柯以琳為尋找工作寫的中英文自傳

我是99年輔大英文系應屆畢業生，今年二十五歲。 

我會進入英文系就讀和我的成長背景有很大的關係。我的父親是教會傳道人，因為父親的工作，在我九歲的時候全家移居新加坡六年，直到2001年國三時才搬回台灣。 

2001年回國後，我以遠距教學的方式，在家自修四年，取得美國賓州Keystone National High School的高中文憑。為了實現出國念書的願望，我以1400分(總分1600)的成績考過美國SAT大學入學測驗，也以290分(總分300)考過托福。 

出國念大學的願望在2005年夏天實現了。從八月抵達德州，到隔年的五月，那是我生命中意義非凡的一年，因為不但有機會學習另一個文化，也因為肌肉萎縮症帶來的生活上的需求，而學會如何雇用同學來照顧我。我在聘請美國學生來照顧我日常所需的過程中，學會了獨立生活，以及人與人的共處之道。 

雖然因為身體狀況在大二時回國就讀輔仁大學，但我仍然持守著從小培養的國際觀，有每日閱讀國際新聞的習慣，也藉著訂閱時代雜誌(TIME)來與世界接軌。在輔大的三年，我每個學期都是全班第一名。對我來說，語文是一種工具－－用來表達自己、了解別人，促進思想和文化的交流。 

可能是因為有這樣的背景，我對國際事務有相當的興趣。在高中時期，我曾在教會內推廣籌款活動，第一次是在2003年，籌了新台幣十萬元，經由安澤國際救援協會捐給智利的一所孤兒院。2005年年初，南亞海嘯發生後，在教會發起籌款活動，並在臺安醫院、大潤發中崙店和內湖二店舉辦義賣活動，為斯里蘭卡和印尼一共籌到新台幣五十萬元。 

在大學時期，我不只認真讀書，也有與同學及學校合作的經驗。在美國西南大學大一的那一年，我寫了一篇短文，叫做「同理心的重要」。之後，我找了約二十位同學和老師，以每個人念一兩句內容的方式，製作成一部短片，推廣同理心的概念，這部短片後來曾在學校禮堂中播放。在我大三的時候，我曾受邀在輔大的學生輔導中心分享我的人生故事，我將題目訂為「我的輪椅、我的夢想、和那些站在電梯裡不肯出來的人」，藉以指出身為殘障人士在生活中碰到的種種問題。為了那次的分享，我在學校招募了四位製片義工，在幾星期的時間內拍攝、剪接影片，製成一部約十分鐘的短片，在演講前放映。 

除了企劃和製片，我也有將近七年的中翻英及英翻中的翻譯及即時口譯經驗，包括在大三暑假翻譯的一本書，叫作《哈米吉多頓之謎》(Armageddon at the Door)。我的工作內容除了翻譯全文，共十五萬字，也負責與美國的作者和出版社聯絡，處理版權和作者權利金等事務。在那三個月的時間裡，我學會了如何獨自搜尋並整理資料，找尋正確的中英對照，並且以專業的方式與國外客戶通信。在這過程中，我了解什麼是恆心與堅持，並因為藉著自己的語言能力，幫助了台灣讀者們得到國外最新資訊，為此深感快樂。 

我大三的研究報告題目是「以小說講述自我：對伊恩．麥克伊溫的《贖罪》以及提姆．波頓的《大智若魚》中虛構性個人敘述的研究」(“Narrating the Self through Fiction: A Study of Fictional Personal Narratives in Ian McEwan's Atonement and Tim Burton's Big Fish”)，得到「最佳大三研究報告獎」，並被收納在台灣匯文網教學資料庫。大四第二學期，我在研究所的選修課程完成一篇文學論文，題目是「未運用的權力之力量：在暴力中存活」(“The Power of Power Not Exercised: Surviving Amid Violence”)，也被收錄在匯文網教學資料庫。 

今年畢業的時候，我在系主任的推薦下，很榮幸獲選為輔大英文系99年度唯一加入斐陶斐學會的榮譽會員。雖然身體上有一定程度的不便，但我希望出外上班，因為我喜歡與人合作，接受工作的各種挑戰。我的成長背景無疑帶給了我許多語言上的優勢，尤其是對英文的掌握能力。以我在美國三年及新加坡六年的成長背景，及所具備的執行力和英文能力，我相信自己能夠勝任，在挑戰性大而有意義的工作上有所貢獻。謹希望我的工作能使台灣和世界接軌，造福台灣人民。

英文自傳 

My name is Elaine Ko, and I am a recent graduate from Fu Jen Catholic University with a degree in English B.A. Although I was born and raised in Taiwan, I have lived abroad for more than nine years, including six years in Singapore. Having this background not only helped me to become a fluent English-speaker, but also opened up new horizons through which I see the world.

Since I had lived in Singapore for six years, I have been a freelance interpreter and translator for about eight years. This began after I returned to Taiwan and became very active in church. I served as an interpreter for sermons, discussions, and even professional seminars and workshops. I have also translated documents inside and outside of the church system. In the summer of 2009, I translated a 150,000-word book entitled Armageddon at the Door into Chinese. Besides being responsible for the translation, I was also in charge of contacting and negotiating with the publisher and author. In the three months of hard work, I learnt the importance of self-discipline, accuracy, and good communication. Most importantly, I felt honored to be the channel through which readers in Taiwan are able to get the latest news and ideas from the other side of the world.

I have thus been proactive in engaging myself and others with the rest of the world, not only as a translator but also as an activist and advocate. This is important because the understanding and exchanging of ideas usually lead to positive outcomes for all. I realized this when the fundraising projects that I started in my church were met with better results than I expected. In 2003, we raised NT$100,000 for orphanages in Chile. In early 2005, about two months after the Indian Ocean tsunami, we sent NT$500,000 to ADRA Indonesia and Sri Lanka (a relief agency). Our funds mainly came from charity sales we held at Taiwan Adventist Hospital and two RT-Marts in Taipei. While I had made the initial plans, the projects took off because of the help of many dedicated people. Everyone benefited from these activities.

Because of my skills and experiences, I believe I am the best candidate for the job. My fluency in English, with some understanding of French and Spanish, will help me communicate and process information with efficiency and accuracy. As I have lived in Singapore and the United States for many years, and have traveled through Asia, Australia, and Europe, I will also bring an appreciation of different cultures to the job at hand. Although I have a physical disability that limits my mobility, it has not impaired my critical thinking ability and independence. With determination and hard work, I will be a diligent and responsible employee.