有RSI或傳統實體之區別，受訪者均表示會選擇傳統的實體同步口譯工作模式。雖然RSI可能對口譯市場有負面影響，填答者一般認為這種工作模式不會隨疫情結束而消失。本探索性研究顯示，受訪者雖然在情感上可能抗拒RSI，但認知上與行為上則可能接受，因此未來有關口譯員與科技使用的研究，宜納入如科技準備度這種人格特質的情感構念，以更細膩地了解口譯員對新的口譯科技抱持什麼樣的態度。

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI) has become the ＂new normal＂ in the global conference interpreting market. These internet-based RSI platforms offer conference organizers a safe and convenient solution during the COVID-19 pandemic when traveling is difficult and physical gatherings are banned. Many conference interpreters, including those in Taiwan, were forced to adapt to this new mode of work to ensure their continual operation. In this report, the RSI experiences and opinions of Taiwan's conference interpreters were explored using a questionnaire and follow-up written interviews. Interpreters were asked about their remote interpreting experiences prior to and after the pandemic, how much they agreed to RSI providers' claims about the advantages of RSI, how much they agreed to claims about the shortcomings of RSI, and how they compared RSI with traditional (i.e., physical) simultaneous interpreting (SI). The results from 41 respondents revealed that conference interpreters in Taiwan were generally dissatisfied with their RSI experiences, and if given the choice regarding the mode of work (RSI vs. traditional SI), those interviewed would choose the traditional mode over RSI. Despite the potential negative effects of RSI on the interpreting market, respondents believed in its enduring presence. This exploratory study suggested that respondents resisted RSI affectively, but behaviorally (and perhaps cognitively) accepted it. Therefore, future research on the relationship between interpreters and technology should incorporate the affective constructs of personality traits, such as technological readiness, to better understand interpreters' attitudes toward new interpreting technology.