module specification

This module concentrates on translation environment tools (TEnTs) the translator is likely to use in practice. It introduces students to resources on the Internet and concentrates on their evaluation, as well as on the use of proprietary software for professional terminology management, both as standalone tools and as integrated in TEnTs.
Semester: Autumn for full-time cohort; Spring year 1 for Part-time cohort.

This module is the third of the 8 modules of the MA Translation. It involves an introduction to the electronic tools the translator is likely to make use of in actual practice. The module presupposes computer literacy and the ability to work with word processing at an intermediate level (see the general prerequisites for admission). LO1

The module builds on this knowledge and elaborates on the use and evaluation of Internet resources, the interface between translator and terminology, and general/proprietary tools such as terminology databases, glossaries, parallel texts and multilingual web sites published by reputable multinational organisations and companies.  It introduces a critical appraisal of Automatic/Computer-Assisted Translation systems, such as Translation Environment Tools, and stresses that this area is subject to rapid development and requires software troubleshooting abilities to cope with the professional workflow. LO1,LO2,LO3

This module is structured as a flipped classroom: students perform all or most practical activities in class, under the supervision of the tutor, after engaging with instructional material at home. These activities attract regular formative feedback which allows students to reflect on their progress and improve their performance as they go along.

On completion of this module, students should be able to:
1. Use a wide range of resources in their work as translators, and cogently evaluate and judge their appropriateness and reliability.
2. Efficiently use widely available Automatic and/or Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) Tools such as Terminology Management and Translation Environment Tools, with awareness of transferable skills applicable to all such systems.
3. Deal with the practicalities of the daily work of translators in the context of meeting deadlines and software troubleshooting.

This will be a timed translation involving the practical use of Translation Environment Tools and related built-in features plus the subsequent submission of a report on the technical issues encountered and any troubleshooting solutions adopted.

Core Text
- Sin-wai, C. (ed.) (2015) The Routledge encyclopaedia of translation technology. London/New York: Routledge (Chapters 1-3, 5-6)

Journals
- Melby, A.K. (2012) ‘Terminology in the age of multilingual corpora’, The Journal of Specialised Translation (JosTrans), issue 18, July 2012, pp. 7-29. Available at: http://www.jostrans.org/issue18/art_melby.pdf (Accessed: 19 June 2018).

Websites
- Brasler, C. & Zetzsche, J. (2013) ‘Machine translation: 50 shades of grey’, ATA Chronicle, February 2013, p.13-17. Available at: http://www.internationalwriters.com/toolkit/13_Feb_Shades.pdf (Accessed: 19 June 2018).
- Muegge, U. (2010) ‘Ten good reasons for using a translation memory’, tcworld, January 2010. Available at: http://www.tcworld.info/e-magazine/translation-and-localization/article/ten-good-reasons-for-using-a-translation-memory/ (Accessed: 19 June 2018).

Blogs & Journals
- Slator: https://slator.com/ (language services and technology market news).
- eMpTy Pages: http://kv-emptypages.blogspot.co.uk/ (on translation technology, localization and collaboration).
- Multilingual Computing: http://www.multilingual.com/ (as e-resource via Library Services).
- TC World: http://www.tcworld.info/.
- Translation Journal: http://translationjournal.net/journal/.