《臺灣漫遊錄》英譯者金翎 對臺灣版代、歐洲出版社提告侵權

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《臺灣漫遊錄》英譯者金翎  對臺灣版代、歐洲出版社提告侵權
《臺灣漫遊錄》英譯者金翎 對臺灣版代、歐洲出版社提告侵權
文|鏡文學

文.許文貞/圖・翻攝自金翎官網,攝影.劉安蓁、書封翻攝自誠品線上
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甫於今年 5月獲國際布克獎肯定的《臺灣漫遊錄》英譯者金翎,在臺灣時間10月6日晚上九點於個人社群網站發布聲明,表示由她翻譯的《臺灣漫遊錄》英譯本遭到侵權:一家歐洲出版社在未經她授權的情況下,將《臺灣漫遊錄》英譯本翻譯成第三語言出版,包括金翎為該書撰寫的原創註解和後記,侵犯了金翎的著作權。金翎已在臺灣和該歐洲國家當地,向侵權方提出司法告訴。
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金翎目前人不在臺灣,鏡文學《文學新聞》跨國聯繫金翎,獨家取得採訪。金翎表示,發現自己被侵權時,非常灰心。她希望藉由提出告訴,建立法律上的先例,為她和其他遭遇類似情況、被侵權的譯者爭取應有的權益。
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金翎表示,她在7月2日收到《臺灣漫遊錄》臺灣出版社的通知,告訴她有一個歐洲國家的譯本即將出版,然而對方並非從繁體中文版翻譯,而是使用她的英譯本《Taiwan Travelogue》來翻譯,但她完全不知情,沒有被告知、也未曾授權。
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由於此舉已經侵害金翎對英譯本的著作權,接獲消息後,她希望該國的出版社能停止出版和印刷流程,先處理授權法律程序,然而該出版社卻於7月10日逕行將譯本出版上市。由於依法必須在發現被侵權的六個月內提出告訴,因此金翎委託律師,針對相關的侵權行為,在臺灣以及該國展開法律行動。9月底,先在該國提告。10月 2日,也在臺灣提出司法告訴。
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在出版界,當出版社無法找到精通原作語言的譯者,便從英語或其他語言譯本翻譯,這種情況並不少見。這種間接翻譯被稱為「接力翻譯」(relay translation)。進行的方式是除了取得原著作者授權,也必須同時取得譯者的合法授權。出版社出版時,通常也會在書上版權頁等處註明,讓讀者清楚知道是由哪位譯者、哪個翻譯作品而來,並且支付該譯者授權費用。
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金翎在聲明中表達,譯作與原著應被視為不同的個體,就像古典文學《奧德賽》有不同取向的譯本,每本《奧德賽》譯本都被視為獨立的作品一樣。翻譯是「改編」,也是「演出」,就像演員在演出的選擇,譯者每一個文學的抉擇,都影響了對原作的呈現。因此,當代文學的譯作,應該也要受到對等的尊重。
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金翎表示,當發現自己被侵權時:「我一開始心裡十分灰心,甚至跟合作的作者們說,以後不想要再繼續翻譯了。」金翎說,會做翻譯,是出於對作品的喜愛、希望更多人可以讀到自己覺得重要、有意義的作品:「然而如果做這件事,要看著自己的成果被人侵占、不被尊重,那真的不如就不要做了。但我又不想要因此而放棄,為什麼是我、而不是對方要為此負責、付出代價呢?」
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金翎表示,在過去三個月,當她提到被侵權,卻多次被告知,這在臺灣和世界上許多地方是常見的情形,「甚至有人會說,臺灣以前更糟,現在已經比以前好很多了,希望我能諒解。」但她認為,臺灣是一個民主國家,就算過去是這樣做,現在也不應以過去為藉口,因此決定要將問題提出。
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金翎表示,她希望自己的案例能作為法律上的先例:「希望讓發現自己曾經被侵權的譯者們,可以拿這個法律案例,去爭取他們自己的權益跟應有的賠償。」
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在金翎的聲明,以及整個受訪的經過中,她都不願指出訴訟涉及的對象。不過由於《臺灣漫遊錄》的版權代理公司是「光磊國際版權經紀公司」,《臺灣漫遊錄》原作的出版社是「春山出版」,因此《文學新聞》記者聯繫光磊國際版權經紀公司負責人譚光磊,以及春山出版社總編輯莊瑞琳,進行採訪。
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出版《臺灣漫遊錄》原作的春山出版總編輯莊瑞琳表示,該國出版社確實沒有取得英譯本的授權,春山這邊發現授權範圍有問題時,也透過版權代理向該國出版社提出疑義,該國出版社卻不願意先停下出版流程,補上正式的授權。
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莊瑞琳表示,由於該國出版社有申請文化部的外譯補助,春山也向文化部說明該國出版社的授權瑕疵,後續文化部也終止了補助。「版權有瑕疵,發現了就是要趕快停下來補救,該國出版社卻不願意,不尊重權利人,堅持要出版,因此春山也不可能坐視譯者被侵權,也已經向該國出版社主張解約。」
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記者也聯繫「光磊國際版權經紀公司」負責人譚光磊,不過截至截稿前未獲回覆。
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金翎聲明全文:

 

Statement on the copyright infringement of the English translation of Taiwan Travelogue

October 5, 2026

 

Taiwan Travelogue《臺灣漫遊錄》英譯本著作權遭侵權聲明

2026年10月5日

 

On July 2, 2026—roughly six weeks after the English translation of Taiwan Travelogue won the International Booker Prize—I first learned that a European publisher was planning to release a translation of the book that was translated from my English text, not the original Mandarin text Táiwān Màn Yóu Lù (《臺灣漫遊錄》) by Yáng Shuāng-Zǐ, without my consent.

2026年7月2日,在英文版《Taiwan Travelogue》獲得國際布克獎約六週之後,我首次得知,在沒有徵求我的同意之下,有一個歐洲出版社即將出版該國語文的譯本,但不是譯自楊双子華語原著的《臺灣漫遊錄》,而是我翻譯的英語版本。

 

This publisher commissioned a translator who apparently does not read Mandarin to create a third-language translation using only the English text, which includes my original footnotes and afterword. As I am the sole copyright owner of the English Taiwan Travelogue, which was registered with the United States Copyright Office in 2024, an unauthorized third-language translation violates my copyright.

該出版社委託了一個似乎不諳華語的譯者,自英譯本翻譯了中英語外的第三語言翻譯,其中包含我的原創註解和後記。我是英語《Taiwan Travelogue》著作權的唯一擁有者,該著作權於2024年在美國著作權局登記,未經我授權的第三語言翻譯,侵犯了我的著作權。

 

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How is a translated work distinct from the original work? In literature, there is no such thing as an “objectively accurate” translation. Even this statement you are reading can be translated into millions of word permutations. Language is an imprecise human creation that evolves, imprecisely, over time. This is a concept that the public understands in the context of classical texts like The Odyssey, but less deference is paid to a translator’s creative authority in contemporary literature.

一部翻譯作品,如何與原著是不同的個體?翻譯文學中,並沒有所謂「客觀精準」的標準答案。就連您正在閱讀的這段文字,也能被翻譯成數百萬種用字組合。語言本身就是人類創造的不精準產物,且隨著時間不精準地演化。對於《奧德賽》這類古典作品的不同譯本,大眾似乎都能理解這個概念,但是面對當代文學,譯者的創作自主權卻鮮有對等的尊重。

 

Táiwān Màn Yóu Lù could have been translated into English in countless ways. In the future, it might be retranslated into a very different English book that better suits its time. If I myself were to retranslate the book from scratch, it would be different from the Taiwan Travelogue on bookshelves today.

《臺灣漫遊錄》的原文,可以翻譯成無數的英譯本。多年之後,也許會有更呼應未來時代的英文再譯,而如果我自己再從頭翻譯一次,也會和目前陳列在書架上的《Taiwan Travelogue》不同。

 

Translation is adaptation. It is not unlike a filmmaker reinterpreting a book for the screen, or Whitney Houston covering Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.” Whether one is “better” than the other is up for debate. That the two are different is indisputable.

翻譯是改編。就像電影人把書重新詮釋搬上大螢幕,或像惠妮·休斯頓翻唱桃莉·巴頓的〈I Will Always Love You〉。究竟哪一個版本「比較好」是見仁見智,但兩者確實「不同」是不爭的事實。

 

Translation is also performance. If the writer is a scriptwriter, the translator is the actor; if the writer is a composer, the translator is the musician; if the writer is a choreographer, the translator is the dancer. Every one of the performer’s artistic choices impacts the delivery and reception of the original work.

翻譯也是演出。如果原作者是編劇,譯者則是演員;原作者是作曲,譯者則是演奏家;原作者是編舞,譯者則是舞者。演出者的每一個藝術抉擇,都影響了對原作的呈現,以及如何被受眾接受。

 

I am often asked whether I identify more as a writer or translator. This is a false binary. Not all writers are translators, but all translators are writers. I chose, from the chaotic expanses of the English lexicon, every single word in Taiwan Travelogue. Shuāng-Zǐ cannot read it, much like how I will not be able to read most translations of my novel when it is published next year. Our translators will write those books, not we.

我經常被問,我的自我認同,是偏向作者或者譯者?這其實是個虛假二分法。不是所有的作者都是譯者,但是每位譯者都是作者。《Taiwan Travelogue》裡的每一個字,都是我從英文詞彙的紛亂瀚海中一一挑選出的。双子無法讀這本書,就像明年我自己的小說出版後,我也無法讀大部分的外語譯本。這些譯作的作者並不是我們,是我們的譯者。

 

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Now, back to the nitty-gritty of copyright infringement.

讓我們回到侵權案件的來龍去脈。

 

At first, I assumed there had been a communication error where one party thought another party had already acquired my permission. If a publisher cannot find a suitable translator who can read the original work, it is not uncommon to have translators work from a preexisting translation; in these cases of “relay translation,” publishers need to secure the rights of both the original author and the translator. International sales of books involve many middlemen, which in this case include a Taiwanese copyright agency, a third-language copyright agency, and the third-language publisher.

最初,我以為整件事是個溝通上的失誤,是某個單位以為其他單位已經取得了我的同意。出版界裡確實有所謂「接力翻譯」的作法,如果找不到適當的譯者自原文翻譯,可能會尋求已經存在的其他語文譯本來翻譯,此時出版社就要徵得原作者和第二語言譯者的同意。國際出版交易中可以有許多中間人,比如在這個狀況,就包括了臺灣的版權代理人,第三語言的版權代理人,和第三語言的出版社。

 

I asked the Taiwanese copyright agency to prevent this relay translation from going to print without a formal licensing agreement between the third-language publisher and me. A weekend passed. Then I learned that the third-language publisher insisted its use of the English text was legal and that it would proceed with publication that same week. As it turned out, the licensing contract facilitated by the Taiwanese copyright agency specifically states that the third-language publisher always planned to translate from Taiwan Travelogue, not Táiwān Màn Yóu Lù.

我請臺灣的版權代理人,在第三語言出版社和我達成授權協議之前,停止這件接力翻譯的印刷流程。過了一個週末,隔週我得知,第三語言出版社堅持,他們使用英譯本是合法行為,而且第三語言譯本將在同一週上市。另外,也得知在臺灣的版權代理人所促成的外譯授權合約中,載明第三語言出版社自始就表示計畫由《Taiwan Travelogue》進行翻譯,而非由原文《臺灣漫遊錄》。

 

Herein lies the problem. I never signed a contract with any party to sell the relay translation rights to Taiwan Travelogue: not with any English-language publisher, nor the Taiwan publisher, nor the Taiwanese copyright agency representing Táiwān Màn Yóu Lù.

問題的核心是,我從沒有與任何一方簽約,授權他方出售《Taiwan Travelogue》的接力翻譯使用權。無論是任何英文出版社、或臺灣出版社、或代理原文《臺灣漫遊錄》的版權代理公司,皆無例外。

 

On July 10, 2026, the third-language publisher released this unauthorized relay translation despite repeated warnings not to. I have since engaged counsel, at my personal expense, to pursue legal action over these violations both in Taiwan and in the third-language country. The reason I am not naming any parties in this statement is that these legal proceedings are still ongoing.

到了七月十日,第三語言出版社不顧一再的警告,將第三語言譯本上市,自此我開始自費委託律師,針對這些侵權行為,在臺灣和第三語言譯本的出版國展開法律行動。由於訴訟仍在進行中,所以此聲明中沒有公開任何牽涉其中的單位名稱。

 

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Blah blah blah. How much are you asking for?

嘰喳嘰喳講了這麼多,你到底要多少錢?

 

This is not about the money. If this had ever been about money, I would not have volunteered, without compensation, to begin translating Táiwān Màn Yóu Lù and pitch the book directly to US publishers—long before Shuāng-Zǐ had been offered representation from a copyright agency. Translation is a horrendous business plan. I do it because I believe in the books.

這不是錢的問題。如果是為了錢,當初我就不會在沒有酬報的情況下,自願進行《臺灣漫遊錄》的翻譯工作,並直接向美國的出版社提案;當時,双子還沒有收到外譯版權代理的邀約。從事翻譯是件非常不智的商業計畫,我選擇它是因為我相信這些書的力量。

 

In the past three months, I have been told repeatedly that these “ugly” practices are how relay translations have always worked in Taiwan and other parts of the world. I was told we cannot immediately overhaul these long-established norms that are so deeply embedded. I was advised not to rush into drastic action and risk burning bridges. I was asked to embrace unity and teamwork over litigation.

過去三個月來,我重複地被告知,在臺灣和世界許多其他地方,接力翻譯向來都是透過這些「陋習」在進行,不能期望迅速大幅改革這些長年深植於社會的惡習。也有人建議我不該採取太激烈的作為而斷了後路,請我展現團結精神,不要堅持打官司。

 

But setting a legal precedent is critical for changing the status quo. In Taiwan as in much of Europe, copyright infringement is a criminal offense. But laws are merely language unless they are enforced, and it seems that many people in many places have opted to turn a blind eye. Since when has “it’s always been done this way” been a sufficient reason for continuing to infringe on people’s rights?

但建立法律上的先例,是改變現狀的關鍵。在臺灣和在許多歐洲國家,侵犯著作權是刑事犯罪,但是沒有執行的法律就只是空洞的文字,而目前為止似乎許多地方的許多人,都選擇視而不見。從何時起,「向來都是這樣做的」足以成為持續侵害他人權益的理由?

 

To all publishers of translated fiction, I beseech you: Ask for permission, not forgiveness. If you love these books, respect the rights of the translators who rewrite these stories so that you, too, can read them.

所有翻譯小說的出版人,我向您們懇求:與其事後乞求原諒,不如事先徵求同意,如果您喜愛這些書籍,就請尊重譯者的權益,因為是他們重寫了這些書,您才有機會讀到這些故事。

 

 

Lin King

金翎


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