TRN5010 - Technology and translation

Leader(s): Dr Rika Shimo-Malmberg

Offered

Clayton First semester 2009 (Day)

Synopsis

This unit will introduce students to the issues and techniques associated with creating, manipulating, displaying and printing texts in a variety of languages, including scripts that are alphabetic, syllabic and ideographic. The current standards and techniques for multilingual texts will be introduced. Students will be introduced to and taught to evaluate the various electronic aids to translation, such as electronic dictionaries and translation memory systems. There will be an overview of machine translation and its limitations. There will be training in the use of online corpora and guidance in WWW searching in translation. Various ways of "adding value" to a translated text, such as the use of computer graphics, will also be introduced. Fifth-year students will be expected to demonstrate more mastery of the use of CAT tools and on-line corpora.

Objectives

On successful completion of this unit, students will:

• have acquired experience in coping with various problems involved in creating and handling text in a multilingual environment;
• be equipped to use and evaluate a number of electronic aids to translation which are available in the marketplace;
• have had hands-on experience with translation memory systems;
• be competent in searching the WWW for information to assist in translation;
• be able to produce "value-added" translated texts through use of computer graphics, tables, etc.

• Level 5 students will also be able to assess critically the efficacy and usefulness of the technology in the task.

Assessment

6 Text-handling/translation tasks (3600 words): 30%
3 Presentations with accompanying reports (800 words each): 40%
1 Final report (3000 words): 30%
Fifth-year students will be expected to demonstrate more mastery of the use of machine-assisted translation and on-line corpora.

Contact hours

3 hours (1 x 3 hour seminar) per week

Prerequisites

TRN4040

Prohibitions

TRN4010