The “Polywriting” Model: Machine Translation of Web Paratexts and Communication Efficiency Assessment

[[abstract]]本三年期計劃提議建置「多重書寫」之模型，乃係書寫及提供三種網頁並 列文本，包括: 1)非控制性文本；2)半控制性文本；3)全控制性文本，以供讀者多 重選擇。第一類型文本保有自然中文的書寫特色，可使用文言文詞彙、俚語及未 完整句型，故適合人工翻譯，以譯入一些亞洲語言，如：韓語及日語。而第二類 型文本之書寫目的乃是為了讓Google 機器翻譯(MT)系統自動將其譯成英語；第 三類型文本之書寫目的乃是讓Google MT 系統將其轉譯成多種歐洲語言，如:西 班牙語、法語、德語等等。第一年子計畫之多重書寫網頁文本將以台灣重要節慶 及民俗活動為主題；第二年子計畫將以台灣美食為主題；而第三年子計畫將建置 多重書寫網站，實施問卷調查，以評量機器翻譯之品質及溝通效益，並改善其缺 點。 在理論層面，此計劃旨在辨識非、半、全控制文本之間的語言特色及編輯 書寫原則之差異。目前針對已完成之半控制性文本樣本，主持人已大約歸納出一 些原則，如：使用白話文詞彙、改寫俚語及成語、使用完整句構等等，但書寫全 控制性文本時，更加嚴格，必需增加其他原則，如：使用短句、使用被動句、避 免使用代名詞等等。在應用層面，多重書寫網站將設置在專區，然後進行問卷調 查，以評量其翻譯品質及網友讀者之接受度。在教學層面，此多重書寫模型可整 合至翻譯教學課程，使學生學習機器翻譯媒介之溝通模式。最後，本計劃將進一 步討論多重書寫模型的學術及專業價值，以揭櫫「目的導向之網頁翻譯詩論」及 「人工vs. 機器翻譯之對比翻譯學」的實證型範。[[abstract]]This three-year project proposes a polywriting model that provides three types of webtexts, including: 1)uncontrolled texts; 2)semi-controlled texts; and 3)fully-controlled texts. The first type is featured by natural Chinese writing that uses classical terms, idiomatic expressions and complicated structures. The latter two modify the first version through loose and strict editing. The first type is preserved for human translation, particularly for the translation into Korean and Japanese (vernacular Chinese and these two languages are structurally different). The second one is used for online automatic translation into English; and the third one, for online automatic translation into Indo European languages, such as German, Spanish, French and others. In the first two years, the author will write paratexts on the topics of Twain’s important festivals, folk events, and famous food, and then test them on Google MT for quality assurance. In the third year, polywriting websites are developed and quality assessment is made to understand the strengths and weaknesses. Theoretically, this project identifies the differences in linguistic features and writing principles among uncontrolled, semi-controlled and fully-controlled texts. The tentative findings show that in writing semi-/fully-controlled webtexts, vernacular diction and structurally complete sentences must be used. In addition, idiomatic expressions and Chengyu must be paraphrased. However, additional rules are applied to the writing of fully-controlled webtexts, including: 1)the use of short sentences to replace the long one; 2) the use of referential nouns to replace pronouns; 3)the more use of passive voice; and 4)the use of commas to segment different linguistic units. Technically, communication efficiency and translation quality of polywriting websites are to be assessed for future improvement. Pedagogically, the polywriting model will be incorporated into translation curriculum for trainee translators to learn machine-translation-mediated communication. To conclude this three-year project, academic implications and practical significances of the polywriting model will be discussed to shed light on purpose-oriented translation poetics, and human-translation-vs.-machine-translation contrastive translatology.[[note]]NSC100-2410-H327-03