Translation-Memory (TM) Research: What Do We Know and How Do We Know It?

It is no exaggeration to say that the advent of translation-memory (TM) systems in the translation profession has led to drastic changes in translators’ processes and workflow, and yet, though many professional translators nowadays depend on some form of TM system, this has not been the object of much research. Our paper attempts to find out what we know about the nature, applications and influences of TM technology, including translators’ interaction with TMs, and also how we know it. An essential part of the analysis is based on a selection of empirical TM studies, which we assume to be representative of the research field as a whole. Our analysis suggests that, while considerable knowledge is available about the technical side of TMs, more research is needed to understand how translators interact with TM technology and how TMs infl uence translators’ cognitive translation processes

Mapping Translation Technology Research in Translation Studies. An Introduction to the Thematic Section

No abstract

From Translatology to Technology: Qualitative Analysis of the Translation Unit in the Localization of Online Content

La unidad de traducción es un concepto ampliamente debatido en los estudios de traducción, aunque el hecho de que no exista un número significativo de estudios empíricos en torno a este concepto incide en el desacuerdo sobre su naturaleza. En las tecnologías de la traducción, se trabaja con un concepto de unidad de traducción que, en principio, no parece seguir los mismos planteamientos que las nociones traductológicas clásicas. El presente estudio pretende ahondar en esta disparidad de nociones sobre la unidad de traducción, centrándose en la localización de contenido online. Para ello, se analizarán cuatro teorías entorno a este concepto, relacionadas con los enfoques funcionalista y cognitivo, dada su relevancia en la localización, así como la perspectiva usada en las tecnologías de la traducción. Para ilustrar y comprobar esta hipotética “contraposición” de enfoques, se realizará un análisis cualitativo de diferentes unidades de traducción en función de dichas perspectivas.The concept of translation unit has been widely debated in translation studies from different approaches, but the fact that there is not a significant number of empirical studies reinforces the existing disagreement on its nature. In translation technologies, the notion of translation unit does not seem to correspond to classical approaches adopted by translation studies. The present contribution aims to explore these hypothetically opposed notions, focusing on the localization of online content. To that end, this study will examine four theories considered relevant in localization, related to functionalist and cognitive approaches, as well as the technological perspective on the translation unit. To exemplify and test this hypothetical dichotomy of approaches, a qualitative study will be conducted on a number of translation units from a translation and technological perspective

De la Traductología a la Tecnología: un análisis cualitativo de la unidad de traducción en la localización de contenido online

The concept of translation unit has been widely debated in translation studies from different approaches, but the fact that there is not a significant number of empirical studies reinforces the existing disagreement on its nature. In translation technologies, the notion of translation unit does not seem to correspond to classical approaches adopted by translation studies. The present contribution aims to explore these hypothetically opposed notions, focusing on the localization of online content. To that end, this study will examine four theories considered relevant in localization, related to functionalist and cognitive approaches, as well as the technological perspective on the translation unit. To exemplify and test this hypothetical dichotomy of approaches, a qualitative study will be conducted on a number of translation units from a translation and technological perspective

Näidisõppetsükkel: MEMOQ 2013 R2 õpetamine Tartu Ülikooli kirjaliku tõlke magistrantidele

University of Tartu Faculty of Philosophy Institute of Germanic, Romance and Slavonic Languages and Literatures Maarja Taaler Tõlkeabitarkvarast ning selle õpetamise olulisusest ülikoolide tõlkijakoolituses. Näidisõppetsükkel: memoQ 2013 R2 õpetamine Tartu Ülikooli kirjaliku tõlke magistrantidele/ On CAT tools and the importance of teaching them in university translator training programmes. Sample study plan for teaching memoQ 2013 R2 to translation students at the University of Tartu MA thesis 2014 77 pages The aim of this MA thesis is to create a sample study plan for teaching memoQ 2013 R2 to translation students at the University of Tartu in order to improve their skills in using CAT tools, as well as to contribute to the development of teaching CAT tools at the University of Tartu. The reason for choosing memoQ 2013 R2 was the availability of a free 1-year license to the students of the University of Tartu. The first chapter gives a general overview of CAT tools, including their historical development, operating principles, modern features and products. The advantages and disadvantages of using this type of technology are also discussed. The second chapter focuses on the importance of teaching CAT tools in university translator training programmes and gives a short overview of the European Master’s in Translation project, as well as the current situation of teaching CAT tools in the translator training programmes of Estonian universities. The third chapter comprises a sample study plan for teaching memoQ 2013 R2 to translation students at the University of Tartu. The study plan is composed of four parts. The first three parts include exercises and tips for mastering the basic functions of memoQ 2013 R2. The exercises are based on processing legal and technical texts in memoQ; more specifically, the texts are different versions of two particular documents, one in each field. The last part focuses on obtaining student feedback. Keywords: CAT tools, memoQ 2013 R2, translator trainin

Suomi–ruotsi-neuroverkkokääntimen räätälöinti Suomen Pankin vuosikertomuksen kääntämisen tueksi

Konekääntäminen on viime vuosina saanut yhä enemmän jalansijaa niin yhteiskunnassa yleisesti kuin ammattikääntäjienkin työssä. Tämä johtuu suurelta osin merkittävistä parannuksista konekäännösten laadussa, jonka on sanottu jo vastaavan ihmiskääntäjien tuottamaa laatua. Pintapuolisesti sujuvissa konekäännöksissä on kuitenkin usein vielä paljon parannettavaa. Nykyisellään tehokkaimmat syväoppiviin neuroverkkoihin perustuvat konekääntimet pitää räätälöidä, eli kouluttaa erikoiskielen lähtöteksteillä ja käännöksillä, jotta ne oppivat käyttämään vakiintuneita vastineita ja ilmaisutapoja. Tutkielma käsittelee OPUS-CAT-neuroverkkokääntimen räätälöintiä Suomen Pankin vuosien 2019 ja 2020 vuosikertomuksilla ja niiden käännöksillä sekä vertaillaan Suomen Pankin vuosikertomuksen 2021 ruotsinnosta räätälöidyllä konekääntimellä tuotettuun ruotsinnokseen. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on selvittää, miten räätälöinti vaikuttaa konekäännökseen, kuinka konekäännin suoriutuu niistä vuosikertomuksen osista, joita ei löydy käännösmuistista, ja kuinka työlästä konekääntimen koulutus on. Tutkielman teorialuvussa käydään läpi käännösmuistien käyttöä, konekääntämisen historiaa ja viime vuosien kehitystä, konekäännösten laadunarviointia sekä neuroverkkokääntimen räätälöintiä yleisesti. Aineisto- ja menetelmäluvussa esitellään Suomen Pankin vuosikertomusta, vuosikertomusta tekstityyppinä sekä OPUS-CATin räätälöinnin työvaiheita. Lisäksi luvussa esitellään tutkielmassa käytettyä konekäännösten automaattista arviointimittaria (BLEU), manuaalisen arvioinnin pohjaksi muodostettua virheluokittelua sekä valittujen arviointitapojen soveltamista. Analyysin pohjalta voi todeta, että rajallisellakin aineistolla räätälöinti parantaa OPUS-CATilla tuotettujen konekäännösten ja Suomen Pankin kielipalveluiden tuottaman käännöksen vastaavuutta merkittävästi. Toisaalta analyysi osoittaa myös, että koulutusaineiston rajallisuus tulee vastaan jo yhdestä vuosikertomuksesta kerätyn kaksikielisen aineiston jälkeen, sillä konekäännösmallin jatkoräätälöinti toisesta vuosikertomuksesta kerätyllä aineistoilla ei enää paranna vastaavuutta suuresti. Työprosessin kuvauksesta käy myös ilmi, että OPUS-CAT-neuroverkkokääntimen räätälöinti on helppoa eikä vaadi suurta teknistä perehtyneisyyttä. Tutkielman johtopäätöksissä todetaan, että räätälöinnin optimoimiseksi aineiston keräys tulisi mahdollisuuksien mukaan ulottaa myös muihin keskuspankin julkaisuihin. Koska OPUS-CATin räätälöinnin voi kuitenkin tehdä suoraan käännösmuistiohjelmasta tuodulla tmx-tiedostolla, pelkällä edeltävän vuoden vuosikertomuksen käännökselläkin saa nopeasti ja helposti hyviä tuloksia

Measuring consistency in translation memories: a mixed-methods case study

Introduced in the early 1990s, translation memory (TM) tools have since become widely used as an aid to human translation based on commonly‐held assumptions that they save time, reduce cost, and maximise consistency. The purpose of this research is twofold: it aims to develop a method for measuring consistency in TMs; and it aims to use this method to interrogate selected TMs from the localisation industry in order to find out whether the use of TM tools does, in fact, promote consistency in translation. The research uses an explanatory, sequential mixed‐methods approach. Following a pilot study, the first phase of the research involved a quantitative study of two English‐to‐German and two English‐to‐Japanese TMs. Inconsistencies found in these TMs were categorised and counted. The research found inconsistencies of letter case, spacing, and punctuation in source texts, and inconsistent terminology, formatting, and punctuation in target texts despite the restrictive nature of TM tools. In a follow‐on qualitative phase, thirteen interviews were conducted with translators and others from the localisation industry with experience of TMs. Interviewees believed inconsistency to be a problem in translations completed using TM tools and confirmed that the findings from the quantitative phase corresponded with their experiences. Furthermore, they expressed their frustration with recent developments in TM tool functionality that, they say, do not address their needs and concerns. The thesis collates interviewees’ procedures for minimising inconsistency in TMs and suggests changes to the functionality of TM tools that may improve consistency and prove beneficial to translation professionals

Post-editing machine translated text in a commercial setting: Observation and statistical analysis

Machine translation systems, when they are used in a commercial context for publishing purposes, are usually used in combination with human post-editing. Thus understanding human post-editing behaviour is crucial in order to maximise the benefit of machine translation systems. Though there have been a number of studies carried out on human post-editing to date, there is a lack of large-scale studies on post-editing in industrial contexts which focus on the activity in real-life settings. This study observes professional Japanese post-editors’ work and examines the effect of the amount of editing made during post-editing, source text characteristics, and post-editing behaviour, on the amount of post-editing effort. A mixed method approach was employed to both quantitatively and qualitatively analyse the data and gain detailed insights into the post-editing activity from various view points. The results indicate that a number of factors, such as sentence structure, document component types, use of product specific terms, and post-editing patterns and behaviour, have effect on the amount of post-editing effort in an intertwined manner. The findings will contribute to a better utilisation of machine translation systems in the industry as well as the development of the skills and strategies of post-editors