Research on Community Interpreting for the New Immigrants in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Hung Hsiang-feng, 洪湘鳳
• Other Authors: Michael Hung
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/97877217589891182757

碩士 === 輔仁大學 === 跨文化研究所翻譯學碩士在職專班 === 101 === Since the government abolished martial law in 1987, the restrictions on immigration have been lifted gradually. International exchanges in economy, culture, education, and travel increased drastically. Thus, in 1992, the government started to adopt open strategies on Taiwanese mainland spouses by granting them residence and permanent residency in Taiwan. With the emergence of matchmakers in Southeast Asia, more and more Taiwanese have married foreign spouses from those countries. Owing to more and more people immigrating to Taiwan to get married, the number of 'new sons of Taiwan' (which refers to the children of foreign and mainland spouses) has increased steadily. With lower education and age levels, the foreign and mainland spouses have not only greatly changed the structure and size of our population, but have little by little influenced the future development of our country. According to the resolution of the Home and Nations Committee of the Legislative Yuan on April 12, 1999, "The Ministry of the Interior should actively promote foreign spouses’ life adjustment measures and language training programs so that they are able to integrate into Taiwan society.” In the same year, the Ministry of the Interior stipulated 'The executing plan of foreign and mainland spouses life adjustment and assistance'. The plan subsidizes local governments to provide Life Adjustment Courses of Foreign and Mainland Spouses, which focuses on foreign and mainland spouses' adjustment. The courses include life adjustment, residency and permanent residence regulations, local customs, employment, public hygiene, education and child rear, security, basic social rights and related courses. By means of help of those useful courses, foreign and mainland spouses are able to successfully adjust themselves to family life and create a multicultural society instead of problems resulting from inadequate adaptation. Aiming at the problems and recommendations concerning the lack of translation and interpretation services available, the government agencies such as the Judicial Yuan, Ministry of Justice, Council of Labor Affairs, Department of Health, and Ministry of the Interior have set up their own Interpreter Banks to provide services to new immigrants. In order to improve the quality of interpretation, the agencies then designed some training programs for community interpreters. This research will discuss the performance and the effectiveness of these Interpreter Banks and training programs in hope of providing reference for interpreting policy and seeing new immigrants successfully integrate to our society. Furthermore, President Ma Ying-jeou's claim in his inauguration -- let's welcome all immigrants and help them become 'genuine' Taiwanese -- will be fulfilled.