Machine translation, according to Wikipedia is a sub-field of computational linguistics that investigates the use of computer software to translate text or speech from one natural language to another. MT performs simple substitution of words in one natural language for words in another. Using corpus techniques, attemps more complex translations , allowing for better handling of differences in linguistic typology, phrase recognition, and translation of idioms, as well as the isolation of anomalies.
Machine aided Translation, where translation proper is performed by a computer, even if the human helps by preediting, postediting, or answering questions to disambiguate the source text. In Computer-Aided Translation, or more precisely Machine-Aided Human Translation (MAHT), by contrast, translation is performed by a human, and the computer offers supporting tools.
Multilingual Content Management Systems has seven keys to consider:
Translation is essential to the running of a multilingual website and will require qualified personnel or the use of an external translation service. Proof reading of translated copy is also often required.
Localization is a multilingual website is usually a mixture of global and local content. Local content presents no particular content management issues; global content – which has to be translated across all language locales – does.
Culture: Differences in language are only part of what distinguishes different locales. Graphical conventions, matters of taste, sense of humour, socially acceptable forms of address and issues of privacy all vary from place to place.
Feedback: Responses to any website feedback will need to be addressed in the language of the initial communication. User feedback should not be solicited in a language if it cannot be routed to a suitably qualified person who can answer in the appropriate language.
Design: Perhaps the most common, and an easily overlooked, difficulty encountered in developing multi-lingual websites is the maintenance of a consistent design across different language versions of a site, and in particular the layout of navigation: text or graphic labels that fit the design constraints in one language may not work well in translation.
Workflow: Simple workflow mechanisms usually offer some kind of notification when some action is performed on a page or when the page moves from one state to another.
Non-Latin character sets: There are some interesting challenges associated with the creation and rendering of non-Latin alphabets, although modern browsers have better support for them than in the past.
Translation Technology These pages contain links to software tools for automatic or computer assiested translation as well as articles and background information on these or related techonologies. They invited and they will continously invite prominent actors in the field or users of the different systems to contribute their insights into this fascinating field.
Sources:
Machine Translation Retrieved 13.02, 26 May, 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Machine_translation&oldid=203927830
Christian Boitet, 8.4 Machine-aided Human Translation Retrieved 13.04, 26 May, 2008
http://cslu.cse.ogi.edu/HLTsurvey/ch8node6.html
Multilingual content management, writen by Danny Sofer Retrieved 11.37, 28 May, 2008
http://www.kitsite.com/articles/multilingual-content-management.html
Tramslation techonology Retrieved 12.00, 28 May, 2008
