It is Chinese New Year now, and suddenly, it came up on my mind that I'd better write my Blog in English from now on, at least, once in a while.
I am forty eight years old. It is a long way for me to have a computer and start exploiting the cyberspace, and, perhaps, typing as well. But that is not the most difficult part. I find writing something that is in a flash quite challenging, especially in English.
This Blog has been written in Chinese to record my life. Somehow, I think it is time for me to write in English to share with the world. You will never know how hard it is.
I was an executive of a local securities firm and futures trading company. One day, I found I'd better start my own investment business, and I did. Currently, I am an investment free lancer, to invest for my own good. I believe that value investment is what I do, I am serious.
As an value investor, I am doing fine and have a lot of time hanging around. Usually, people think I am unemployed, or I may not have so plenty of time doing nothing. But they have no idea that I am making money, perhaps more than they are doing. And that is quite strange a feeling. I am far from super rich, but enough for a humble life.
However, while doing nothing all day is my goal, it is quite boring just sit there. So I have a lot of hobbies, such as Chinese Painting, music, orchid growing, and Go, and I also translate English to Chinese for a local publisher. Among my works are The Walmart Effect by Charles Fishman and The Age of Turbulence by Alan Greenspan.
You should see how the publisher react to me at the very first time we encounter. Anyway, translation is fun and free for me but certainly not a good business to make a living. All translators in Taiwan know that. But it is something that you would spend a lot of time to do. It is so worthwhile to have a good book in hand to translate.
That's all I have to say for now, and, I hope you like it.
7 comments:
I totally agree, to make a living while doing nothing all day sounds ideal, but it would certainly be very boring! I used to sit in the office doing nothing and getting paid a lot, and that bore me to death.
P.S. I'm freespirit, first visit here, thanks for the messages you leave at my place!
Hi, Nai-Yu,
Glad to see you here. I appreciate your blog very much and I go there to read something as a routine work.
I know you work so hard, which is good, that you may not be able to surf the web the way I do. But please be advised that leisure is also very important to improve your skill, as the old saying said: 閒以養藝. Those who made amazing works know it very well.
Please feel yourself at home here.
林兄：
我是Allen安蘭仲．
好久沒上你的網站了，今天上來，看到幾篇很不錯的文章。尤其是連動債這篇，發表的時間是2007年。能在金融風暴發生之前有此洞見，林兄果然有見解獨到。
我以前在美國唸MBA時，主修財務金融，當時衍生性商品正夯。還記得我的期貨、選擇權考95分。全班前五名中，有四位是東方人，我還是其中之一呢。後來也在期貨交易所工作，因此，對選擇權略知一二，也對林兄的先知見解十分讚佩。
另外，你這篇英文的文章也很有意思。最後一段提到翻譯的部份，我也很有同感。因為，以前和你提過，我有十餘年兼職英翻中的經驗；對翻譯品質的要求一向很高、也很有自信。
但是，我對國內的翻譯環境與待遇無法理解。
翻譯絕不是單純地把英文轉成中文而已，若果如此，交給翻譯機處理就行了。翻譯過程還包括譯者對文章的專業認識以及文字功力，中間的轉化過程其實是很費時、也很費功的；可惜，不僅一般人並無法了解，出版社其實也是在壓榨勞力。國內的翻譯生態對譯者而言，並不公平，應是供需雙方不對稱造成的結果吧。或許，該有人出來組織一下，為翻譯人員爭取權益才是。
前一陣子幫朋友校譯書籍，花了很多時間，若不是因為對內容有興趣，恐怕也無法持續。最近也有一些翻譯的案子，但是衡量成本效益後，覺得實在無法匹配。
也許要等電子紙發展成熟，才可改變翻譯供應鍵的結構，消除流程中的不合理之處。
林兄從事翻譯多年，不知對國內翻譯的現實環境有何看法與建議。
改天若有機會，且若林兄不嫌棄，或許可以多多交換意見。
祝愉快
Allen
安蘭仲
安兄您好，
很高興讀到您的留言，希望有機會大家碰個面聊聊，除了敘舊之外，我一定會有很大的收獲。
關於譯者收入問題，我想您非常瞭解，也非常內行，這是事業生態和產業結構下的結果。可能出版社和譯者雙方都不滿意，卻是市場的平衡點。
譯界曾經有許多大老努力過，包括建立譯評機制、提升翻譯品質、推行證照制、籌組公會等，但幾年下來，似乎市場力量還是比較大一些。
譯書是一個很理想的志業，我非常喜愛。但只能當做興趣，不能當做生活的主要收入來源。
這樣說好了，譯書的收入沒有時間累積效果。譯個十年八年之後，經濟狀況不會有太大的變化。就算稿費增加一倍，和其他事業相較，仍然落在金字塔的底層。除非譯書可以收版稅。
不瞞您說，我個人曾經想要成立出版社，從選書、譯書、編輯出版、到企劃銷售都包下來。但只要稍微做一下市場調查，就很容易知道，我個人資金和經驗都不足。而且要經營到股票上市，可不是三、五年就能達成。
目前國內只有時報出版社是上櫃公司，其他的出版社多半不願把財務業務公開，所以也不想上市。康軒曾經上過興櫃，但後來也打退堂鼓。
我仍然覺得成立一家股票上市的出版社是可行，而且很有前途的事。
國外的McGraw Hill和John Wiley & Sons都是股票上市公司，MHP更是S&P500的成分股，雖然近年來的業績並不好，但ROE都在25%以上。
離題了，這不是三兩句說得清楚的。下次有機會再聊。
歡迎常來^^
林兄
謝謝你快速的回覆。
interestingly，我也一直在思考這些問題。也和從事此供應鏈最下游(印刷)的同學聊過。
首先，我不覺得目前翻譯價碼是市場均衡點。出版社將翻譯支出視為管銷費用的一環，能壓低就壓低；而且出版一本書並沒什麼固定成本；因此，費用壓低，breakeven point就不會太高。我覺得翻譯人員供給量大，或許是個問題，因為，再低的價碼也有人願意接。
我沒想過要開出版社，因為財力需求、風險可能很高。我只是在想，可否運用科技的力量，打破出版社控制供應鏈核心的現象，例如運用網路、電子書等平台；我甚至想用麥可．波特的五力分析，嘗試列出提升翻譯價值的有效方法(哈~~)；還沒想透，不過，這些方法大老們應該都用過了吧。不論如何，這和你想開出版社的出發點應該是一樣的：掌握整條供應鏈，避免上游剝削。
其實上班族的薪水和譯書一樣，也是固定收入，若利率處於低檔的話，都是沒有時間累積效果的。只是譯書價碼較低罷了。然而翻譯在書價值中所佔的比重，不應如此之低，若沒有翻譯的功勞，則書的價值會大打折扣的。所以，翻譯的價值被低估了。
版稅是個issue。我一直不明白，為何朱學恒翻譯魔戒可以拿版稅，你知道他是如何辦到的嗎?可否告知。
總之，翻譯只被視為整個process中的一小環而已，所以價值未被提升。可能要思考往中上游整合吧。
Anyway，我該下班了，good to talk to you again。我會常上來的，我把手機留給你吧：0952-896896。留網址怕被人盜用，拿來寄垃圾信。
good luck
Allen
安蘭仲
安兄，
感謝您分享對譯稿報酬的看法，非常精辟。
我不認識朱學恆，自然也就無法確知他當時為什麼能拿版稅。不過網路上有許多介紹文章可以參考，如:
http://www.wretch.cc/blog/oolong1001/4295775
朱學恆似乎是個不按牌理出牌的人，這點我很欣賞。
Regards,
林兄
謝謝你提供的網址。
我對他後來所做的事情略知一二，覺得他是個滿有想法的人；很佩服他。
他展現了他的價值...像林兄投資的原則一樣。
Value, That's all that matters...
Good luck and nice to talk to you, indeed.
Allen
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