王斌

Wang Bin

北京微语翻译

China Microtrans

 

摘要：作者从国内和国外两个方面对2007年世界翻译市场的发展进行集中总结，通过对国内26家翻译机构以及国外战略合作伙伴的专门拜访和在线调查，希望通过对国内和国外翻译行业一个阶段的研究和总结，帮助中国翻译行业各界同仁了解国内外翻译行业的最新发展趋势和发展动向，为国内翻译企业尽快找到一条适合中国翻译行业发展的道路，并提供建设性的建议和思路。

 

Abstract: The author sums up the development of translation market in the world in 2007 from domestic and overseas aspects and hopes to assist people in China’s translation industry in acquiring information of updated development trend and direction in translation industry both in China and abroad, help translation enterprises in China find out a way suitable for China’s translation industry development and provide constructive suggestions and thoughts with the help of his intentional interviews with and online surveys of 26 translation institutions in China and the strategically cooperative partners in foreign countries, and also his study and conclusion of certain stage in translation industry both in China and abroad,  

 

关键词：国内翻译市场；国外翻译市场；中国本土翻译公司；展望未来，放眼世界

 

Key words: China’s translation market; overseas translation market; local translation company in China; look into the future and scan widely the world

 

2007年国内翻译市场规模增长速度加快，同业竞争日趋激烈，国内本土翻译公司从粗放型生产转换为集约型经营的趋势日趋明显，按学科和语言进行专业化分工的速度正在加快。

 

Domestic translation market accelerates its scale increase in 2007 and competition in this field becomes more and more drastic. It is an obvious trend that local translation companies in China who are speeding up their steps in professionalized work division based upon subjects and languages have converted from extensive form of production to intensive type of operation.  

 

2007年对大多数翻译公司是收获的一年，也是非同寻常的一年，根据对全国26家各兄弟翻译公司实际调研，并结合微语公司的业务状况，如果只让我用一句话来总结的话就是：总体而言，翻译市场竞争激烈程度日益加剧，各个翻译公司从过去的粗放型生产转换为集约型发展的趋势明显，竞争导致国内市场分化严重，按学科和语言专业化分工日趋明显。请允许笔者用三句话分别对上述总结进行解读：经过调查，具有核心竞争力的公司越来越迸发出蓬勃生机，约占调查数的百分之三十左右，被调查单位普遍感觉翻译单子很多，总感觉做不完，普遍认同2007中国翻译市场规模扩大趋势明显，生意很好做。同时，也有一些翻译公司由于在管理创新、质量创新、市场创新方面缺乏竞争力，一味沿袭过去老路，这类的翻译公司不少抱怨大客户流失现象严重，2007生意不好做，利润呈直线下滑趋势，调查反馈的结果是这类翻译公司约占被调查者总数的百分之五十，请注意也就是说一半翻译公司感觉2007年生意不是很好做，生意不红也不火，大客户老是流失。最后是一部分观念落后、无论管理、质量和市场都大大落后的小规模的公司，纷纷抱怨一年不如一年，业务冷冷清清，经营举步维艰，这类公司约占被全部被调查公司的百分之十。还有百分之十的跨国大公司，对相关商业调查心存芥蒂，没有过多透露相关业务细节。

 

The year of 2007 is a year of harvest and also a special year to most translation companies. According to field investigation and research of 26 China’s translation companies in combination with operation situation of China Microtrans, I will sump up the year of 2007 as the following: generally speaking, the competition in translation market becomes more and more drastic; It is an obvious trend that local translation companies have converted from extensive form of production to intensive type of development; competition leads to severe market division in China and the professionalized work division based upon subjects and languages is becoming clearer. The author is highly appreciated for your understanding of his explanation of the above-mentioned conclusion in three sentences: according to the investigation, companies with core competitiveness express more and more their vigorous energies. About 30% of companies in investigation feel that they are nearly unable to accomplish all their jobs owing to the increasing orders and it is commonly agreed among them that translation market scale in China in 2007 is obviously extended with easy operations. At the same time, some translation companies who are uncompetitive due to their shortage of innovation in management, quality and market merely confined to their traditional ways of operation. Translation companies in this category keep complaining the phenomenon of losing major clients and find it hard to run translation companies in 2007 and their profits keep descending obviously. The feedback investigation result indicates that the translation companies in this category account for 50%. You may pay attention to this point, namely, 50% translation companies find it hard to run translation companies, their business is not as ideal as they imagined and they keep losing their major clients. Finally, those little-scaled companies with outdated ideas, management, quality and market keep complaining that their business keeps descending with poor business volume and hardship in operation. Translation companies in this category cover 10% among the total. Another 10% transnational large companies feel doubtful about business investigation and they are unwilling to tell more business related details.

 

综上所述，根据上述调查数据是否可以做出这样的推论：国内翻译质量好迎合市场需要的翻译公司越做越大、越做越强，占百分之三十，产业集中度在加强的趋势日趋显现，同时值得注意的是约有50%的公司，还有些是历史悠久的公司，很多抱怨所大客户流失严重，还有10%的翻译公司翻译业务日趋萎缩，日子相当难过，这也市场分化严重的佐证之一，我们在调查的过程中，惊喜的发现，翻译公司专业化分工态势日趋明显，从专业来讲，有的公司专门做医学的翻译，其他都不做，有的只做法律的翻译，有的只做软件系统方面的，其他一概不做，他们不约而同的戏称要响应十七大的号召--又好又快发展，首先做好，然后做大，不单纯追求经济效益，而把公司的品牌经营和特色经营放到首位，实现差别化市场占有率和竞争力。而这一结果客观导致专业化分工的进一步完善，对翻译市场的成熟和发展很有好处。从语言种类来说，有的公司抓住自己最强的一个语种，或者几个语种做，其他的语种全部外包给相关优势企业做，自己就做最擅长的，不求最全但求最好。很多翻译公司都说，纷纷坦言过去说自己什么语言都能做，什么都想做的想法非常幼稚，什么都能做反倒成了什么都不能做的代名词，现在号称什么都能做的公司越来越少了。微语翻译的情况是这样：由于微语只做小语种，2007年北欧语种的业务依然增长很快，特别是要求高，技术难度大的稿件猛增，值得一提的是微语翻译今年的俄语业务呈几何级增长态势发展，成为微语今年的翻译工作的一大亮点，微语2007年翻译工作目标提前3个月完成，为俄语稿件业务立下了汗马功劳，笔者对国外和国内的翻译市场进行对比和研究，斗胆预测不用二十年，中国本土翻译公司就完成专业化分工和集约化发展的变革使命。有些业内人士说十年内中国翻译市场终将成为一个高中低端分布合理、专业划分科学的相对成熟的翻译市场，笔者也认为这种说法也有一定的道理。

 

According to the above-mentioned investigation result, we will draw the following conclusion: translation companies in China who can ensure satisfactory translation quality and satisfy market requirements will become larger and larger in scale and more and more powerful in strength, the number of which covers 30%. It is very obvious that the concentration ration in this industry is more and more strengthened. At the same time, we should also pay attention to up to 50% companies, some of which are companies with long history who keep complaining the severe phenomenon of losing major clients. Translation business keeps shrinking in another 10% companies with hard times, which is also evidence of severe market division. It is a surprising discovery for us during the investigation that professionalized work division among translation companies becomes more and more obvious. From the aspect of profession, some companies only deal with the medical translation, some handle only with translation related to laws and some deal only with software. All of them unanimously advocate responding to the call of 17th national congress of the communist party of China, that is, to develop in a good and rapid way, to do it well before extend the scale, to place company’s brand operation and characteristic operation in first place instead of the pursuit of pure economic benefits and to accomplish differentiated market share and competitive strength. Such a result objectively leads to the further perfection in professionalized work division, which is greatly favorable for maturity and development of translation market. From the aspect of language category, some companies concentrate on their advantageous language or deal with few languages. They outsource the translation jobs of other languages to relevant advantageous enterprises and they deal only with their strong points. What they pursue is the best instead of all languages. Many translation companies confess it is very childish for them to advocate being able to deal with all languages and hoped to undertake all translation jobs in the past. Being able to deal with all languages indicates being able to do nothing. Less and less companies claim that they can deal with all translation jobs nowadays. The situation in Microtrans is as the following: Microtrans deals only with small languages. Business of Northern European languages keeps increasing rapidly in 2007 and jobs with high demand and difficult technique keep jumping. It is mentionable that Russian language business in Microtrans in 2007 develops in geometric growth, which becomes light spot of translation work in Microtrans in 2007. Our job objective is accomplished 3 months ahead of time, which contributes a lot to Russian language business. The author compares and studies overseas and domestic translation markets and boldly predicts that it will take less than 20 years for China’s local translation companies to accomplish the reform in professionalized work division and intensive form of development. Some insiders believe that China’s translation market will become relatively mature with reasonable distribution of top, middle and low levels and scientific profession division within 10 years, which is also approved by the author to some extent.

 

 

2007年国外翻译市场增长缓慢，特别是北美翻译市场呈萎缩趋势，而欧洲特别是北欧的翻译市场增长速度迅猛，相比之下，中国翻译市场增长潜力依然十分巨大。

 

Overseas translation market grows slowly in 2007. Northern American market withers but European market especially Northern European translation market keeps enlarging. Comparatively speaking, China’s translation market is greatly potential in its growth.

 

经过2007年的实践，通过调查笔者惊奇地发现：国内相当一部分翻译公司的翻译工作量和市场利润今年用：“硕果累累，突发猛进”来形容是一点也不夸张的，而全球翻译市场增长缓慢，我们通过MSN，SKYPE等多种方式连线了北美、东南亚、欧洲、北欧、中亚等微语的战略合作伙伴，我们告知微语翻译今年的纯利润预计增加30%，其他翻译公司的利润增加有的甚至增加了50%，他们都感到非常吃惊。北美的翻译公司也许受美国次贷风波的影响，一致反馈本地区的翻译市场很难做，有些公司说告诉笔者明年如果市场再不景气，准备转行。在2007年的翻译实践中，每次笔者在全球网站发布项目信息时，来报价的人数较去年来说明显增多，特别是北美的翻译报价较去年明显偏低，说明亚洲新兴翻译市场规模的扩大和崛起，国外大部分地区翻译市场增长相对缓慢的特征明显。国外翻译人才供过于求的剩余劳动力并将到亚洲等新兴市场得以释放。具体到微语翻译：今年比较突出的几个热点语种是葡萄牙语。特别是巴西葡萄牙语业务增长很快，俄语业务增长迅猛，意大利语、法语 西班牙语明显增多，而来自北美的翻译业务呈直线下滑之势。

 

Practice and investigation in 2007 make the author surprisingly find that it is not exaggerated to describe translation work load and market profits in many translation companies in China in 2007 with the adjective words such as “fruitful, phenomenal progress” but the growth of global translation market is slow. We contact Microtrans’ strategically cooperative partners in North America, Southeast Asia, North Europe and Middle Asia, etc through MSN, SKYPE, etc and inform them that the pure profit of Microtrans is estimated to increase 30% and other translation companies even have their pure profits increased at 50%, which greatly surprises them. Some companies even tell the author to be prepared to change job if the market keeps withering in the next year. The amount of people who quoted prices obviously increases whenever the author released project information on global websites in translation practices in 2007 and the prices quoted by translators from North America are apparently lower than those quoted the previous year, which indicates the enlarging and uprising of scales in the newly-arising translation market in Asia and it is very obvious that the increase in translation market in most overseas areas is comparatively slow. Surplus overseas labors due to the fact that translation talent supply exceeds demand are released in newly-arising markets in areas such as Asia, etc. Let’s make it specific according to situation in Microtrans: one of the hottest languages in 2007 is Portuguese especially the Portuguese business in Brazil, which grows rapidly. The Russian language business increases rapidly, translation jobs in Italian, French and Spanish obviously grow but the translation business from North America keeps descending.

 

2007年跨国翻译公司占领中国高端市场的地位没有动摇。中端客户由中国本土初具规模的翻译公司和跨国翻译公司平分秋色，但中国本土翻译公司由于价格优势，竞争力逐步增强的趋势明显。低端市场依然由中国本土小规模的翻译公司占有。

 

Transnational translation companies’ leading position in their occupation of top level of China’s market in 2007 remains unchanged. China’s local translation companies that just take shapes and transnational translation companies share fifty-fifty the clients in the middle level. The advantage of China’s local translation companies in price makes their competitiveness gradually increase more and more obviously. China’s little-scaled translation companies still occupy the low level of market.

 

每次通过和跨国翻译公司的交流，他们对在中国的市场拓展和占有率都避而不谈，但通过其在中国的外包公司，我们发现跨国翻译公司基本上垄断了所有全球五百强的在华的翻译业务，由于跨国公司对翻译质量、翻译技术、翻译保密程度等要求很高，他们目前一般不会冒风险将翻译业务交给中国本土翻译公司打理，还有一点就是，虽然本土翻译公司经过几年长足的发展，但很多跨国公司对中国本土的翻译公司存在的偏见很难在短时间内能够改变。而在国内中端市场确发生了很大的变化，由于中端客户基于对翻译成本的考虑，也是由于本土很多优秀翻译公司这么多年的积累，已经从跟着跨国公司学技术、学管理、学创新的变革过程中，逐渐演变为具有一定竞争力和规模的翻译公司，虽然能够和跨国翻译公司平起平坐日子还没有到来，由于中国本土翻译公司价格优势明显，很多本土翻译公司从跨国公司手里夺走大客户的事件时有发生。由于低端客户门槛要求相对较低，技术含量也较低，知名翻译公司不愿意也不屑争夺这类市场，造成中国本土小规模的翻译公司牢牢把握中国低端翻译市场的情况没有改变，同时也发现国内大多数翻译公司规模依然较小，竞争能力不强，技术落后等先天性问题没有发生本质改变。

 

Transnational translation companies often avoided the topic of their expansion and market share in China whenever we communicate with them. We find out through their outsourcing companies in China that they basically monopolize translation business of Top 500 in China. Transnational translation companies have high demand for translation quality, technique and confidentiality, which makes them dare not to take risks in transferring their translation business to China’s local translation companies. One more point is that most transnational translation companies have bias on China’s local translation companies though they have developed largely in the past years, which can hardly be changed in short period. Great changes have taken places in middle level market in China. Clients in middle level will take translation costs into consideration. Most excellent China’s local translation companies have gradually become those with certain competitive forces and scales through years of accumulation in the process of reform by learning technique, management and innovation from transnational companies. Their advantage in price is very obvious in comparison with that of transnational translation companies though they are not in equal level and many local translation companies often attract and take away major clients of some transnational translation companies. Clients in low level have lower level of demand for translation and the technical contents are comparatively lower and renowned translation companies distain contesting market in this category, which makes China’s local little-scaled translation companies firmly master China’s translation market in low level. Besides, most translation companies in China still remain little in scale, weak in competitiveness and lagged in technique, etc, which remains unchanged.

 

2007年中国本土翻译公司质量明显提高，翻译技术日趋成熟，本土翻译公司整体水准正在向从“量变”到“质变”的过程中。

 

Quality of China’s local translation companies is remarkably improved in 2007 and their translation techniques are becoming mature. The entire standard of local translation companies is in the process of conversion from “quantitative change” to “qualitative change”.

 

中国本土翻译公司在经过改革开放30年的发展和积累，本土翻译公司的竞争能力，适应市场的能力，管理水平，技术水平已经有了显著提高，我们惊喜的发现有大约20%的本土翻译公司正在从量变到质变的过程中，很多翻译公司的技术水平已经和跨国翻译公司相当，已经做到了翻译技术和世界翻译巨头的翻译技术水平很接近，但管理水平依然亟待改进：比如市场营销问题，质量控制流程等问题，目前还只能成为国际翻译巨头的生产车间，只能成为依附于他们的翻译工厂，一个跨共公司经理透露：本土翻译公司对跨国翻译公司的利润贡献率为80%-90%，而本土翻译的收益仅为20%-30%。但笔者相信在可以预见的时间里，有规模、有竞争力、敢闯敢干的本土优秀翻译公司和跨国翻译公司在争夺高端客户方面，也能够做到分庭抗衡，平分秋色的日子已经渐行渐近。

 

Competitive capability, ability of adapting to market, management level and technical level of local translation companies have been obviously improved through 30 years’ development and accumulation after reform and opening-up. We find out with  delight and surprise that about 20% of local translation companies are in the process of conversion from quantitative change to qualitative change, many of them have technical level nearly up to that in translational translation companies and their translation techniques are very close to those in translation tycoons in the world but their management level remains to be improved such as problems in marketing sales and quality control flow, etc. Currently, they can be nothing but workshops for international translation tycoons, and they can only become their translation factories depending on the tycoons. A manager working in a transnational translation company indicates that contribution rate of local translation companies for transnational translation companies reaches 80% to 90% but profits of local translation are only at 20% to 30%. The author firmly believes that it is not long in the predictable future that excellent local translation companies with certain scales, competitiveness and ambitions will undoubtedly meet as equals with transnational translation companies in the contest of attracting clients in top level and share equal market share.

 

展望未来，放眼世界，国内本土翻译公司机遇大于挑战，优势大于劣势，中国本土翻译公司终将在世界翻译舞台上占有很重要的一席之地，也必将在世界翻译市场上扮演越来越重要的角色。

 

Look into the future and scan widely the world. Opportunities are larger than challenges and advantages are bigger than disadvantages for China’s local translation companies who will cover a very important place in global translation stage and also play a more and more important role in global translation market.

 

随着2008北京奥运的来临，大家公认为中国的翻译市场市值已达到200亿元人民币的规模，中国这块古老而神奇的土地，也成为世界上翻译市场净增长最快的新兴市场之一，2008年对中国和对翻译市场都具有里程碑意义的一年，随着中国翻译市场的放量增长，随着国内翻译公司的资源优化和整合，一些极具中国竞争力的本土翻译公司在经历过血与火的洗礼后，在经历中国大市场的历练和实践后，必将发生惊人的蜕变，笔者通过长期的观察和思考，跨国翻译公司虽然都是百年老店，有资本优势，品牌优势、人才优势，但这一切并不是不可逾越，中国本土翻译公司最了解中国，笔者坚信通过本土翻译公司之间的竞争与相互学习，并在和跨国翻译公司的竞争与合作过程中，中国本土也将涌现出如SDL、Lionbridge一类的世界级翻译巨头，中国翻译界在高端翻译市场一席之地的一天终将到来。中国的高端翻译市场的主要负责人也是中国人，因为最了解中国市场的是还是我们中国人，国内的高端市场从这点来说不是牢不可破的，并不能说永远是跨国翻译国内公司的天下，不仅如此，我相信总有一天中国翻译界中的优秀代表不仅能够立足国内，而且跟很多跨国翻译公司一样，到全球布局，和世界所有翻译公司在“地球村”里一起共舞，并成为其重要的角色的这一天终将到来，成为现实。

 

As Beijing 2008 Olympic Games approaches, it is commonly believed that market value of China’s translation market reaches RMB 20 billion Yuan. As a piece of ancient and magic land, China will become one of the newly-arising markets with the rapidest net growth in global translation market. The year of 2008 is a milestone for both China and her translation market. With the volume increase in China’s translation market and optimization and integration of resources in domestic translation companies, great changes will undoubtedly take place in some local translation companies who possess certain competitiveness after the baptism of blood and fire, experiences and practices in the large translation market in China. Long term of observation and thinking make the author believe that the advantages of transnational translation companies as century-old shops in capital, brand and talent are not insurmountable. It’s the China’s local translation companies that know best China. The author firmly believes that worldwide translation tycoons like SDL and Lionbridge, etc will appear in China through the competition and learning among China’s local translation companies and the competition and cooperation with transnational translation companies. The day when China’s translation occupies a place in top level of translation market will come soon. People in charge in top level of China’s translation market are Chinese because it’s the Chinese that know best the Chinese. The top level of translation market in China is not unbreakable from this aspect and it will not be the transnational translation companies that dominate the top level of translation market for ever. Besides, I firmly believe that excellent representatives in China’s translation field will not only set foots in China but also extend their business all over the world. They will dance with all other overseas translation companies in the “global village” and become one of the important players, which will undoubtedly come soon.

 

翻开中国的翻译史，我们怎能忘记在盛唐那个伟大的时代，也就是一千六百年前那个令人魂牵梦绕古都长安，一个伟大的翻译家鸠摩罗什在西安草堂开创了中国历史上第一个国家译场，也是世界翻译历史上最早由国家举办的翻译馆，也是在同一个地方的二百年后，有一个叫玄奘的和尚在西安大雁塔再开译场，是史载世界上翻译规模之大，史传有5000人同时翻译佛教经典，恢宏场面至今没有哪个国家和地区能够打破这一记录。据传由于翻译作品太多，需要保存和作业的译稿要用20间房屋才能全部装下，这一个规模至今也没有哪个国家和地区能够超越。经研究，中国在那个时代，翻译工作的专业化分工和翻译流程的标准化流程已经达到了一个很高的水准。对翻译文本的研究发现，在没有计算机的手工作业时代，千万级的术语统一问题当时就已经得到了很好的解决，至今无人破解当时是如何做到这一点的。有的学者甚至断言其翻译水平并不亚于2000年后的E时代。作为炎黄子孙的你我又怎能不为之动容和自豪？！

 

In retrospect to China’s translation history, we can never forget the Glorious age of Tang Dynasty, that is, the ancient capital Chang’an which makes us lost in a reverie 1600 years ago when one great translator Kumarajiva established in the thatched cottage in Xi’an the first national translation field in China’s history, which is also the first translation house established by a nation. A monk named Xuan Zang also opened the translation field in Wide Goose Tower 200 years later in the same place, which is regarded as having the largest scale in global translation history in record. According to the historical record, about 5000 people translate Buddha classics simultaneously and as to its splendid scene, there is no any other country and area that can break this record. As it is said that it takes 20 rooms to totally contain all translation scripts for reservation and compiling owing to numerous translated works, and there is no any other country and area that can exceed this scale. According to researches, the professionalized work division and standardized translation flow in that era in China’s history have reached a rather high level. The study on translation texts indicates that the problem of unifying millions of terms has been solved in a good way and nobody can discover how they achieved this till now. Some scholars even believe that its translation level is no less than that in E time 2000 years later. We can’t help being moved and proud of it as Yan-Huang’s offspring?!

 

 

你我都有幸生长在一个历经磨难的伟大民族，正全面走向伟大复兴的转折时代，借用电视《汉武大帝》中汉武帝刘彻在匈奴一举收复河西走廊大决战前夜，邀请占卜大臣观天象时的话说：“虽臣言天之水木土火金五星联为一线500载才现一次，为中华紫金盛世之吉象，但朕以为人心所向，天必应之，朕只不过替天行道罢了！！”我大中华之光复和崛起，固然不能仅靠翻译界一方之力能够完成，但只要翻译界吾辈和所有中国每个人炽热的心一起跳动，我大中华崛起天必应之！！

 

It is lucky for both you and me to be born in this great nation that has experienced trials and tribulations, which is in the great era of change and stepping into the period of great renaissance. As Liu Che, Emperor Hanwu, says in TV play Emperor Hanwu, when he invites fortune-telling chancellors to observe astronomical phenomena one night before decisive battle with Hun to recapture Hosi Corridor, namely, “I believe heaven will respond to the popular sentiment and what I do is to enforce justice on behalf of heaven though you think that it will take 500 years for us to watch this fortunate sign of China’s millennium that five starts, that is, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn are in one line”. Renaissance and uprising of Great China will not merely depend upon the efforts made by people in translation field and heaven will respond to the uprising of Great China as long as the passionate hearts of people like me in translation field and each Chinese pulse together!  

 

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