Machine translation: friend or foe?

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Since the use of automated machine translations has been made more accessible, we often see or read of some type of translation gaffe. Sometimes mistranslation are merely anecdotal, other times they can be serious and offensive blunders.

In 2010 the online periodical Kazakhstan Today was unable to convey its intended meaning through a machine-translated English article without producing a few chuckles. The article discussed how Kazakhstan’s former president felt the country was not passing gas the way it should. While intending to report national news on energy, this short, two-paragraph article made four separate references to the important issue of “passing gas.” Months later, the periodical altered the translation and removed the offending phrase.

In 2007 a group of Israeli journalists used a translation engine to send an email message to the Dutch Consulate in Tel Aviv. They wanted to discuss an upcoming visit to The Netherlands for a seminar on Dutch politics, but they ended up asking the minister several nonsensical questions about his mother, including her sleeping arrangements.

Machine translation can be useful in certain cases, for instance, the U.S. Government has used computers to quickly translate millions of pages of potential terrorist chatter, which are then searched in English to identify key documents that then require high-quality human translation for added certainty. Legal service firms do the same to identify potential evidence from thousands of documents in a foreign language, which saves months of time and millions of dollars.

The use of low-quality translations, can be effective to get the gist or to scour documents for certain keywords and subjects. But when a quality end product is needed, then human translation is needed. The experts must come into the scene and apply their knowledge.

Could there be any other ways to make an effective use of machine translation? Perhaps we could find a pedagogical use for it. What if we use them with the purpose of helping us to learn another language? Sites such as Google Translation are increasingly becoming more and more sophisticated. We can learn short sentences and vocabulary, but even more, if we understand the mechanisms of how a language works, we can even detect where and if there are any syntax or grammar mistakes. By learning to identify and then correct these mistakes we reinforce and increment our knowledge of the language. Find out the mistake in a sentence and correcting it tends to be one of the exercises that any student of a second language does as part of their learning. Activities which include translation sites can be built into the class or homework. After all, students will use them, but the key is to enable them to use them correctly and to their advantage.

References http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705362590/Machine-translation-can-bring-blunders-successes-in-international-business.html?pg=all

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/07/babel_fish_insults_dutch_foreign_minister/

Pilar Gray Carlos

Michelle’s work for OpAL

IMG_3544 with cut and resized Michelle Oritsejafor and Ayuko Yamada

Michelle’s own words about her project: “I’m creating a video that will act as a guide to show people learning a new language how to make the most of a dictionary, which is something that sounds simple and basic, but is not really taught. I think learning how to use a dictionary in this interactive video format, using animation, and sound, is a fun and modern way to help students, even if they only incorporate some of the advice. I also think this will be beneficial for beginner level language students who can be confused by online dictionaries, and hopefully the activities we created can help them at least be wary and more aware that online dictionaries and translators are not always right.

The software I am using is Sparkol, which allows me to animate text and pictures and explain my ideas in an entertaining way, and I can see students watching the short video on their phones, or ipads on the go or at their desktops. I think it is a tool that all levels of learners can use, because many people forget the basics of learning a language, which can complicate things. Overall I hope this really helps students use dictionaries more during the language learning process.”

Pilar Gray Carlos

OpAL and PLanT

Ayuko resized Ayuko Yamada

One of the aims of OpAL is to have students involved in the creation of materials. PLanT (Partnership in Learning and Teaching) has enabled three our students to participate in our project. Luke Bailey, Michelle Oritsejafor and Ayuko Yamada are students with plenty of experince in learning a second language. They have been planning and designing materials for other students to use.  Luke, Michelle  and Ayuko are involved in exploring the use of online dictionaries and translation tools. Here we have a picture of Ayuko showing us a draft of her presentation on using online dictionaries that will become part of our OpAL project.

Pilar Gray Carlos