This collection surveys the translator training landscape in international organizations on a global scale, offering a state-of-the-art view on institutional translator training research and ...practical takeaways for stakeholders. The volume’s focus on training brings a unique perspective to existing research on institutional translation, which has tended to single out such themes as agency, professionalism, and quality. The book is divided into three sections, with the first outlining the competences required of institutional translators, the second exploring training practices at the university level and ""on the job"", for novices and professionals, across a range of settings, and the third providing a synthesis of the above. Contributions draw on findings from studies in both institutional desiderata and existing training programmes from diverse geographic contexts towards situating the discussion through a global lens. In linking together competences and training practices, the book enhances collective knowledge of institutional translation and provides valuable insights for universities and institutions that work with translators on both international and national scales. This book will be key reading for scholars in translation studies, particularly those interested in institutional translation and translator training, as well as active professionals.
The field of legal translation and interpreting has strongly expanded over recent years. As it has developed into an independent branch of Translation Studies, this book advocates for a substantiated ...discussion of methods and methodology, as well as knowledge about the variety of approaches actually applied in the field. It is argued that, complex and multifaceted as it is, legal translation calls for research that might cross boundaries across research approaches and disciplines in order to shed light on the many facets of this social practice. The volume addresses the challenge of methodological consolidation, triangulation and refinement. The work presents examples of the variety of theoretical approaches which have been developed in the discipline and of the methodological sophistication which is currently being called for. In this regard, by combining different perspectives, they expand our understanding of the roles played by legal translators and interpreters, who emerge as linguistic and intercultural mediators dealing with a rich variety of legal texts; as knowledge communicators and as builders of specialised knowledge; as social agents performing a socially situated activity; as decision-makers and agents subject to and redefining power relations, and as political actors shaping legal cultures and negotiating cultural identities, as well as their own professional identity.
This collection surveys the translator training landscape in international organizations on a global scale, offering a state-of-the-art view on institutional translator training research and ...practical takeaways for stakeholders.The volume’s focus on training brings a unique perspective to existing research on institutional translation, which has tended to single out such themes as agency, professionalism, and quality. The book is divided into three sections, with the first outlining the competences required of institutional translators, the second exploring training practices at the university level and "on the job", for novices and professionals, across a range of settings, and the third providing a synthesis of the above. Contributions draw on findings from studies in both institutional desiderata and existing training programmes from diverse geographic contexts towards situating the discussion through a global lens. In linking together competences and training practices, the book enhances collective knowledge of institutional translation and provides valuable insights for universities and institutions that work with translators on both international and national scales.This book will be key reading for scholars in translation studies, particularly those interested in institutional translation and translator training, as well as active professionals.The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.
EU texts are produced by way of multilingual negotiation in a supranational multicultural discourse community, where there is no linguistically neutral ground and where the internationalisation of ...concepts and ideas is a sine qua non. As a result, they are idiosyncratic texts, reflecting specific textual features. Their translation in the current 23 official EU languages is equally idiosyncratic and challenging, to say the least, especially since it is shaped under the EU’s overwhelming cultural and linguistic diversity, the constraints of its policy of multilingualism, and the subsequent policy of linguistic equality which states that all languages are equal, or ‘equally authentic’ (Wagner, Bech, Martinez 2002, 7), and that translations are not really translations but language versions. In other words, in the framework of EU translation, the terms source text (ST) and target text (TT) cease to exist, while the prima facie illusory notion of ‘equivalence’ seems to resurface—though altered in nature—and dominate the translation practice. It thus goes without saying that in the case of EU texts and their translation a tailor-made theoretical framework is required where many classic concepts of Translation Studies (TS), such as ST, TT and equivalence need to be re-evaluated and redefined, and at the same time functionalist approaches and the postmodernist concepts of intertextuality, hybridity and in-betweenness need to come to the fore. The proposed translation theory for EU texts flaunts the feature inherent in their production, it is—just like them—hybrid.
Evaluation of machine translation (MT) into morphologically rich languages has not been well studied despite its importance. This paper proposes a classifier, that is, a deep learning (DL) schema for ...MT evaluation, based on different categories of information (linguistic features, natural language processing (NLP) metrics and embeddings), by using a model for machine learning based on noisy and small datasets. The linguistic features are string based for the language pairs English (EN)–Greek (EL) and EN–Italian (IT). The paper also explores the linguistic differences that affect evaluation accuracy between different kinds of corpora. A comparative study between using a simple embedding layer (mathematically calculated) and pre-trained embeddings is conducted. Moreover, an analysis of the impact of feature selection and dimensionality reduction on classification accuracy has been conducted. Results show that using a neural network (NN) model with different input representations produces results that clearly outperform the state-of-the-art for MT evaluation for EN–EL and EN–IT, by an increase of almost 0.40 points in correlation with human judgments on pairwise MT evaluation. It is observed that the proposed algorithm achieved better results on noisy and small datasets. In addition, for a more integrated analysis of the accuracy results, a qualitative linguistic analysis has been carried out in order to address complex linguistic phenomena.
Advances in neural machine translation (NMT) models have led to reported improvements in machine translation (MT) outputs, especially for resource-rich language pairs (Deng & Liu, 2018), mainly at ...the level of fluency (Castilho et al., 2017a, 2017b). NMT systems have been used particularly for the translation of technical and life science texts with short, repetitive, formulaic, and unambiguous sentence types. In contrast, legal translation studies scholars have depicted legal translation as not particularly compatible with MT, mainly because legal texts include features that pose significant challenges to MT (Killman, 2014; Prieto Ramos, 2015; Matthiesen, 2017). As such, the quality of the output varies according to the legal genre and language pair. Using MQM-DQF error typology, this study evaluates the quality of the post-edited and human translation (HT) products of two normative property law texts from Greek to English, a language pair considered to be under-resourced. The time taken by the two translators who participated in the study to complete these products was monitored, and information was collected on their attitudes towards MT and post-editing (PE). The findings indicate neither productivity gains in the case of PE, nor major differences in accuracy or fluency between the post-edited and HT texts, although the number of errors was slightly higher overall in the case of HT, with most occurring at the level of accuracy. Conversely, the post-edited versions contained more errors at the levels of style and verity. Finally, the translators' views on MT and PE were dependent on the MT output quality, while their trust level in the output may have affected the end-product quality.
Els avenços en els models de traducció automàtica neuronal (TAN) s’han traduït en una millora dels resultats de la traducció automàtica (TA), especialment, en les combinacions lingüístiques amb molts ...recursos (Deng i Liu, 2018) i sobretot pel que fa a la fluïdesa (Castilho et al., 2017a, 2017b). Els sistemes de TAN s’han fet servir sobretot per traduir textos tècnics i de ciències de la vida amb frases breus, repetitives, predictibles i sense ambigüitats. Per contra, l’estudi acadèmic de la traducció jurídica ha assenyalat que aquesta no és gaire compatible amb la TA, sobretot perquè els textos jurídics tenen característiques que plantegen problemes importants per a la TA (Killman, 2014; Prieto Ramos, 2015; Matthiesen, 2017). Així, la qualitat dels resultats varia en funció del gènere jurídic i la combinació lingüística. Amb una tipologia d’errors MQM-DQF, en aquest estudi s’avalua la qualitat dels productes de la postedició i de la traducció humana (TH) amb dos textos prescriptius de dret de la propietat del grec a l’anglès, una combinació lingüística que es considera que té pocs recursos. L’estudi va controlar el temps que les dues persones participants en l’estudi van necessitar per acabar aquests dos textos i també va recollir dades sobre la seva postura en relació amb la TA i la postedició (PE). Els resultats indiquen que la productivitat no millora en el cas de la PE ni tampoc s’observen grans diferències pel que fa a la precisió o la fluïdesa entre els textos posteditats i els fets amb TH. En general, però, el nombre d’errors era lleugerament més elevat en les TH i la majoria d’aquests errors tenia a veure amb la precisió. En canvi, les versions posteditades contenien més errors d’estil i veracitat. Per acabar, les opinions dels traductors sobre la TA i la PE depenien de la qualitat dels resultats de la TA, tot i que el seu nivell de confiança en els resultats pot haver afectat la qualitat del producte final.
EU texts are produced by way of multilingual negotiation in a supranational multicultural discourse community, where there is no linguistically neutral ground and where the internationalisation of ...concepts and ideas is a sine qua non. As a result, they are idiosyncratic texts, reflecting specific textual features. Their translation in the current 23 official EU languages is equally idiosyncratic and challenging, to say the least, especially since it is shaped under the EU’s overwhelming cultural and linguistic diversity, the constraints of its policy of multilingualism, and the subsequent policy of linguistic equality which states that all languages are equal, or ‘equally authentic’ (Wagner, Bech, Martínez 2002, 7), and
that translations are not really translations but language versions. In other words, in the framework of EU translation, the terms source text (ST) and target text (TT) cease to exist, while the prima facie illusory notion of ‘equivalence’ seems to resurface—though altered in nature—and dominate the translation practice. It thus goes without saying that in the case of EU texts and their translation a tailor-made theoretical framework is required where many classic concepts of Translation Studies (TS), such as ST, TT and equivalence need to be re-evaluated and redefined, and at the same time functionalist approaches and the postmodernist concepts of intertextuality, hybridity and in-betweenness need to come to the fore. The proposed translation theory for EU texts flaunts the feature inherent in their production, it is—just like them—hybrid.
Over the past ten years, there has been a steady increase in demand for translation and a reduction in internal staffing levels (Strandvik 2017) at the European Union (EU) institutions. As a result, ...most institutions have been increasingly outsourcing part of their production to contractors, selected and managed in line with public procurement rules. In order to ensure high standards, the external contractor selection process is rigorous, and so are the quality assurance measures implemented and the continuous support offered to contractors through clear guidelines and training (DG TRAD 2020, 23), as well as seminars, webinars, and even in-situ visits (DGT 2018, 12). Given the complexity and significance of external translation, the present chapter explores the requirements on the part of external translation providers, i.e. contractors, through a study of the tendering procedures at the EU institutions and the quality guidelines provided. It also attempts to identify the challenges they face and the needs they have in terms of their continuous training; findings are based on two interviews carried out in March 2022 with two external translation service providers that provide translations for several EU institutions. The conclusions that can be drawn point to the super-role of EU style guides and feedback provided in the form of evaluation reports and also to the need for tailored training both at an academic level and at an institutional level.
Given the complexity and significance of external translation, this chapter explores the requirements on the part of contractors through a study of the tendering procedures at the European Union (EU) institutions and the quality guidelines provided. It aims to identify the challenges they face and the needs they have in terms of their continuous training based on two interviews carried out in March 2022. The external translation services provider/contractor selection process is rigorous, and so are the quality assurance measures implemented and the continuous support offered to contractors through meetings and clear guidelines, as well as seminars, webinars, and even in-situ visits. External translation service providers are selected through open calls for tenders and include both freelancers and translation agencies. Albeit impressive, the EU's multilingualism is restricted in a number of ways. First, the policy only concerns official languages covering the whole territory of a Member State.
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