When computers should be used for translation (and when not)?
This presentation will discuss when computers should be used (and when not) in translation. It will argue that computers should not be fully dismissed, as they have their own role for routine translation jobs, for translation of texts in restricted genres, for low quality and indicative translation. Translation tools such as translation memory and bilingual concordancing have proven to be even more useful.
The presentation will distinguish (i) human translation which is creative in nature, (ii) Machine Translation programs which analyse and translate automatically (with or without the help of humans) and (iii) translation tools which assist humans in translation, and in particular re-use human translation as in the case of Translation Memory.
To start with, the presentation will explain why it is so difficult for computers to understand and translate languages, introducing ambiguity of language as a major problem for computers. Next, it will describe scenarios where Machine Translation can be helpful. Then it will proceed to outline several translation tools with a proven track record and report latest developments/advances.
The presentation will end with a useful list of recommendations as to how and when to use the computers and when not to use them.
Click for presentation – PDF file, 1.24MB