蒙特雷給翻譯新生的十條建議

美國翻譯及傳譯專業No.1 美國蒙特雷國際研究生院的十條新生建議，如何成為一個優秀的譯員。

1. Read extensively, especially in your non-native language(s).

廣泛閱讀，尤其是非母語內容。

Read high quality newspapers (e.g. the New York Times, Wall Street Journal) EVERY DAY for at least a year.

每天閱讀高質量報紙（例如：《紐約時報》、《華爾街日報》）且至少堅持一年。

Read high quality news magazines (e.g. the Economist), cover to cover.

逐頁閱讀高質量新聞雜誌（例如：《經濟學人》）

Read your favorite topics in your non-native language(s).

閱讀感興趣的非母語內容

Read other well-written material that will help broaden your general knowledge.

閱讀能夠擴展視野的優秀作品

2. Watch the TV news and listen to radio news and podcasts on current events in all working languages.

觀看多語時事新聞、收聽多語新聞廣播和音頻節目。

Don』t just listen to news stories; analyze them.

光聽新聞故事是不夠的，要學會分析。

Keep abreast of current events and issues.

跟上當前形勢，及時了解信息。

Record news programs and interviews so you can listen to them later.

錄製新聞節目和訪談內容以便重複收聽。

3. Strengthen your general knowledge of economics, history, the law, international politics, and scientific concepts and principles (in that order).

依次強化自己在經濟、歷史、法律、國際政治、科學概念和原理方面的知識。

Take college-level courses, review high school texts, etc.

學習大學階段課程，回顧中學課本等。

Strengthen your knowledge in a specialized field (preferably in a technical field, such as computers).

強化某個領域的專業知識（最好選擇技術領域，如計算機方面）。

4. Live in a country where your non-native language is spoken.

在非母語國家生活。

A stay of at least six months to a year is recommended.

建議至少生活半年到一年時間。

Live with and/or frequently interact with native speakers of your non-native language.

與當地人生活在一起或者經常與當地人交流。

Take content-related courses (e.g. macroeconomics, political science) in your non-native language (not just pure language courses).

學慣用當地語言講授的課程（例如宏觀經濟、政治科學），不要只學習語言類課程。

Work in a setting that requires high level use of your non-native language.

在一家對當地語言能力水平要求很高的單位工作。

5. Fine-tune your writing and research skills.

提高寫作技能和研究水平。

Take challenging composition courses (not just creative writing courses, but classes in journalism, technical writing, etc.) so you can 「speak」 journalese, UNese, legalese, etc.

學習有挑戰的寫作課程（如新聞寫作、技術寫作課程，而非創意寫作課程），從而學會新聞用語、法律用語，甚至說官話等。

Copy (by hand) sections of textbooks and periodicals in your non-native language(s).

手抄非母語課本和期刊中的內容。

Make a note of unfamiliar or troublesome grammatical points and work towards mastering them.

遇到不熟悉的或有難度的語法點要做筆記，並且要努力掌握。

Practice proofreading.

進行校對練習。

6. Improve your public speaking skills.

提高公開演講的能力。

Take rigorous speech courses.

學習嚴謹的演講課程。

Practice writing and making presentations in front of other people in both your native and foreign language(s). (Have native speakers of your non-native language edit your speeches.)

在他人面前使用母語和非母語進行寫作練習並現場展示，吸取母語人士的修改意見。

7. Hone your analytical skills.

磨鍊分析能力。

Practice listening to speeches and orally summarizing the main points.

嘗試聆聽演講並口頭歸納重點。

Practice writing summaries of news articles.

嘗試撰寫新聞文章的概要。

Practice deciphering difficult texts (e.g. philosophy, law, etc.).

嘗試解讀複雜文本（例如哲學、法律文本等）。

Practice explaining complicated concepts understandably.

嘗試將複雜概念解釋得通俗易懂。

Identify resources for background research (e.g. library, Internet, etc.).

識別背景研究所需的各種資源（例如圖書館、互聯網等）。

8. Become computer savvy.

精通計算機操作。

Familiarize yourself with navigation and file management under current Windows operating systems (most of the software tools used in the localization industry today are not compatible with the Apple operating system).

在Windows操作系統下熟練瀏覽和管理文檔（目前在本地化行業中使用的大部分軟體工具與蘋果操作系統不兼容）。

Develop an understanding of the features Windows offers for multilingual processing, such as language-specific keyboard layouts, regional settings for units of measurement.

了解Windows操作系統所包含的與多語言處理相關的功能，比如針對特定語言的鍵盤布局、計量單位的區域設置等。

Learn to use advanced functions of Word, Excel, and other Microsoft Office applications in both your native and non-native languages.

學習使用Word、Excel以及其它微軟Office應用的高級功能，熟悉這些應用的雙語界面。

Become an expert in search engines and online research by using these tools on a daily basis.

每天使用搜索引擎和在線檢索工具，成為這方面的專家。

9. Learn how to take care of yourself.

學習如何照顧自己

Eat sensibly, exercise regularly, and get sufficient sleep. These are all habits required of a good translator/interpreter.

合理膳食、堅持鍛煉，並保證充足的睡眠。這些都是一位優秀筆譯員或口譯員應該具備的良好習慣。

10. Be prepared for lifelong learning.

為終身學習最好準備

Be patient. Bringing your language skills and analytical skills up to the level required of a professional translator or interpreter is not a task that can be accomplished in a few short years. Only with a lot of sustained hard work can anyone truly succeed in these challenging and exciting fields.

要「Hold」住自我。要練就一身紮實的語言技能和分析能力並成為一名專業的筆譯員或口譯員並不是短短几年就做成的事。在這個充滿挑戰、令人振奮的行業里，唯有鍥而不捨方能大展宏圖、一顯身手。

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