Machine Translation for freelancers

Formats: Webinar presentations
Topics: Getting established in the translation industry
Software, tools & computing

Course summary
Start time:Oct 14, 2010 15:00 GMT     Add to calendar

Duration: 1 hour
Language:English
Summary:This session on Machine Translation (MT) software/systems focuses on the specific needs and questions of translation freelancers in the decision-making process about MT solutions. It will cover desktop and web-based solutions available for freelancers to work independently as well as enterprise-level solutions in collaboration with other colleagues, through agencies and also large customers who have decided on using such solutions.
Content
This session intends to provide translation freelancers with information to evaluate the different desktop and web-based MT solutions which are available as well as enterprise-level options which could be made accessible via partner agencies and end-customers.
Various pros and cons of each system type will be covered from the specific perspective of constraints typical for freelancers.

The agenda topics include:

• non-customizable vs customizable solutions
• compatibility with other desktop solutions typically used by freelancers
• test / trial versions
• existing evaluations and reports
• cases studies pertinent to the freelancer audience
• tool-specific training and support with freelancer focus
• tool-user groups
• open question/answer time

Related training:

Video: Overview on machine translation
Webinar: Machine translation for agencies - Oct 28 15:00 GMT
Registration & payment information
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Click on the buy button on the right to purchase your seat

Participation fee includes:

• access to webinar session.
• unlimited access to the webinar recording.
• powerpoint slides to remind participants of the key points and lessons learned.
• certificates of attendance.

How do I purchase my spot?

To purchase your seat at this session please click on the "buy" button. Available slots are limited and will be assigned to registered and paid participants as soon as payment is reported. Early payment is advised in order to secure participation. Allow some time for payment processing if you are paying by wire transfer.

After your payment is received, your status will be changed to “registered and paid” and your spot for the session will be secured. An invoice and receipt of payment will be sent to you for your records.

How do I access the online platform?

72 hours before the webinar takes place, you will receive an invitation to join the session. Please, click the registration link or button provided in the invitation email and complete the registration form.
System requirements
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No software purchase needed

System requirements to attend the online meeting:

For PC-based Organizers and Attendees

• Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP, 2003 Server or 2000 (Linux is not supported)
• Required: Internet Explorer® 6.0 or newer, or Mozilla® Firefox® 3.0 or newer (JavaScript™ and Java™ enabled) . If needed, download Java here.
• Internet Connection Required: Cable modem, DSL, or better recommended
• Recommended: Minimum of Pentium® class 1GHz CPU with 512 MB of RAM (2 GB of RAM for Windows Vista)

For Mac®-based Users

• Required: Mac OS® X 10.4 (Tiger®), OS X 10.5 (Leopard®), OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard®)
• Required: Safari™ 3.0 or newer, Firefox® 2.0 or newer; (JavaScript™ and Java™ enabled)
• Internet Connection Required: Cable modem, DSL or better recommended
• Required: PowerPC G4/G5 or Intel processor, 512 MB of RAM or better

To Use VoIP (microphone and speakers OR headset)

• Required: Fast Internet connection (384 kbps or more recommended)
• Required: Speakers (USB headset recommended)
• NOT required: Microphone - you can communicate with the trainer with a headset.

Recommendations:

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Created by
General discussions on this training

Machine Translation for freelancers
Terejimenez
Terejimenez Identity Verified
Local time: 23:16
English to Spanish
+ ...
Merging /using TM with MT Oct 9, 2010

Will this training cover the topic "how to use/merge TM's with a MT application?
Will this training cover a MT application different from Translate Client ?

Thank you for your time


 
Jeff Allen
Jeff Allen Identity Verified
France
Local time: 05:16
Multiplelanguages
+ ...
reply to TMs and MTOct 12, 2010

The already avaialable MT overview webinar covered some basic topics about TM + MT, which I will not restate in the freelancer webinar, but will cover a number of points about TM tools and MT software and systems which compatible and how.

I will also cover the difference between non-customizable MT systems and software, and embedded links to MT inside of TM CAT tools (non-customizable and customizable), and then customizable MT software products.

The emphasis will not cover
... See more
The already avaialable MT overview webinar covered some basic topics about TM + MT, which I will not restate in the freelancer webinar, but will cover a number of points about TM tools and MT software and systems which compatible and how.

I will also cover the difference between non-customizable MT systems and software, and embedded links to MT inside of TM CAT tools (non-customizable and customizable), and then customizable MT software products.

The emphasis will not cover every technical detail about all systems, but is rather aimed at helping show a freelancer how to look at the existing range of MT software and systems available today, and depending on what they have as their current tool set, and determine which is the most apppropriate choice for MT given such constraints.

+ other topics about MT for freelancers.

This webinar can be understood to be "how to make the best choice for MT as a freelancer with a typical setup of freelance translators working independently and working for agencies/companies as outsourcers"
It will help point you in the direction of which software/systems to consider and investigate indepth.

I will cover also how TMs can be used existing MT systems/software products.

Jeff
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Jeff Allen
Jeff Allen Identity Verified
France
Local time: 05:16
Multiplelanguages
+ ...
Thanks for comment from audience during webinar about ApertiumOct 15, 2010

I have implemented the comment (during the webinar) about Apertium as a rule-based system in the PPT slide deck that accompanies the webinar. When you watch the webinar, please consider that this correction is the reply to the question during the webinar.

Jeff


 
Jeff Allen
Jeff Allen Identity Verified
France
Local time: 05:16
Multiplelanguages
+ ...
additional answer on merging of TMs/MTOct 15, 2010

@Terejimenez, I covered your question above in the webinar. However, one very related question/answer which I have thought of since (and which I have addressed in feedback to MT development teams over past decade during my MT software reviews and interaction sessions reviewing their new prototypes), is that one of the greatest difficultes among all of the varied and combined techniques which I mentioned during the session is how to visually display to the translation posteditor the difference ... See more
@Terejimenez, I covered your question above in the webinar. However, one very related question/answer which I have thought of since (and which I have addressed in feedback to MT development teams over past decade during my MT software reviews and interaction sessions reviewing their new prototypes), is that one of the greatest difficultes among all of the varied and combined techniques which I mentioned during the session is how to visually display to the translation posteditor the difference between what is coming from the TM (with a higher confidence level) from that which is coming from the generated MT output. In addition, the generated MT output should visually distinguish between what comes from the customized work and add-in specialized terminology lists and dictionaries, versus what might result from non-customized data. I have mentioned this for several years in parallel with what the TM/CAT tools did with visual distinction between exact matches and fuzzy matches (and the details).
Some of the MT system dev teams have worked on ways to distinguish between the MT output. This is easier to do with the rule-based type systems which work based on a combination of grammar rules with different built-in and add-in dictionaries and pre-processing by a TM. So it is easier to tag what comes from which source.
Some rule-based systems also allow to display different variants for given terms, and let the posteditor click and choose and move in the text during the postediting phase. This is described in my MT software reviews in MultLingual magazine.
For statistics based MT (SMT) systems, this is a bit more complicated (but not impossible) because they are trained on TMs and other data, but then generate and guess based on that. There are ways in such SMT systems to provide levels of candidates (with rating based on percentages) to the posteditors, something which I have done with hybrid systems in the past with posteditors. However, this should be more of a task done in training customization and development phases for translation post-editor feedback loops (or with designated team members for feedback) rather than having all posteditors be involved in this all the time. It can be a highly valuable, yet frustratting and time-consuming task when a post-editor is in the middle of a translation production project with tight deadlines to meet.
All depends on the project milestones, deadlines, constraints to deliver, etc.

Hope that helps,

Jeff
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Claudio Porcellana (X)
Claudio Porcellana (X) Identity Verified
Italy
Machine Translation for freelancersOct 15, 2010

Hi Jeff

I see that many gurus (Beninatto, Muzii, you, etc) state that MT and/or Manual MT post-editing is our near future, that it will firstly overcome as a tsunami low-rate translators (those currently bidding for 0,03 $ jobs), but thereafter it will impact on every freelance, so they advocate that it would better learning how to ride the tiger instead of ignoring or fighting it ...
and this is why I did some test and followed your webinar

2 days ago, I tried the on
... See more
Hi Jeff

I see that many gurus (Beninatto, Muzii, you, etc) state that MT and/or Manual MT post-editing is our near future, that it will firstly overcome as a tsunami low-rate translators (those currently bidding for 0,03 $ jobs), but thereafter it will impact on every freelance, so they advocate that it would better learning how to ride the tiger instead of ignoring or fighting it ...
and this is why I did some test and followed your webinar

2 days ago, I tried the only MT tool with a try-and-buy version, i.e. Prompt, but I found its learning curve is very hard, and I understood that MT processes are too complicated and expensive for a translator, or at least for me, so being rather a language service provider duty

manual post-editing instead, that has its own rules different from translating and proofreading ones, may be really our (only) future, or may be these gurus are simply crazy or visionary?

anyway, I consider beneficial following-up the whole matter and I'd like to know what tools can be used for the sole post-editing task

thanks

Claudio

[Modificato alle 2010-10-15 19:55 GMT]
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Terejimenez
Terejimenez Identity Verified
Local time: 23:16
English to Spanish
+ ...
Thanks for all the informationOct 19, 2010

Dear Jeff,

Thank you very much for your valuable inputs on merging TMs with MT.

Unfortunately, I had to work out and could not attend your webinar on merging TMs with MTs. Can I purchase the video?

The only thing I know for sure is that for now "Translate Client for Google" is not the application I am looking for. I am anxious to test other applications available in the market.

Thanks again,

Tere


 
Jeff Allen
Jeff Allen Identity Verified
France
Local time: 05:16
Multiplelanguages
+ ...
yes, the video should be available on-demandOct 20, 2010

Tere, you should be able to register to view the video and the PPT of the webinar (as many times as you want) even if you could not attend the live session.

Jeff


 
Jeff Allen
Jeff Allen Identity Verified
France
Local time: 05:16
Multiplelanguages
+ ...
follow up note to Claudio Oct 20, 2010

Claudio Porcellana wrote:

I see that many gurus (Beninatto, Muzii, you, etc) state that MT and/or Manual MT post-editing is our near future, that it will firstly overcome as a tsunami low-rate translators (those currently bidding for 0,03 $ jobs), but thereafter it will impact on every freelance, so they advocate that it would better learning how to ride the tiger instead of ignoring or fighting it ...
and this is why I did some test and followed your webinar

2 days ago, I tried the only MT tool with a try-and-buy version, i.e. Prompt, but I found its learning curve is very hard, and I understood that MT processes are too complicated and expensive for a translator, or at least for me, so being rather a language service provider duty manual post-editing instead, that has its own rules different from translating and proofreading ones, may be really our (only) future, or may be these gurus are simply crazy or visionary?

anyway, I consider beneficial following-up the whole matter and I'd like to know what tools can be used for the sole post-editing task


Hi Claudio, I haven't finished the webinar series yet on MT. The level that you are needing now is the breakdown of all key features per specific tool and how to use the feature in the tool.

The learning curve can seem to be quite high for PROMT, but actually it is not if the training/mentoring is done right. Lorena Guerra did very well and learned very quickly on the Reverso/PROMT tools back in 2003. Again, it the case of availability of training courses (which I stated in the webinar session).

The first 2 webinars were focused on helping different audiences determine which mode(s) of translation is most appropriate for how they want to process content, just like there are different modes of transportation (car, bus, train, walking, bike), and how to subscribe to those different transportion licenses and passes.
It is necessary to get to the next steps of how to use the transportation and the distinct pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages of each mode to get around. So, additional more in depth special webinar sessions are planned to look at the specific MT tools.

And I will be covering very specific topics related to dictionary building, MT postediting (with and without dictionary building and also how using different types of MT systems affect how postediting is performed and how it improves the MT system).

As for the "jump on the Jones' bandwagon" or the wave of the future of translation with MT, so much is influenced by how the translation companies/agencies are moving. There was not much interest by them even back in 1998-2004 when we did try inviting many of them to conferences. Now the arrival of statistical MT systems to the commercial market and more improved processes and case studies have demonstrated a significant shift in the interest of these same translation companies/agencies. They are now attending the translation automation sessions, conferences, and some have begun using the process with good results. But it is all based on how well everything is planned, organized, managed, deployed, and with full team training and coordination, depending on the type of system implementation and what it requires of the different participants in the process.

Jeff


 

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