中譯英口譯中性別未定單數指稱詞之譯法

Abstract

近數十年來，性別多元與包容意識提升，語言中之性別表現也逐漸受到矚目。其中，英文使用男性第三人稱代名詞「he」指稱性別未定之單數名詞的用法引起熱烈討論，許多學者指出此種用法隱含偏見，並探討是否有其他用法可取而代之，以達到性別中立及包容。儘管英文中性別特定和性別包容之代名詞廣受討論，卻少有文獻提及此類指稱詞在跨語言溝通中的用法，尤其是英文和中文之間的交流。因為英文目前仍缺乏廣為使用之性別包容單數代名詞，翻譯此類指稱詞並不容易，且口譯時多語言且跨文化之溝通背景可能使得口譯更為艱難。 因此，本研究透過語料庫分析專業口譯員對於性別未定單數指稱詞之英文口譯，選擇15段線上公開之中譯英口譯影片，從中擷取性別未定之單數指稱詞，進行標註並彙整為自編語料庫進行分析。分析結果顯示專業口譯員翻譯性別未定單數指稱詞時傾向使用較中性之口譯方法，並偏好使用代名詞。此外，根據分析結果，口譯員選擇口譯方法的主要影響因素包含所指稱名詞相關職業性別刻板印象以及指涉性，且各因素會交互影響，顯現口譯員處理性別未定單數指稱詞時需考量的因素繁雜，具挑戰性。

The growing emphasis on gender inclusivity has heightened interest in how gender is represented in language. A particular focus has been the use of the masculine pronoun “he” for gender-indefinite singular references, which scholars have critiqued as biased. This critique has spurred discussions on neutral alternatives. While a considerable body of research exists on the use of gender-specific and gender-neutral pronouns in English, little attention has been paid to this issue in cross-linguistic communication, particularly between Mandarin Chinese and English. The absence of a widely accepted gender-inclusive singular pronoun in English complicates the interpretation of gender-indefinite references. This challenge is exacerbated in interpreter-mediated contexts, where multilingual and cross-cultural dynamics add complexity. This study seeks to address this gap through a corpus-based analysis of how professional interpreters render gender-indefinite singular references from Mandarin into English. The corpus comprises 15 online video recordings of Mandarin-to-English interpreted speech. The findings indicate that interpreters generally aim for gender inclusivity when faced with such references, with a clear preference for pronoun-based strategies. Furthermore, the gender of occupational antecedents and the definiteness of the reference were found to have an influence on interpreters’ choices. The study also reveals that these choices are shaped by the interaction of multiple variables, underscoring the complexity of dealing with gender during interpreting tasks.