Role of Machines

What is machine translation? Very simply put, it is the use of machines in translation. It is also called computer aided translation (CAT). Although there are no rigid boundaries, three types of machine translation have been identified generally: machine aids for translation, translation aided by the machine(also known as CAT), and machine translation. Machine translation is a blanket term used for all these activities. It is a field that is still now in flux and occupies an area that spreads over translation studies, linguistics and computer science. According to Minako O’Hagan, “Technology-based solutions to translation needs are a natural consequence of the shortened timeframe available for translation and increasing budgetary constraints resulting from GLOBALIZATION [sic], as well as progressive digitization of source content” (“Computer-aided Translation”, 48).In other words, the fast pace of our lives today along with huge advances in the field of technology have made it possible or necessary, to depend on machines for translation.

As pointed out earlier, there are three types of MT. The machine aids for translators are literally what the term suggests, the help that can be provided by machines. These include word processors, dictionary management tools, and “various look-up facilities which support the translator but do not actually perform the translation task” (“Machine-aided Translation”, 134).If you are a regular user of the computer, think of the number of times you might turn to dictionary.com or other internet sources to look for word meanings. Or the way in which you use your spellcheck on the computer. Today they are also called CAT tools which mean any form of computerized tool that can help in translation. They range from word processors to internet search engines, multilingual electronic dictionaries etc.  In machine-aided translation the actual task of translation is done by systems but it depends on human input at various stages. Machine translation is different from this in that it is fully automated and does not have any human help in the translation activity. The final output might be passed on to a translator for post-editing. Human intervention is the last step in this process of machine translation.