同路人語 586 應該有更高質素的中文媒體

同路人語 586

應該有更高質素的中文媒體Should have Chinese media of better quality

周偉文

下週六，澳大利亞人就會在聯邦選舉中，決定哪一個政黨會組成下一屆政府。今次的選舉，有關華裔候選人的新聞，經常出現在媒體之中。總理、反對黨領袖及不少候選人，都大量使用微信在進行宣傳、攻撃對手及拉票活動。不少華人都極投入，千萬條微信在不同群組都在討論澳洲聯邦大選，好不熱鬧。視頻訊息除了出現在出現在網絡廣告，更在微信中不斷傳出，工黨甚至向騰信投訊，有關工黨的假競選報導，充斥在微信平臺之中。

Next weekend comes our Federal Election. A lot of media coverage was made on Chinese candidates over this campaign period. The PM, opposition leader and many candidates made use of the WeChat platform to launch publicity and attack. Many Chinese are keen to join in the group discussion. Election materials of all kinds keep filling up network media like WeChat.

微信的超低公信力、沒有出處、誇張的標題及極端不負責任的言論，本來就是人所共知。在華人社區，因為成本低、容易製作、傳遞力強，往往被小生意用來作推廣用途。不少人把嘩眾取寵的失實文章，作為推送廣告的工具瘋傳，其實也達不到甚麼宣傳效果。說到底，誰會在微信平臺上，仔細看甚麼，真都是微型資訊吧。所以在微信平臺上傳送的政治宣傳，往往是謾罵對手的抹黑意見，而並不是甚麼有用的資訊。真正有價值的訊息，一定是高成本的製作。

Despite WeChat’s low reputation as a quality and responsible media platform, it appeals many small businesses as a cheap and effective advertising channel. Numerous hits were achieved through exaggerating messages yet without achieving a good outcome, apart from making a micro impact. Many political messages through WeChat are not accurate for informed understanding of the election. We must rely on quality information at a cost.

事實上，中文有關澳洲社會生活的訊息，質素很低。不少內容，其實是在中國生產，把英文媒體以極低成本，找英文不太好的人翻譯出來。不少這樣訊息，根本不容易被看得明白。而且翻譯的人並不認識澳洲生活，寫出來根本與原來真實情況出入很大。

Indeed many Chinese media on Australian social and living understanding are of low quality. The writing was primarily produced in China and then was crudely translated at a low cost inevitably at a low standard. Particularly if the translators are those lacking local living experience here their writing would not be readable and representative.

有中文網站把批評自由黨候選人廖嬋娥的英文媒體報導，隨意翻譯及惡意修改編寫成為網絡消息，再經微信瘋傳，結果廖嬋娥變成為「劉女士」，明顯是在中國的翻譯者者把廣東話拼音的「廖」（Liu），以為是普通話的「劉」。不少我們在澳洲微信上傳的澳洲新聞，就是由一些中國大陸英文水準不高的人，隨意翻譯成為中文訊息，因此可信性及真確性極低。

A Chinese website publish a malicious critic on Liberal candidate Gladys Liu through hasty translation of an English media report. The message turned out on WeChat propaganda to call her Ms Lau. Obviously the Chinese translator wrongly based on a Mandarin pronunciation of ‘liu’ to end up with ‘Lau’. Many of the Australian news through WeChat were produced and translated by Chinese with sub-standard English back in China, thus resulting in low credibility and integrity.

今次聯邦大選，因為大量的英文資訊被這樣翻譯出來，引致到問題浮現出來。從事媒體行業多年，我感慨為甚麼華人不能有更好的中文媒體服務呢？

This issue surfaces in this Federal Election as when a lot of translation was made on the campaign materials. After working in the Chinese media for so many years, I am so sad to see such an unsatisfactory level of the industry standard as now in here.