Journal of Translation Studies, vol.13, nos.1 & 2 (2010)

Abstracts

Teaching Localization via E-learning: Developing and Delivering an E-course on Software Localization at Imperial College London

Mark Shuttleworth

Imperial College London, United Kingdom

Abstract

In view of the rising level of interest among students and professional translators in localization, a decision was taken in 2007 to transform the current course unit of the Imperial College London translation master's on localization into a standalone e-learning course. The aim of this article is to describe the process of setting up this course and to provide a report on the early stages of its existence following its launch in January 2009. It is hoped that the author's experiences will prove to be of use to anyone considering designing such a course and show how both academia and the localization industry may be able to draw benefits from such an initiative.

Pedagogical Reflections on Computer-Aided Translation as a Course

Qian Duoxiu

Beihang University, China

Abstract

This article reviews the teaching of computer-aided translation as a course at Beihang University for the past eight years. The course is the first of its kind in universities of Mainland China. Integration of theory and practice is stressed in the process. Its components include the history of machine translation and computer-aided translation, principles of computer-aided translation research and development, translation aids of various types, corpora and computer-aided translation, terminology and termbanks, alignment and translation memory, and other aspects of interest. Based on the students' feedback, this course helps them to learn more about the application of computer technology in translation theory and practice, broaden their vision, and enhance their employability and marketability upon graduation. The author hopes to exchange ideas with scholars and teachers in the field so that this course can be improved and offered at more universities.

Machine Translation: A Concise History

John Hutchins

University of East Anglia, United Kingdom

Abstract

This chapter traces the history of machine translation (MT) from the pioneers to the latest research on corpus-based systems. In the early systems of the 1950s and 1960s, rule-based approaches dominated in MT projects, particularly in the United States and the Soviet Union. Early enthusiasm was followed by disillusionment when expected results failed to materialize, giving rise to the ALPAC report in the mid-1960s, which effectively ended most research funding for the next decade. However, in the 1980s MT research was revived with new approaches (mainly so-called "transfer" systems, but also knowledge-based and interlingual systems) and the first operational systems in large corporations and in institutions such as the European Communities. During the 1990s, however, researchers turned to statistical methods, using the increasingly available large bilingual corpora (original texts and their human translations). In the past decade, corpus-based approaches (example-based methods and particularly statistical machine translation) have dominated MT research. Since 1990, there has also been an ever-greater adoption of systems and translation tools by large corporations and institutions and an increasing use of online MT systems by the general public.

Teaching Translation Memory Systems: SDL Trados 2007

Hari Venkatesan

University of Macau, China

Abstract

This article discusses a model for teaching SDL Trados to graduate students. The model aims to engage students in its attempt to simulate real-life situations where TM systems may find utility. It involves evolving exercises that combine the most prominent features of SDL Trados 2007 to allow students to quickly build up a TM that can be used to handle various translation tasks. The article also discusses a model for evaluation of student performance. The focus in this article is on SDL Trados 2007, but the model can be adapted for use with Trados Studio 2009 and later versions as well.

A New Curriculum for the Teaching of Translation Technology: The Teaching of a Translation Project Course as a Case Study

Chan Sin-wai

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Abstract

This article looks at the process whereby a new curriculum for the teaching of translation technology was introduced at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, using the translation project course as a case study to reveal the good results of such a change. Training of translation technology is offered in various forms, with the academic environment as the most formal and comprehensive. The first part of this article gives an account of the experience of running the Master of Arts in Computer-Aided Translation program from 2002 to 2008, while the second part of this article describes the experience of actually teaching the translation project course, including the system used for the project and the texts the students used in the course.

A User-Adaptive Framework for Computer-Aided Translation System

Sun Le

Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

Abstract

The greatest difference between automatic machine translation (MT) systems and computer-aided translation (CAT) systems is that the latter are dominated by users. With the rapid development of statistics-based machine translation (SBMT) technology, more and more SBMT algorithms are being introduced to CAT systems, such as in Project TT2 (TransType2). In principle, MT algorithms can assist in the efficient production of a target text. However, recent evaluations of the TT2 have shown that they decrease the productivity of most translators who use it. In this presentation, the author analyzes the reasons for this and proposes a user-adaptive framework that consists of a text alignment module, a matching module, and a sentence complete module. The author shows that this framework has the potential to turn an SBMT-based CAT system into a help rather than a hindrance to a translator.

Developing CAT Tools for Translating Chinese Scientific Monographs

Chang Baobao, Kang Byeong-kwu, and Yu Shiwen

Beijing University, China

Abstract

So far, fully automatic machine translation has not been able to produce satisfactory translation. To fulfill the actual needs of translation, people have to rely on the technology of computer-aided translation (CAT). In this article, the authors describe their work on building CAT models and developing CAT tools for translating Chinese scientific monographs. The authors' work differs from general-purpose CAT modeling and development since they believe a monograph-oriented CAT system should model the whole process of translating monographs and should offers help during the entire workflow. In order to get a better understanding of the language characteristics of Chinese scientific monographs and to better model the workflow, the authors have chosen a Chinese monograph in the domain of computational linguistics as a case study, which they have been trying to translate into English and Korean with the help of the tools proposed. The authors also show the results they have obtained from this particular case.

PCT: Portuguese-Chinese Machine Translation Systems

Wong Fai and Chao Sam

University of Macau, China

Abstract

In this article, the machine translation (MT) tools that have been developed in the University of Macau, with a focus on the languages of Portuguese and Chinese, are presented. These systems, acting as translation tools, can be used to better manage the workflow of professional translators and are used as facilities for teaching courses. MT, as the chosen theme in this article, like many other fields, has its theoretical (methodological) and practical parts. For teaching computer science students, the MT systems can be used to illustrate problems in language analysis at different levels, especially the different methodologies to the development of a new MT system, while for translation students they can be used to demonstrate how computers work, what MT can and cannot do, and how to master these tools in their translation workflow. This article focuses on discussing the
underlying architecture, components, and methodologies of the developed MT systems and its use for teaching purposes.

Toward a Model of Active and Situated Learning in the Teaching of Computer-Aided Translation: Introducing the CERTT Project

Lynne Bowker and Elizabeth Marshman

University of Ottawa, Canada

Abstract

With technologies becoming more widely and firmly established in the language industries, translator education programs must produce graduates who are knowledgeable about and comfortable with today's translation tools. How then can translator education programs meet future translators' and employers' needs with limited time and resources? One strategy is to adopt a more holistic approach, which seeks to integrate tool use across different elements of the program, including within "core" technology courses, in practical translation and other courses, and as part of independent study activities. Achieving this goal, however, is not without challenges, and it requires an investment of time and effort on the part of both educators and students. In 2007, a new translation technology education initiative was launched at the University of Ottawa's School of Translation andInterpretation (UO-STI). This initiative is centered around the Collection of Electronic Resources in Translation Technologies (CERTT) project. Motivated by a desire to improve the way in which technology-related knowledge and skills are taught to translators, the CERTT team has developed a framework to assist educators and students in exploring and using a range of over thirty computer tools and resources for translators. This centralized collection of tutorials, exercises, corpora, sample files for use with tools, and other related resources is currently being integrated into LinguisTech, which is an online portal and translator's toolbox intended to supply information and access to a range of language technologies to translation students across Canada, as well as to certain other users. This article describes some key challenges associated with teaching translation technologies and presents the underlying philosophy and framework of the CERTT project, explaining how CERTT seeks to address them. It also briefly reports on the experience of the first four years of teaching with CERTT at UO-STI.

CAT Projects in Curriculum: Developing Classroom Skills for the Real World

Wu Daming

University of Leeds, United Kingdom

Abstract

This article is inspired by some teaching approaches adopted in the MA course in Computer-Assisted Translation at the University of Leeds. One of its essential practices is to require the students to conduct multilingual translation projects and play different functional roles as if they were working in the translation industry. When project management skills are implemented in both teaching and assessment, some aspects are recognized as worthy of further exploration. The discussion focuses on the issues of (1) project structure, (2) teamwork, (3) choice of tools, (4) technical features, and (5) functions of project materials. While providing some answers to the above questions and revealing thoughts on these aspects, this article aims to argue that classroom projects are effectively capable of preparing comprehensive skills for students and also searches for new approaches that can encourage students to learn creative ways of dealing with complicated situations in order to meet challenges in the translation industry's real world.

A Proposed Strategy for Computer-Aided Translation Education: A Brief Summary for the Teaching Practice of the CAT Master's Program at Peking University

Yu Jingsong and Wang Huashu

Peking University, China

Abstract

Peking University started to offer a master's program in computer-aided translation in 2007. This program is designed to enhance existing professional experiences and education to meet new standards of language services and career goals, adding information technology components to traditional translation training that fits the students to the changing requirements of their future jobs. This article focuses on the authors' thinking regarding CAT education and curriculum development. The problems and difficulties they faced in organizing and managing courses and accommodating specific academic needs of students of different backgrounds are also discussed.

The Course Design of CAT for Undergraduate English Majors of Sun Yat-sen University

Luo Xuejuan

Sun Yat-sen University, China

Abstract

This article is a personal reflection on designing a computer-aided translation course for English majors at Sun Yat-sen University in China. Having settled on the use of Yaxin as a teaching system, the contents, methods and assessment schemes for the course began to take shape. Despite its application-oriented approach, the course also introduces the concepts and ideas of computer-aided translation to students.

Translation Training 2010: Forward Thinking, Work Ready

Ignacio Garcia

University of Western Sydney, Australia

Abstract

Responding to technological change, translation education needs to give graduates not only the ability to use the technology, but also the frame through which to understand such change. From the vantage point of research at the overlap of technologies with the profession, this article focuses on two themes every program should consider as translation faces the next decade: First, training in computer-aided translation is a must; the demand for translation is growing, but mostly within the localization slice of the language market. Second, outsourcing and offshoring trends, web-based and user-driven processes, and advances in machine translation are pushing the price per word down and deskilling the profession, and trainees need to be aware of this; building up a successful career in translation now involves either finding a niche or finding a hub, meaning expanding the skills beyond linguistic transfer and gaining expertise in adjacent fields such as source text authoring, quality assurance, or globalization consultancy (the forward-thinking theme).

When Translation Technology Meets Educational Technology: The Way Forward for Teaching Computer-Aided Translation

Susan Xu Yun

SIM University, Singapore

Abstract

"Computers will never replace translators, but translators who use computers will replace translators who don't." Translation technology is thus no longer an option but a necessity in translators' education. Meanwhile, technology has provided new opportunities to transform teaching and learning by individualizing and customizing education. Hence, it is only natural to ride the wave of new educational technology to enhance the teaching of translation technology. This article aims to explore the impact of e-learning on translation pedagogy in the context of Singapore. Initially, a number of problems with teaching translation technology, particularly, computer-aided translation (CAT) tools, in the conventional classroom are considered. It is proposed that blended e-learning may help to solve some of the problems and facilitate the teaching and learning. The author then relates her experience in designing a blended e-course for teaching CAT, summarizing it with the acronym RACE (R = resistance to the project, A = anxiety in the initial stage, C = confidence gained in the process, and E = excitement upon completion). The article demonstrates how the teaching of CAT can be made lively and engaging through e-learning. It finally examines the practical issues in implementation and evaluates the effectiveness of the new approach in achieving learning outcomes.