101

Lesson 1
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Watch this video by El Daheeh on translation
and its history
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYANNltgLbk

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Questions

Now that we've covered some historical context,

why do we need to learn about translation
technology?

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 Fortune favors
the prepared
mind.

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Questions
Q. Why do we need to learn about translation technology?

A:
1. These tools won’t miraculously disappear if we ignore them. They are here to stay!
2. Mastery of translation technologies is now a key professional requirement. We need to be competitive
and keep up with the market to fulfil its needs.
3. Prestigious organizations (e.g., the EU and UN) are high-tech environments and to work there, you need
to have the advantage of knowing the technology!
4. These tools increase productivity and save time and effort.
5. They save your work, so you don’t have to worry about power cuts. No work is lost!
6. These tools improve quality by ensuring consistency (e.g., translating the word mobile as ‫هاتف محمحا‬
across the entire text instead of translating it in different ways such as ‫حمح‬, ‫ح بتي‬, ‫ ج ّ ا‬and so on).
7. The development of such tools has in fact increased demand on translators and not vice versa, because
they increase efficiency and save costs.
8. The application of technology in translation unlocks new areas of research.

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But remember…

Technology is a means not an end.

- Lynne Bowker

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Questions
Q. What’s the first thing that pops into mind when you hear
“translation technology”?

A: Usually, thoughts turn to machine translation applications such as

Google Translate. While machine translation is indeed the earliest
(early 1950s) and one of the most obvious examples of the use of
technology in the translation process, it is not the only thing.

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 Text processors

CAT Tools
Questions

MT/ AI

Image Editing

MTPE Tools
Written Translation

Evaluation Tools

Term management

AVT Tools

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Translation Technologies

MT/AI
Audiovisual
Translation (AVT)

Term management

CAI Tools

Speech-to-Speech/AI
Q. What are the other technologies used in translation?

Interpreting

Video Conferencing
Questions
Q. What is machine translation (MT)?
A: MT is the process where a computer translates one human language into
another, without any involvement from the users.
The MT landscape offers 90 engines according to a 2022 report by Intento.
Examples include:
- Google Translate
- Microsoft Translator (Bing)
- ModernMT
- Systran
- Yandex
- DeepL

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Questions
Q. So, what’s the difference between MT and computer-assisted
translation (CAT)?

A: The main difference lies in the level of human intervention in the

translation process. In MT, human linguists may be involved in the pre-
and post-translation phases. However, in CAT humans mostly do all the
work, and computers are only there to make such work easier.

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Questions
Q. What is a CAT tool?

• A CAT tool is a software (desktop / online) that’s used by translators

to create, store, edit, and manage translation. A CAT tool is not
something that can translate for you.
• A CAT tool leaves all the linguistic and cultural decisions in the hands
of the translator, but exploits (leverages) key strengths of the
computer (i.e., matching and information retrieval).
• A CAT tool must support various file formats (Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, InDesign, web pages, HTML, etc.)

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How does it work?
• Once the file is dropped into the CAT tool, the program extracts the
text from the source file.
• Anything that's not plain text, for example, tables, pictures,
hyperlinks, or any other formats are either transformed into hidden
codes or stored away in the form of visible tags (symbols).
• These codes and tags are separated from the plain text, ready to be
reinserted once the translation is complete to generate the target file,
formatted exactly as the source text.

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How does it work?
• The program then chunks the text into segments.
• The goal of segmentation is to achieve the highest number of
matches within the text itself and with the translation memory so
that you don’t have to translate the same string a second time.
• Since the tool has no linguistic knowledge, it depends on language
cues to divide the text into meaningful units.
• These cues include:
➢ Punctuation marks (. ; ? !)
➢ Structural information (title mark, paragraph mark, different
levels of headings, bullet points, table cells, etc.).

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How does it work?
• The text is then presented in a bilingual editor (table) in which each
SL segment occupies a cell, with a corresponding empty cell alongside
for the translation to be typed.
• Once you finish translating a segment, you confirm this segment by
clicking a button or using a key combination (usually Ctrl+Enter),
sending it to a translation memory where it is stored for reuse.
• Upon completing the task, the translator can generate the target file
which contains the translation formatted exactly as the ST.

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A screenshot of a source text in Word

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A screenshot of the ST in matecat editor

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A screenshot of the TT in Word

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Q. What are the types of a CAT tool?
Workstation Client-server Cloud-server Hybrid
What it is A stand-alone Using a workstation program Same as client-server, except the Offers a stand-alone
program installed to connect to a shared server server is provided by the program program in addition to a
on PC typically installed on the vendor on a secure location on cloud-based version,
premises of a translation the cloud. which can be
company (LSP) synchronized
Examples Wordfast pro, Matecat, Smartcat, XTM Trados, memoQ,
OmegaT Wordfast
Advantages You have more Realtime collaboration Offers all the project You have the best of
control over the between team members management sophistication of a both worlds
translation (who may be working client-server without the hassle
resources remotely) in large projects of running a server, and allows
translators and clients access
from any browser, sometimes
even from a dedicated
smartphone app (e.g. Phrase).
Disadvantages Everything is stored Costly, complex in installing Data theft and hacking Disadvantages present
on your PC (backup and maintaining, inhouse IT in both workstation and
required) expertise cloud programs.

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Questions
Q. What are the main components of a CAT tool?

A:
1. Translation Memory (TM)
2. Termbase/Glossary (TB)
3. Machine Translation (MT)
4. Quality Assurance (QA)
5. Desktop publishing (DTP)
6. Alignment

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1. Translation memory (TM)

A TM is a bilingual file that stores your

translations as source and target segments
(like table cells) so that you can reuse them
in future projects.

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1. Translation memory (TM)

A segment can be any chunk of text (e.g., a

word or phrase in case of titles and headings,
or a full complete sentence).

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1. Translation memory (TM)
The CAT program divides the text into segments based
on a set of predefined rules (know as segmentation
rules). These rules use punctuation marks to mark the
end of a segment. For example: full stop, paragraph
mark ¶ , question mark, exclamation mark, colon.
These rules can be customized in the CAT tool
depending on the type of file you’re translating.

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1. Translation memory (TM)

The most famous TM format is TMX

(translation memory eXchange).
Trados studio has a different format for its
TMs, which is SDLTM.

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1. Translation memory (TM)
It’s better to have different TMs for different
clients because you usually send the TM along
with the translated document to them. So, having
one TM for all would put you at risk of exposing
their information to other parties.

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1. Translation memory (TM)
It’s better to have different TMs for different domains;
because, as you know, some words might have
different translations depending on the context (e.g.,
the translation of the word apple in Apple production
fell by 20% in electronics vs. agricultural domains).

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1. Translation memory (TM)

Make sure to meticulously revise the

translation before saving it into the TM to
avoid repetition of errors in the future.

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2. Termbase (TB) / Glossary
A TB is also a file that stores translations. But
rather than storing the entire segment like a TM
does, TBs stores only terms (i.e., single words or
multiword expressions but never full sentences).
For instance: blockchain, climate change,
strategic workforce planning…etc.

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2. Termbase (TB) / Glossary
• Unlike a TM, a TB can be monolingual, bilingual or multilingual.

• A monolingual TB can be used as a dictionary which gives you

the term and its definition in the same languages. This can be
useful when you want to explain a very specialized term to
translators.

• A monolingual TB can also be used to list all the abbreviations

and acronyms in the source text along with their full term. So
rather than spending time searching for what the abbreviations
stand for, the client provides the full terms beforehand.
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2. Termbase (TB) / Glossary

A TB may contain extra fields such as photos.

A photo might help translators form a visual
idea about the kind of product they’re
translating.

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2. Termbase (TB) / Glossary

The most famous TB format is TBX (Termbase

eXchange).
Trados studio has a different format for its
TBs, which is SDLTB.

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2. Termbase (TB) / Glossary

You should have a separate TB for each client

and each domain for the same reasons
mentioned in the previous slide (e.g., the
translation of the term interest rate in a
banking domain vs. a social-media domain).

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3. Machine Translation (MT)
• As previously mentioned, MT is an automatic translation of
one human language into another by a computer software.
• MT can be used along with TMs and TBs to further
facilitate the translation process when no matches are
found in the TM.
• Using MT inside the CAT tool reduces the technical effort
related to copying/pasting the text and switching between
multiple windows on your computer.

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3. Machine Translation (MT)
Important Considerations When Using MT
1. DO practice what you preach! If you don’t want to be replaced by a machine, don’t willingly
hand over your work to one.

2. Overreliance on MT and AI will deskill you! ‫هايصدي‬ ‫خمكم‬

3. Before using MT, you must get the approval of your client. If the client says “No!”, then you
must NOT use MT.
4. Using MT without the client’s approval is considered a breach of their privacy; because
you’re exposing their information to a third party. You will be held legally accountable.
5. If you have your client’s approval, always make sure to post-edit the output to ensure that
the translation is fluent and doesn’t include any errors. Don’t settle for translations that
sound illogical just because you want to get the job done. This is CHEATING!
6. Know thy texts! Not every text is suitable for MT!
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Final Thoughts
The more skills you have, the wider your job profile and the higher the demand on your
services. Think of yourself more as a “language service provider” (LSP). Our sector is very
flexible and fluid; there is a wide set of services that you as a linguist can provide, including:
- Translation/Interpreting (having certain field expertise is recommended)
- Machine translation post-editing (MTPE)
- Subtitling
- Transcribing
- Quality management and assessment
- Terminology management
- Content creation/development

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Final Thoughts
Use social media for your professional purposes:
- LinkedIn
- X, Facebook, TikTok, and even Instagram can be
used to share your prowess, achievements, and
insights on translation and the latest
advancements in the field.
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Final Thoughts
You can share:
- Certificates
- CAT tools and other technologies you master
- Courses you took
- Client Testimonials
- Events you attended or spoke at (don’t forget to add a photo)
- Videos of you explaining something in translation/language
- Sample translations (of course no confidential documents)
- Thoughts on certain topics in translation/language and related technologies

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Final Thoughts
Each service you provide should be priced
separately. A translation task is just a translation
task. So, if you do anything extra such as image
editing or DTP, you should receive additional
payment for such services.

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Final Thoughts
Before you accept any MTPE tasks, make sure to
sample the text first. If the quality is so bad that
you end up deleting the whole MT output and
translating from scratch, turn the offer down. You
may also advise the client that human translation
is better in this case.
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Final Thoughts
When applying for a translation job (either in a
translation agency or as a freelancer), it is
important to highlight the translation courses you
took and the programs you learned during these
courses in your CV. Revise, revise and revise!

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Final Thoughts

Network, network, and network!

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Final Thoughts
We have an academic partnership with the
Globalization and Localization Association (GALA).
Just sign up for an account with your university email.
This partnership offers many webinars and training
material for free (otherwise paid for non-members) in
addition to networking opportunities with industry
experts and fellow practitioners.

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