Transcript Context : An Infrastructural Shift

Teletranslation
Context : An Infrastructural Shift
Information Society
Industrial Society
Physical transportation
and face-to-face
communication with
print media
Paradigm of Translation
Today’s
Transitional
Society
Internet and
computer-mediated
communication with
digital media
Paradigm of Teletranslation
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Conventional Translation
 text for paper-based circulation
 wordprocessing
 asynchronous
 no engineering input
 after-thought
2
Teletranslation

Processing of text in electronic form

Asynchronous and synchronous text

Computer and network-assisted
translation with a range of tools

Engineering inputs

Adaptation of non-textual elements

Translation foregrounded in design of the
content
3
TMC & CMC
 Translation-mediated communication (TMC)
message in
Sender
TRANSLATOR
source language
message in
target language
Receiver
 Computer-mediated communication (CMC)
message
COMPUTER
Sender
message
Receiver
4
Changing nature of translation
content
HYPERREALITY
multimodal
e.g. video game
non-linear text
HYPERTEXT
e.g. web site
linear text
TEXT
5
Changing nature of translation
content
non-linear text
HYPERTEXT
e.g. web site
linear text
TEXT
• Retention of format (e.g. HTML/XML)
• High-volume perishable text
• Frequent micro changes
• Adaptation of icons, images, layout….
6
Applications of Translation Technology

Speed
- Online MT for information jisting
- TM for repetitive & frequently updated text

Quality
- TMS/TM for consistent use of terminology
- Corpus tools for domain-specific knowledge
- CL checker for SL text control (HOCL & MOCL)

Price
- TM to pay once for the same sentence
- Global online tendering of translation jobs
- Internet-based free amateur translation
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The Internet and Human Translation
 The Internet as a research tool for HT
• Access to the author of the source text
• Text in various domains
• Mailing list as translator knowledge-base
• Vast number of terminology sources
• Image search for cultural knowledge gap
• Speech search (Web radio to check pronunciation)
8
The Internet and Human Translation
 The Internet as a business interface for HT
• Access to potential customers via Web
- Own Web site
- Translators’ mailinglist
- Translator portals
- e-Agencies
9
The Internet and Human Translation
 The Internet as a business interface for HT
• Access to potential customers via Translator’s
mailinglist
e-goups on Yahoo http://www.groups.yahoo.com/
10
The Internet and Human Translation
 The Internet as a business interface for HT
• Access to potential customers via Translation
portals
Trados http://www.translationzone.com/
Logos http://www.logos.it/lang/transl_it.html
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The Internet and Human Translation
 The Internet as a business interface for HT
• e-Agencies
Aquarius http://www.aquarius.net/
ProZ.com http://www.ProZ.com
TransMart http://www.trans-mart.net
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The Internet and Human Translation
 Shared knowledge and skills
• Networked Translation Memory
• Wiki-based collaborative translation
Wiki: a web application to allow any user to
edit the content; collaborative software used
to create such a website (Wikipedia)
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Teletranslation
• Digital literacy
- understanding the nature of the content (medium)
• Integration with engineering process
- workflow
• Adaptation of non-textual elements and international design
- explicit intercultural knowledge
• Synchronous production
- dealing with unstable source content
• Impact of collaboration
15
Teletranslation Issues:
Implication of Internationalisation
message in
source language
Sender
Translatability editor
TRANSLATOR
message in
target language
Receiver
16
Teletranslation Issues:
Implication of Internationalisation
 How to quantify ‘translatability’ of both
textual and non-textual elements
 What skills will be needed for a
‘translatability’ editor?
 How to design the optimum
internationalisation
17
Teletranslation Issues:
Experiments with “chat” modes

How does a new platform affect the whole process
of language mediation?

Is it doable by human translators/interpreters?

If not doable, what is the problem?

What elements will make the process easier?

What new skills or knowledge will be needed?
18
Teletranslation Issues:
“Transterpreting” experiments 1
SENDER
in Japan
RECIPIENT
in USA
J
J
 Keyboard entry in
Romanized Japanese
J
 Romanized Japanese
displayed on all participants'
screens, including transterpreter
TRANSTERPRETER
in New Zealand
J
J
J
E
E
 English translation
displayed on screen
 Transterpreter reads Japanese and types English
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Teletranslation Issues:
“Transterpreting” results

The process of language mediation was affected by
the nature of the platform in use

It is possible to transterpret for Japanese/ English
but not Chinese/English

Transterpreter/participants ratio affects in a chat
environment in the performance of transterpreting

Multi-channel communication makes it easier
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Teletranslation Issues:
“Transterpreting” experiments 2
MS ComicChat: Interactive chat environment
21
Teletranslation Issues:
“Transterpreting” experiments 2
MS ComicChat: Interactive chat environment
22
Teletranslation Issues:
“Transterpreting” experiments 3
ActiveWorlds: Interactive chat environment with avatars
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Teletranslation Issues:
Experiment results

Nonverbal communication may need to be
translated/interpreted explicitly

Language mediator may begin to use nonverbal cues more
often and explicitly

Translating and interpreting may become merged by way of
multi-tasking

Language mediator may start to take on the role of
communication manager
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