Филологические науки. Актуальные проблемы перевода

Master in Human Sciences Makhmudov G.R.

M.Auezov South Kazakhstan State University, Kazakhstan

Approaches to structuring the computer applications related to translation

The article considers the impact of new technologies on the professional translator, concluding that s/he will need to acquire new skills in order to remain efficient and competitive in the field of interpreting or translating [1, p.25].

Today, the literature offers several ways of structuring the computer applications related to translation, each of which responds to different criteria or approaches. The most classical structure is that which divides translation software into two large branches: machine translation (MT) and computer assisted translation (CAT). The steady growth of the field and the rise in the number of tools and resources over the past twenty years have, however, led to the creation of subdivisions within these two branches. Furthermore, the greater attention currently being paid to this field has multiplied the number of points of view from which it can be analyzed. It is also to be expected that the divisions existing today will, in the future, expand and become more substantial.

Human-aided machine translation (HAMT) refers to systems in which the translation is essentially carried out by the program itself, but requires aid from humans to resolve specific language problems arising from the source text, or to correct the resulting target text. Machine-aided human translation (MAHT) includes any process or degree of automation in the translation process, provided that this mechanical intervention provides some kind of linguistic support. Thus, the machine-aided human translation category includes things like: spelling, grammar and style checkers, dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopedias and other sources of information that translators can consult either online or on some other computer-readable support. It also contains the systems that make use of these tools and go to constitute a work environment that allows the translator to handle the source and the target text, as well as the storage and retrieval of translations - in other words, what is known as the translator’s workstation.

We therefore have a two-level classification of the tools: according to the degree of human involvement (fully automatic, traditional human and computer-assisted translation) and according to how far these tools are involved in translation (required infrastructure, term level and segment level). Yet, the progress made in recent years both in the field of general Information Technologies and in language processing and translation makes it necessary to renew these classifications and to expand their content [2, p.39].

Furthermore, we make a distinction between tools and resources. The word tool refers to computer programs that enable translators to carry out a series of functions or tasks with a set of data that they have prepared and, at the same time, allows a particular kind of results to be obtained. Thus, translators use the word processor to write out their translations, their translations can be created and stored with assisted translation software, and terminology database management software can be used to store the terminology that has been collected throughout the translation process.

By resources we refer to all sets of data that are organized in a particular manner and which can be looked up or used in the course of some phase of processing. For example, dictionaries or corpora, available either online or on CD ROM, are sets of data that can be accessed in different ways. They normally constitute closed data sets that cannot be expanded by information from the user.

Communication and documentation tools as components include the concepts, tools and resources that translators use to interact, through the computer and networks, with their actual or potential clients, with other translators or specialists, or to obtain information and data from other computers or servers. The purpose behind such communications can be to seek translation jobs, settling doubts about a certain job, sending and receiving texts, documentary research and consulting websites that offer specialized knowledge (bibliographic databases, online encyclopedias, the websites of universities and research groups). Here, we are dealing with both the use and the adaptation of the information and communication technologies in the translation process. As well as enabling translators to carry out documentary research on the specialized area dealt with in the translation, communication tools will also provide them with good communications with their clients or enable them to offer their services in a suitable form through a well-designed webpage.

These technologies will allow them to communicate with other translators, terminologists or computer experts they must work with on the same project, by using the different Internet services (e-mail, chat, videoconference and Web conference software, networks, file transfer, mail lists, and especially virtual collaborative work environments or private virtual networks). Besides these technologies, the translator will have to know how to use software utilities that enable communication to take place under safe conditions, such as firewalls [3, p.53].

Moreover sometimes it is not understandable. Electronic dictionaries help much better than machine translation systems because their task is only to translate the word or word-combination. In order to translate professionally machine translation systems should learn to think, to reflect, and to know all the peculiarities, grammatical rules and history of the language. But it’s not possible. The only way to translate rightly is to take the book dictionary or to use the electronic dictionary.

Certainly we should remember that an ordinary translator can make a mistake too. But at least he can quickly correct it. First of all machine translation is an instrument that allows to solve a problem of translation or to raise the effect of translator’s work only when it’s used competently.

Literature:

1. O’Brien, S. An empirical investigation of temporal and technical post-editing effort. Translation and Interpreting Studies, 2(1), 2007. 83-136.

2. Melby, Alan K. "Machine Translation and Other Translation Technologies". Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 16:0267-1905. 1996. 86-98.

3. Samuelson-Brown, G. A Practical Guide for Translators (2^nd Ed.). London: Multilingual Matters Ltd, 1995.