A new report just released by the Authors Guild on working conditions for translators in the U.S. reports that 65% of literary translators earned less than $20,000 in gross income in 2016 with only about 8% earning between $60,000-$100,000.
美國作家協會(Authors Guild)最新發布的一份關于美國翻譯人員工作狀況的報告稱，2016年65%的文學翻譯人員總收入不足2萬美元，僅8%人的收入在6萬-10萬美元之間。
In another indication of the tough financial conditions translators face, the survey noted that “on the whole,” income for literary translators has “not changed significantly over the past five years.” Only 17% reported earning more than half of their income strictly from translation work—although 39% reported spending more than half of their working time on translation projects.
另外，就翻譯人員面臨的嚴峻經濟問題(In another indication )而言，調查還指出，“總的來說”，文學翻譯人員的收入“在過去5年中沒有發生很大變化”。雖然有39%的翻譯人員表示他們的大部分工作時間都傾注在翻譯項目上，但只有17%人稱自己的大部分(half of )收入來源于翻譯工作。
The report found that only 7% (14 respondents) of the respondents to the survey were able to derive 100% of their income from literary translations.
報告還發現，只有7%的調查對象（14人）能夠將文學翻譯作為純收入來源(derive 100% of their income from)。
Conducted by the Authors Guild in collaboration with the American Literary Translators Association, The American Translators Association’s Literary Division, and the PEN America Translation Committee, the survey collected data from 205 translators on working conditions, including payment, copyright, royalties, education, and more.
這項調查由美國作家協會、美國文學翻譯家協會和美國翻譯協會文學部門聯合發起(in collaboration with)，對205名翻譯人員進行了工作狀況相關的數據收集(collected data 改變詞性，動賓改名詞)，包括報酬、版權、版稅(royalties)、教育等。
Noting that many Guild members “are both authors and translators,” Authors Guild executive director Mary Rasenberger said the Guild legal staff was at work on a model contract for literary translation. Designed to address the earning and work issues revealed in the survey, the contract will be unveiled in early 2018 as part of the Guild’s ongoing Fair Contract Intitiative.
美國作家協會執行董事瑪麗?拉森伯格指出，許多作協成員既是作家，也是譯者。她表示，作協的法務人員(legal staff)法律工作人員正在制定文學翻譯標準合同(model contract )，以解決調查中展現的收入和工作問題。合同將作為協會正在實行的“公平合同計劃( Fair Contract Intitiative.)”的一部分，于2018年初公布。
The Guild described the report as the “first-ever survey of its kind conducted in the U.S.” It focused on translators in the U.S. and the Guild said that it will be used as a baseline study for future surveys of translator working conditions, to be conducted at 5-year intervals.
美國作協稱該報告為“首次在美國進行的此類調查”，調查主要針對美國的翻譯人員展開(搭配)。作協表示，該報告將成為未來對譯員工作狀況進行調查的研究基線(baseline study )，每5年(5-year intervals.)統計一次。
In another of the report’s findings, contrary to the popular notion that translation royalties are rare, over half of the respondents reported “always or usually” negotiating royalties in their contracts. And despite their low earnings, over half the respondents also reported receiving royalty payments. Those whose contracts did not have a royalty clause, said that it was because the publisher refused to offer one.
報告還發現(another of報告的另外一個發現)，與大多數人認為的翻譯人員很少得到版稅的情況相反，過半(over half of )調查對象表示“一直或經常”會在合同中協商版稅。盡管譯員收入很低，但過半調查對象表示收到了版稅。也有人表示，出版商拒絕在合同中寫入版稅條款(合并句子)。
In addition, 66% of literary translators report that they “always or usually” retain copyright on their translations—although once again, when translators do not retain their copyright, it is generally because the publisher has refused to allow it. (Translators own the copyright of a translation they have created, although they may sign away their rights.)
此外，66%的文學譯員稱“一直或經常”保留其譯作版權(copyright on their translations四字詞語很棒哦)。譯員未保留版權的情況通常是因為出版商的不同意。（譯員享有其譯作版權，但可以簽訂版權轉讓協議。(sign away )）
The report noted, with dismay, that “publishers mistakenly continue to believe that [the translation] copyright needs to be theirs in order for them to make money. We will continue to educate publishers to correct this erroneous belief.”
報告結果讓人失望，指出“出版商依然錯誤地認為譯作版權應該歸他們所有，以獲得利潤。我們將繼續對他們進行教導，糾正這種錯誤(erroneous)觀念”。
The survey also reported that of the 205 respondents, 44% are aged 51-70, 34% are aged 31-50 and only 4% are under the age of 30. On gender, 59% identify as female, 37% identify as male (the rest declined to specify).
調查還指出205名調查對象中，年齡在51-70歲的占比為44%，31-50歲的有34%，30歲以下的僅占4%。調查對象中59%為女性，37%為男性（其余調查對象并未表明性別(declined to specify)拒絕透露）。
“Advocacy for literary translators is increasingly important to us,” Rasenberger said. “With the number of books in translation growing each year, many of which are very high-profile titles, it is important for us to understand the landscape.”
拉森伯格說：“為文學譯員爭取權益(Advocacy)對我們來說愈發重要。譯著的數量在逐年增長，其中不乏(不乏真滴很有味道)知名度頗高(high-profile)知名度高，受矚目的，高調的的作品，重要的是我們應該對這種情形加以(多次說到加以，得以的用法)了解(landscape)。”
