data processing
data processing — 名詞
1. The activity of using computers to organize, calculate, and manage information i
資料處理
用電腦整理、計算、管理資訊的活動
The activity of using computers to organize, calculate, and manage information in a useful way.
Lakan works in the data processing department at a large insurance company.
Lakan 在一家大型保險公司的資料處理部門工作。
uncountable noun — 'data processing department' as compound modifier
The course introduces students to basic data processing techniques used in business.
這門課介紹在商業環境中使用的基本資料處理技術。
Modern data processing allows hospitals to keep patient records organized and easy to access.
現代的資料處理能讓醫院有條理地保存病患紀錄，並便於查閱。
Tomás learned data processing skills to help his family's shop track inventory and sales.
Tomás 學習了資料處理技能，協助家裡經營的商店追蹤庫存與銷售。
- information processing
A broader term that can include non-computer methods, but often used interchangeably in computing contexts.
- computing
More general — covers all computer-related activities, not just handling data.
用法筆記
This is the broadest, most common meaning. Often appears in job titles (data processing manager) and department names. Used as an uncountable noun — do not say 'data processings'.
常見錯誤
2. The series of steps a computer system follows to handle information, including s
處理流程
電腦對資訊進行儲存、分類等步驟
The series of steps a computer system follows to handle information, including storing, sorting, calculating, and producing reports.
The data processing pipeline for the weather station retrieves sensor readings, cleans the numbers, and generates daily forecasts.
氣象站的資料處理流程會取得感測器讀數、清理數據，然後產生每日預報。
collocation: data processing pipeline + listing steps
A timing error during the data processing stage caused incorrect bills to be sent to customers last month.
上個月資料處理階段出現的時序錯誤，導致不正確的帳單寄給了客戶。
collocation: data processing stage
Kenji's team built a data processing workflow that sorts through fifty thousand survey responses each afternoon.
Kenji 的團隊建立了一套資料處理流程，每天下午可以分類五萬份問卷回覆。
Each step in the data processing sequence must be checked for accuracy before the results go to the client.
資料處理序列中的每個步驟都必須檢查準確性，才能將結果交給客戶。
- data handling
Less technical and slightly broader — can include manual handling, not just computer operations.
- data management
Focuses on organization and storage over the full lifespan of data, rather than the immediate step-by-step operations.
用法筆記
Frequently paired with words that name a sequence: 'pipeline', 'workflow', 'stage', 'sequence', 'chain'. Common in technical and business writing to describe how data moves through a system.
常見錯誤
3. The work of turning unorganized raw information into a form that computers can r
資料轉換
將原始資訊轉為電腦可讀格式並進行運算
The work of turning unorganized raw information into a form that computers can read and then performing operations on that information to produce useful results.
Before the research team can analyze the patient data, data processing must convert handwritten notes into digital records.
在研究團隊分析病患資料之前，資料轉換必須先將手寫紀錄轉換為數位檔案。
contrast: raw (handwritten) → processed (digital)
Without data processing, the millions of numbers from the satellite would remain a meaningless list.
少了資料轉換，衛星傳回來的數百萬個數字就只是一串沒有意義的清單。
The raw survey data needs careful data processing to remove errors before any conclusions can be drawn.
原始的問卷資料需要經過仔細的資料轉換來去除錯誤，才能得出任何結論。
Gita's company specializes in data processing for engineering firms that collect measurements from construction sites.
Gita 的公司專門為工程公司提供從建築工地收集而來的測量資料轉換服務。
- data conversion
Narrower — focuses specifically on changing formats (e.g. PDF to spreadsheet), not the full workflow of cleaning and processing.
- data transformation
Technically oriented term used in software engineering for changing the structure or values of data.
用法筆記
Emphasizes the transformation aspect — from an unstructured or non-digital form to a structured, machine-readable format. Common in contexts where the starting point is paper records, sensor signals, or other unprocessed inputs.