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THIS ARTICLE WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN LOCALISATION FOCUS VOLUME 4 ISSUE 1 MARCH 2005 133
代写留学生作业Translators working in the localisation industry are faced with the
task of producing high-quality translations in a very short turnaround
time. One way in which they are trying to balance these goals
is by using translation technology to help. One of the most popular
translation technology tools available is the translation memory
(TM). TMs are often promoted as tools that can help translators to
improve their productivity, but less is known about the impact that
the use of such tools can have on the quality of the translation. This
article investigates the impact of TMs on both speed and quality by
presenting the results of a pilot study in which three groups of student
translators were asked to translate the same text. Translators in
Group A did not use a TM, and while their translations were of relatively
high quality, they took longer to produce. Translators in
Group B used an “unadulterated” TM, and they were able to translate
more quickly, but there were some minor concerns with the
quality of their work. Translators in Group C used a TM that had
been deliberately “seeded” with a number of translation errors, and
while they were able to work quickly, the quality of their translations
was lower than that of the other two groups. The results of this small
experiment seem to indicate that, when faced with the pressure to
translate quickly, translators using TMs may not be critical enough
of the proposals offered by the system. This in turn indicates a definite
need for proper training in the appropriate use of translation
technology.
1. Introduction
One of the most talked-about translation tools to enter the market in recent
years is the translation memory (TM) (Austermühl 2001; Bowker 2002;
Esselink, 2000; L?Homme 1999; Somers 2003). A TM is essentially an
aligned bilingual database containing texts that have been previously translated.
It is based on the principle of ?recycling? previously translated documents
? a translator should be able to re-use parts of texts that have been
previously translated, and should never have to re-translate a portion of
text that has already been translated (O?Brien 1998). An oft-cited reason
for using a TM is that it can help to increase a translator?s productivity ?
with the help of such a tool, a translator can translate a greater volume of
material in a given period of time.
This desire to increase productivity is needs-driven. In this era, more and
more companies are trying to sell their products in foreign markets ? a
strategy known as globalisation. This has been greatly facilitated by the
Web and e-commerce. Nevertheless, while the Web makes it possible to
reach international audiences quickly and easily, research has shown that
in order for sales and marketing to be effective, the advertisements, the
products themselves, and any accompanying documentation should be
presented in the language of the target market.1 For example, according to
IDC?s eWorld 2001 survey2, most non-English-speaking Internet users
prefer Web sites in their own language. Meanwhile, a survey by Forrester
Research3 indicates that business Web users are three times more likely to
buy when addressed in their own language. Therefore, in order to stay
competitive and maximize profits, many