TechGist05

As the use of machine translation gathers momentum in the professional translation world, it is interesting to see that much of the essential economic rationale for effective deployment of this technology is still somewhat muddy and unclear. MT use on it's own does not guarantee ROI. The MT system has to produce output that actually improves the production process to generate meaningful ROI.   Poor quality MT impacts goodwill, reputation and is also a waste of time, effort and money. There are many in the industry who continue to view machine translation (MT ) with the same “project-oriented mentality” that is common with traditional translation work that sometimes involves the production use of translation memory (TM ).  However, MT is fundamentally different, and I think it requires a different mindset in design and technology deployment to maximize economic benefits. TM is often used as a way to reduce costs and often MT is seen as a new way to lower costs without any real ...

As the momentum around machine translation technology continues to build, and we see more and more discussion about post-editing at conferences, ( I recall a roomful of people gasping in horror when I said “Post-editing is in your future” at a Localization World conference in Montreal in 2006) I thought it would be fun to see if I could dig up more funny stuff about MT. Especially since my blog analytics tell me that my original post on Mocking MT has been particularly popular of late. As MT enters the mainstream of business translation we still see a lot of misinformation and it is amazing to me how still so few understand that all MT engines are not equal and that success with MT requires expertise that is not easily available or rapidly acquired. However, it is encouraging to see more translators urging peers to learn and adapt rather than resist and malign the technology that actually does make sense to many and is used by millions every day. The most destructive myth about ...

My view of a conference is usually determined by the quality of the sessions related to MT and translation automation, or sometimes other sessions  that may trigger new thoughts on innovation and business process evolution. The ELIA conferences I have attended, stand out for me because I think they have better content in general than most, and one actually learns new things. To me it is clear that business translation is evolving beyond a focus on software and documentation localization (“the SDL mindset”) and I look for content that recognizes and addresses these emerging issues and market imperatives. One of the most interesting sessions and perhaps the only one by a translation buyer was entitled “ How Cloud TMSs are Changing the Relationship Between a Translation Buyer and LSPs ” by Elina Lagoudaki of Turner Broadcasting. She described how cloud-based technology is used to manage a growing stream of digital media localization projects. Turner is a good example of a translation...

The most active advocates of machine translation today are Fortune 100 companies especially in the IT industry and the translation agencies that serve them.  The large IT companies have used MT more widely than any other group. However, MT can also be used by smaller LSPs outside of this sphere, especially when they collaborate with experts. This is an example of one such case study which provides many specifics that might be illustrative and educational for others. Advanced Language Translation ( www.advancedlanguage.com ) is a Rochester, NY based Language Service Provider (LSP) which has skillfully incorporated MT (machine translation) into its production process, after years of resisting the technology. CEO Scott Bass admits that this anti-MT stance caused them to miss out on some larger projects, as customers increasingly looked for service providers with a coherent automation strategy. Customers were looking for a partner who understood how to deploy machine translation ...

MT in 2013 is still a complex affair requiring many skills, expertise and understanding that are not commonplace, to enable successful deployment as a productivity enhancing technology for business translation needs. While it has become much easier to build basic custom engines using a variety of Instant Moses solutions or by creating a dictionary for a RbMT, there are still very few who know how to coax MT system output to consistent productivity enhancing levels. Getting some kind of a basic engine up and running is NOT the same thing as having a production-ready post-editor friendly system. There are even fewer who know what to do if the first MT attempt does not work, or is lackluster. Most of these basic/instant MT systems are inferior to basically free online MT from Microsoft and Google. Building long-term productivity and strategic production advantage require much more skill, expertise and experimentation than most LSPs or users have access to, or care to invest in. ...

“Blogs are about sharing with authenticity. A good blog can help you really connect deeply with your audience in a meaningful way because the content is not only relevant but insightful and personal. I think most enterprises miss that point. When you do it right, your customers will walk away not only having learned something new but will also feel much more connected to your brand . ” David Armano EVP, Global Innovation & Integration at Edelman Digital It seems like it was a just a moment ago that I summarized the most interesting blog posts of 2011 but here we are again and the world has not ended. I was not as active writing in 2012 as I was in 2011 as I felt that I had said much of what I had to say, and really there is only so much one can really write about machine translation without being repetitive. The topic has had more coverage across the industry and is perhaps slightly better understood now than it was last year. I am limiting the list to the top 6 since I had fewer ...