Machine-Enabled Multilingual Translations for Effective Cross-Cultural Communication: Controlled Writing in Chinese Folk Cultural Texts

[[abstract]]本計畫旨在討論如何藉由控制性漢語書寫及線上多語機器翻譯，促使跨文化有效 溝通，以利達成「在地文化國際化」之目的。相關文獻，如：J. Roturier (2004), Cardey, Greenfield and Wu (2004), Quah (2006) 及Shih (2011)皆表示改寫成控制性語言的文本送 入機器翻譯系統後，其多語機器翻譯品質皆比未改寫的機器譯文品質進步很多。但控制 性漢語與多語機器翻譯之相關研究畢竟太少，故本研究將使用民俗文化文本為例，將其 改寫成控制性漢語，並依據O’Brien 及Roturier (2007) 所提出的四種層級之評量標準， 檢視其多語機器翻譯品質，以證實控制性漢語書寫原則之系統性及可習性，如此方可進 一步討論其定位問題。簡言之，本計畫研究之四大方向乃是：1)多語機器翻譯與跨文化 溝通之聯結關係；2)民俗文化文本之「控制性漢語書寫」；3)控制性書寫文本之多語機器 翻譯的品質評量及後編輯；4)控制性漢語書寫之定位、推廣及教學。 初步研究結果已証實一些控制性漢語書寫規則有前後一致之穩定性。在句法層面包 括：1)使用SVO 結構；2)使用連接詞銜接兩個子句；3)使用短句。在語意層面：1)使用 具有清楚意義的雙音節詞彙；2)使用「於」、「在」以清楚表示地點或時間；3)使用「的」 連接兩個相關名詞；4)使用量詞及數詞；5)使用各種表示動詞時態之註記詞。在語用層 面，包括：1)避免使用文化用語；2)避免使用隱喻，否則需加註解，以闡述其內涵意義。 綜而言之，雖然上述規則已證實其通則性，但仍需使用不同文本及不同語對翻譯加以印 證，並推廣應用至文化研究與翻譯教學，以讓大眾及學生了解控制性書寫對於多語機器 翻譯之跨文化溝通效益。[[abstract]]This project aims to discuss how to use controlled Chinese writing of folk cultural texts and machine-enabled multilingual translations (MTs) to help promote Taiwan’s folk culture and achieve the purpose of ‘the internalization of local culture’. Some MT researches, J. Roturier (2004), Cardey, Greenfield and Wu (2004), Quah (2006) and Shih (2011), for example, have found that the quality of the multilingual MT outputs of controlled texts is much better than that of uncontrolled texts. However, these researches remain inadequate and this project continues the investigation using controlled writing of Taiwan’s folk cultural texts as examples. The quality of the English, French, Spanish and German MT outputs of controlled cultural texts would be evaluated against that of uncontrolled texts based on four criteria. The research result expects to support the systematicness and learnability of the rules for controlled Chinese writing. Briefly viewed, four issues in this research include: 1) Relevance of machine-enabled multilingual translations to cross-cultural communication; 2) controlled writing of folk cultural texts; 3) regular rules of controlled Chinese writing; 4) identity and promotion of controlled Chinese writing. Tentative findings demonstrate the stability of some rules of controlled Chinese writing for effective MT application. Syntactically, the rules include: 1) use of SVO order; 2) use of conjunctions to connect two clauses; 3) use of more passive voice; 4) use of short and simple sentences. Semantically, the rules involve:1) use of two-syllabic words; 2) use of -yu or -zai to lead a locative phrase; 3) use of the number or measure words before a noun; 4) Use of varied aspect markers for activity verbs; for example, –zheng or –zai for an ongoing situation of an action/activity. Pragmatically, the rules are:1) avoidance of using cultural references; 2) addition of notes to explicate the implications of some words. More texts and translations of varied language pairs through MT application are needed to support the systematic generality of the rules. Finally, controlled Chinese writing would be widely applied to culture studies and translation teaching for the general public and students to understand the effectiveness of cross-cultural communication through controlled machine-enabled multilingual translations.[[note]]NSC101-2410-H327-03