国际译联主席贝蒂·科恩女士
在中国译协第五届全国理事会会议开幕式上的致词
摘自:中国同声翻译工作者协会
全球化与多元性对翻译工作者意味着什么？
——国际译联主席贝蒂·科恩女士在中国译协第五届
全国理事会会议开幕式上的致词
2004年11月4日
首先，我想以我个人和国际译联执行理事会的名义对你们诚挚的邀请表示感谢。我们来自世界各地，现在请允许我向你们介绍我的同事：来自挪威的副主席柯本迪（Bente Christensen）女士，来自爱尔兰的秘书长米丽雅（Miriam Lee）女士，来自美国的司库毕德（Peter Krawutschke）先生，来自芬兰的国际译联第17届世界大会组委会主席谢莉（Sheryl Hinnkannen）女士。我也很高兴向大家介绍芬兰口笔译协会主席潘阿理（Ari Pentill?）先生。我们非常高兴能来中国，因为以前我们很少有这样的机会。
我们所从事的行业在世界各地都迅速增长。全球化使翻译服务的需求量猛增，新兴国家，如中国的崛起，也使翻译的语种大大增加。例如，加拿大西海岸地区对中文的需求稳步增长，一个新近设立的专为法国华人社区服务的电视频道雇佣了14个中译法的翻译人员。我认为这是我们翻译行业欣欣向荣的表现。中国翻译界所取得的成就也让我们有理由相信，我们将有更多的交流与合作机会。
全球化已不是远景，它已成为现实，我们在新闻报道中时有所闻。全球化对翻译行业而言意味着建立大型国际翻译服务机构，意味着创建一门新的专业——本地化。这些大型翻译公司还通过开发或使用新工具来辅助翻译工作，有成功的经验，也有失败的教训。有时，客户的要求自相矛盾，翻译人员无所适从；有时翻译工作者无法获得完成专业工作所必须的工作条件。翻译协会和国际译联应该在这些方面发挥作用。他们必须为自己的成员和成员的客户制定一些规则，以确保以专业方式进行翻译工作，避免出现有可能致命的错误。电器组装说明书中的一处错误，或重要财务报告中的一处数字错误，都可能造成重大的损失，这方面我们强调的还不够。专业的翻译非常关键，它是顺利高效地开展国际交流与国际贸易的保证。我们翻译协会的任务就是使公众意识到专业翻译的必要性，并挑战懂两种语言就能做翻译的谬论。如果翻译这样容易，我们还用得着设立翻译专业学位吗？
这是我们的使命，我们共同的使命。这也是国际译联的力量所在。我们必须通过每一个协会，每一个区域中心，以及国际译联本身，传达同一个信息：翻译必须专业化，这样才能确保翻译的质量。
但是，全球化并不意味着我们必须放弃我们的文化和多元性。联合国教科文组织发表的《文化多元性全球宣言》就提出，要把文化多元性作为一种鲜活的、不断更新的宝藏予以保护，而不是作为没有生命的、一成不变的遗产加以继承。
我认为，多元性首先意味着人与人之间的互相理解与交流。没有翻译和翻译工作者，理解就无从谈起。
我们可以预见，未来几年中，翻译和翻译工作者的需求将会越来越大。因此，我认为我们翻译行业正处在一个黄金时代。贸易、文化、和平、人道等都离不开翻译，翻译在历史上从未如此不可或缺。 然而，翻译工作者一般都隐身幕后，不知道如何宣传自己的技能。我们的工作性质要求我们传递完信息就消失掉，不能让读者觉察到翻译的痕迹。我们已经习惯隐身而去，以致于我们都忘了我们是多么的不可替代。
请大家试想一下，世上一日无翻译会怎样。联合国，世界贸易组织，各种非政府组织，跨国公司，电视台，报纸等等，都将鸦雀无声。翻译工作者就象电线中的电流，水管中的水流，直到我们失去他们时才发现他们对我们而言是多么的重要。
请谨记此言并广为传播。
祝大会圆满成功！再次感谢中国译协的盛情邀请和热情款待。
附：英文原文
Globalization and Diversity, What Do They Mean for Translators?
--Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the Fifth National Council Meeting of Translators Association of China
November 4, 2004
First, I want to thank you, in my own name and in the name of the FIT Executive Committee, for your kind invitation. We come from different countries. Please let me introduce my colleagues of the executive committee of FIT： Ms. Bente Christensen from Norway, Vice President of FIT; Mr. Peter Krawutschke from the U.S., Treasure of FIT; Ms. Miriam Lee from Ireland, Secretary-General of FIT; Ms. Sheryl Hinkkanen from Finland, hostess of the next FIT World Congress in 2005. I am also happy to introduce Mr. Ari Penttil?, President of the Finnish Association of Translators and Interpreters. He will also wait for you at Tampere, Finland next year. We are all thrilled to be here, in a part of the world we do not visit very often.
Our profession is growing. It is growing everywhere. The demand for our services is growing in volume because of globalization, and it is also growing in the number of languages translated because of emerging economies like yours, in China. For instance, Chinese is more and more in demand in the West Coast of Canada and a brand new TV Channel aimed at the Chinese community in France just hired 14 translators from Chinese to French. I really think this is a sign of vigor and health for the profession and, considering what has been done so far in China, it is probably not the last time we see each other.
Globalization is not coming. It is upon us and we see it in the news everyday. It has meant, for our profession, the creation of international providers of translation services and of a new discipline called localization. These big translation companies have also created or are using new tools which enhance the translator's performance, sometimes for the good, sometimes not. Sometimes, the translator is torn between conflicting requirements and is not given the right conditions to do a proper professional work. That is where professional associations and FIT have a role to play. They have to set guidelines for their members and their members' clients so that translation is carried out professionally in order to avoid errors that can sometimes be fatal. We do not say it often enough, but a mistake in, say, assembly instructions of an electric device, can be very damaging, as can be an error in the numbers of a very important financial report. Professional translation is crucial as it is the warranty of good international communications, hence efficient trade and exchanges between countries and economies. It is our role, as associations, to make the public aware of the necessity of professional translation and to fight the belief that anyone who is bilingual can be a translator. If it were so easy, we would not have created university degrees, would we?
We have to do it, and we have to do it together. That is the strength of FIT. All together, we have to convey the same message of quality and professionalism, through our associations, through the regional centers and through FIT as an international body.
But globalization does not mean that we have to leave out culture and diversity. UNESCO has issued a Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity which, in the UNESCO General Secretary's own words “aims both to preserve cultural diversity as a living, and thus renewable treasure that must not be perceived as being unchanging heritage but as a process guaranteeing the survival of humanity”.
To me, diversity means first and foremost people understanding each other and exchanging. And how are they going to understand each other if not through translation and translators?
Translation and translators are therefore going to be increasingly in demand in the years to come. That is why I am talking of a golden age for our profession. Never in history have we been so indispensable to trade, culture, peace, and humanity. However, translators in general are very discreet people and do not know how to market their skills. The nature of our work requires from us to render a message and disappear, so that the final reader does not realize it is a translation. We are so accustomed to disappear that we forget how indispensable we are.
Just imagine one day in the world without translation. The United Nations, the World Trade Organization and all the NGOs, the transnational companies, TV channels, newspapers, etc. would all be mute. We are like the electricity in the wires and the water in the tap. They are so natural to most of us that it is only when they are unavailable that we realize how useful they are.
Keep that in mind and spread the word!
I want to wish you all a very fruitful and successful meeting, and thank again the Translators Association of China for their warm welcome and exquisite hospitality.
Betty Cohen
President of the International Federation of Translators (FIT)
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