PROBLEMS OF MACHINE TRANSLATION AND ITS APPLICATION IN TRANSLATOR TRAINING
Keywords:
human translation, machine translation, trans-human translation, translator training and teaching.Abstract
The article reviews the current research related to the status of machine translation (MT) and its application in translator training. The author states the increasing impact of technologies upon the translation and localisation industries, which gives grounds to expect considerable changes in the human translation process that have to be taken into account in translator training as well. One of the ways to deal with this issue seems to be the comprehensive approach to the MT integration into translator training. In spite of the contradictory data related to the research into the comparative efficiency of human and machine translation, on the one hand, and various kinds of MT systems, on the other, the paper comes to the conclusion that there is no alternative to the MT application in professional translation, and thus, to its involvement into the translator training as well. The author supports the idea of trans-human translation, where the human remains in charge, skillfully exploiting the technological advantages to the benefit of the translation speed and quality. This approach takes Translation Studies beyond the limits of purely linguistic or anthropocentric models. The author analyses the controversial opinion concerning shifting the emphasis in the translator’s work towards the linguistic post-post-editing. This assumption is used to predict the decline in the translator’s subject knowledge importance and even in the target language command requirements related to the ever growing practice of the target text post-editing by experts in the specific domain.. The author reviews the role of pre-editing, post-editing and proofreading in the eyes of the translation and localisation industry representatives, as well as the ways to include the appropriate skills development in translator-training. The article analyses the conflicting results concerning the impact of post-editing upon the efficiency of the translator’s competence development. It is concluded that translators will have to possess a variety of innovative skills, which might open up promising career opportunities for them, subject to the consolidation of interdomain and interdisciplinary connections in translator training and teaching.
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