An Overview on Machine Translation

The Translation Industry has come a long way and is looking apprehensively at the present scenario as business is getting more competitive. The impact of technology is affecting this industry to a large extent. Today the concept of "Machine Translation" or MT is gaining popularity and globalization has really affected the lives and the working style of many translators.

Globalization has always been one of the most important aspects of translation and if we carefully look at the present scenario see that competition is tough when establishing new businesses. There is no easy business, and companies need to grow to take advantage of the scale economy, for this, different countries that speak different languages need to be accessed. The translators play an important role here, where their large work output in a short period of time and accurate results are in high demand. This can not be achieved without the help of modern technology. The Computer Aided Translation Software eliminates the toil, the monotonous and repetitive work to boost productivity. Dictating software is also becoming popular, where the translator speaks to the machine and the text is transcribed onto the text editor or even DTP programs. Productivity is the key to stay competitive.

Here comes a new type of translation known as Machine Translation, where the entire process of translation is carried out by machines. It is a form where a computer program analysis the source text in one language and creates the corresponding text known as target text in another language without human intervention. Today, MT is rising as a fresh discipline in the ground of studies. It gives an edge over human version as it saves time and money. With machine version you can easily translate a large quantity of documents easily in a much shorter time.

In the entire conversion process, initially the main task is assigned to the machine and it analyzes each sentence within the source text. After that it breaks this formation into elements that can be easily translated, and finally replaces the words in the target language to complete the puzzle correctly. The entire procedure completed by machine, can be summed up in the act of breaking the structural components of the source text and then creating the same elements into the target language. There are two main techniques for machine version; Statistics Based Machine Translation (SBMT) and Rules Based Machine Translation (RBMT).

Statistical Machine Translation: This method examines a body of pre-existing translations to find if a it exists or not. Based upon word frequency, it also analyzes a huge ratio of formerly created bilingual sentence pairs to find which words in any particular language are most frequently matched with words in the other.

Rules-Based Machine Translation: Now as the name suggests this method relies on using linguistic rules for the source and target languages. This method delivers improved outputs in comparison to word-by-word transfer, because it makes the best use of sentence context and can offer translations that follow the grammar of the target language. In this process, once the sentence has been parsed, a series of set standard regulations are used to rearrange words or in other words modify the formation of the sentence to create a conversion that is grammatically correct for the target language.

Currently there are many researches and investigations on machine translations going on and as per recent studies it is estimated that the demand for it will increase in coming years. As per Systran, one of the oldest machine translation companies, MT has the ability to reduce the amount of extra work load for human translators by taking over translations in some restricted subject matters. Machine translation has the ability to deliver better translations results when the domain of disclosure is highly restricted. Though many still consider MT not more than a tool, a useful tool for translating words from one language into another, but as we are living in a technology driven world the call for machine translation will increase.

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Overview on Certified and Sworn Translation

The process of translating an original legal document into a different language that is still recognized and approved as a legal document after translation is known as sworn translation. The advantage of sworn translation is that the translated document has the same legal effectiveness or validity as the original document. The documents that are created by sworn translators are presented in the prescribed format which is acceptable by the country concerned. Sworn translation is used mainly to translate formal, legal letters and documents. These documents are:

Letters of Mandates/Attorneys
Court Decisions
Diplomas
Certificates
Registration Certificates of Companies
Statements
Permits/Licenses

Translation of this type is specially used for documents that need to be presented in front of the Court or any public institution.

The basic difference between a certified translation and sworn translation is that in a sworn translation, the translated document is sealed and signed by authorized sworn translator and it is as effective and valid as an official document. The translated documents in sworn translation can only be supplied on paper and it should bear the official seal and signature of the translator. However, the original document can be sent by e-mail or fax.

Due to the recent boom in the translation service industry, the presence of sworn translator is the need of the hour. Especially in cases where statements are drafted in foreign languages, the presence of sworn translators becomes extremely important. In most countries, sworn translators are people who are appointed by specific government departments and they are authorized to translate from one foreign language to another. In many countries, sworn translators are used to translate court documents but they are also authorized to do private translations.

The subject field of law is culture-dependent; any international level court proceedings with in-appropriate or inaccurate translation can be disastrous. Often lawyers have to deal with international law which includes legal documents having variety of language sources. So, people need to understand the importance and necessity of translation services. The demand for corporate document translation is increasing due to the growth of international trade. Everyday people have to deal with numerous documents but it is sworn translation that is mostly asked for.

All Translation Services can provide language translation service for more than 130 languages and can handle anything from small translation service to large-scale localization projects.

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Translation - An Overview

What is it and How is it Done?

There are many misunderstandings relating to the question of what translation is, the types of translation that exist, and also the processes involved. We will not be addressing the complex issues of translation theory here, but will provide an overview to those not familiar with the profession

Definition

The ultimate aim of translation is to render an original text from one language (source) to another (target), in such a way that the meaning of the original is fully understood by the audience, while retaining - as far as is possible - certain aspects of the original.

Some of these aspects include the tone, any underlying historical and cultural elements and humor, to name a few. Sometimes these are achievable, other times (unfortunately) they are not. The key to an excellent translation, as opposed to a merely adequate or even good translation, is to combine the meaning with the maximum number of other intangible subtleties. This will ensure that a reader of the translation undergoes almost the same experience as a reader of the original. Will the respective readers smile, laugh, cry or nod their heads in appreciation at the same moments? If so, then you have a winner!

Those unfamiliar with the onerous task of the translator often feel that every word needs to be translated in order for equivalency of meaning to be achieved - a so-called "literal" translation. Often, this is far from the case; at times one word can replace up to a dozen, depending on the languages involved. By the same token, a literal translation can, and often does, impart totally irrelevant and even incomprehensible cultural nuances that make no sense in the target language.

As an example of the above, the author once witnessed a definite "miss" in a subtitled Russian film broadcast on Australian television on the multicultural channel SBS (a most excellent institution!). Two characters in this movie were described as being very alike -the literal translation from Russian to English is "like two drops of water", whereas in English the equivalent would be "like two peas in a pod". Like two drops of water is an expression that does not convey the meaning properly in English - it could mean that the characters are very small, wet maybe?

Specific challenges arise when translating historical materials from eras long past. It is for this very reason that the most widely read book on Earth - the Christian bible - comes in so many flavors. The most modern versions are written in easy-to-read styles, whereas conservative scholars often assert that only a classical King James' version will do. There have even been versions of the bible written in SMS shorthand style and street patios. All of these versions have equal standing, in my view, as they each target a specific audience and fulfill different roles.

Process

Normally, a translator will read a text from start to finish before translating a single word. This is not always an option, depending on the urgency of a particular task, but it is definitely desirable from the point of view of establishing context.

Next, the translator will assess any formatting requirements. Perhaps the source text contains a multitude of difficult and fiddly charts and tables, each requiring translation of captions, legends and other elements of the original. This can consume many hours of a translator's time, and issues surrounding non-standard text translation must be discussed and clarified with the client very early on in the process.

In the modern era, industry specific software is used widely by many translators - depending on the volume of their work and the technical subject matter of translated materials. The use of this software is a virtual guarantee that consistency of terminology will be maintained throughout a particular text. According to the manufacturers of the massively popular software Trados "not using a translation memory can... reduce the quality of localized content...".

The use of translation memory software should not be confused in any way with machine translation, which often produces laughable results. Anyone who thinks copying and pasting text into a box and clicking "translate" will produce anything even approaching adequate is gravely mistaken. Human translation is and will remain the only option when it comes to achieving quality results that are suitable for use in the academic and commercial worlds.

There are many other systems that professional translators employ, including quality assurance and quality control. Usually this means that there could be several people involved in the process.

Whomever you engage to conduct your translation jobs, it is essential that you only source people who have the appropriate accreditation from government or other acknowledged agencies. In Australia, for example, this is the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters. Professional translators also need to abide by a code of ethics, and instances of chicanery and improper behavior in the translation and interpreting industry are few and far between. Practitioners generally do their utmost to deliver you a professional service and a high-quality product.

Blair Denholm is a NAATI Professional Accredited Translator with a wealth of experience as a translator of the Russian language. He has an honors degree in Russian language and literature from the University of Queensland, and a diploma from the A.S. Pushkin Institute in Moscow. Blair Denholm offers Russian-English translation and interpreting, as well as consulting services.
http://www.russiantranslations.com.au

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A Language Translation Overview

What is language translation?

Put simply, translation is the process of rendering the content and meaning of one language into another language. Translation relates specifically to the written word, unlike interpreting which is the conversion of the spoken word from one language to another.

Translation is usually performed by freelance professional translators or in-house translators working in a translation company or agency. Both freelance and company translators are professionally qualified experts with extensive linguistic knowledge. A professional translator should only ever translate into their native language as this helps to ensure that the translation reads and flows naturally.

In this article we are looking specifically at human translation and not the computer-assisted machine/statistical machine translation equivalent. Whilst machine translation has its place, human translation is a complex, time-consuming process that can deliver exceptional results far superior to automatic translation.

How long does it take?

On average, a translator can translate approximately 2,500 words in any one working day, but there are occasions when the volume of words translated is significantly higher or lower. There are numerous variables that contribute to this, including language combination, subject matter, complexity, source document format and required target document format.

Tools of the trade

It may sound obvious, but the most important tool of the trade is the translator's brain. It contains a vast amount of linguistic knowledge about their source and target languages, which enables them to accurately render one language into another. Translators often spend years in higher and further education developing their language and translation skills to make themselves a more versatile, informed and competent linguist.

Many translators also make use of sophisticated translation tools, known as Computer Aided Translation (CAT) tools. These complement the human translation process and assist the translator in areas such as consistency and with repeat content. Trados, Dejavu and Wordfast are some of the CAT tools available today.

As is true of many professions, the internet has also become a standard tool of the trade for translators today. The vast amount of information available makes research fast, effective and instantly available.

How is it charged and how much does it cost?

Most translation companies and freelance translators charge by the word. Prices are often indicated per 1,000 words, although they are normally calculated on the actual word count and not a rounded figure.

Translation prices vary depending on language combination, format, complexity and deadline. In the UK you can expect to pay between £80.00 - £300.00 per 1,000 words for translation through an agency. It is worth noting that the higher rate is reserved for incredibly rare or unusual language combinations, so for commonly translated language pairs the price will be far lower than the top amount.

In summary, buyers of translation should be aware that it is a complex process performed by skilled experts, and a professional translator is much more than someone who can speak another language. Always speak to a translation company/experienced translator when planning your project as it will pay dividends in the long run and will ensure that you get a translation perfectly matched to your requirements.

For more information about professional translation or to discuss a project, get in touch with Sure Languages today.

Sure Languages is a UK-based commercial translation and interpreting company. Providing its services in over 100 languages, Sure Languages takes the headache out of global communication. If you're looking for translation services and need advice on how best to proceed, check out our informative website or contact our team:

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CCM Music Recording Company Case Study Part 1 - Company Overview

History, development and growth of CCM over time

CCM, Colorado Creative Music, is music recording studio, founded in 1995 by Darren Curtis Skanson, primarily established as vanity label for producing, promoting and selling his own records, and consequently developed into microlabel with 4 product lines and 11 different albums. In 2000, the company sold 30,000 of Darren Curtis Skanson CDs and received net profit of $4,292.00. The company aims at expanding its customer base, acquire more popularity, and develop the company from microlabel to the independent one.

Vision/objectives

The business vision of Colorado Creative Music consists of three components - Core Value, Core Purpose and Visionary Goals (Thompson, Strickland, 2003).

Core values of CCM are quality, creativity, and excellent customer service. The core purpose of this organization is to make more people listen to classical and light acoustic music and admire it. As for the visionary goals, the strategic dilemma of the business arises. Thus, one of the visionary goal is to make the music produced, played and recorded by CCM musicians, heard by larger audience. The other visionary goal that doesn't completely go in line with the first one is to win the large custom market for the company's products and services. The collision here is in the primary value and target of the business: in the first case the attention is attached to the product, music, while the second one is focused on the development of the organization. This dilemma is the subject of strategic choice of the organization, which will be outlined and discussed later.

At the present moment, the main objectives of the company are: positioning the business against its rivals, development of distribution channels, development of the products and enhancement of the product line, anticipating changes in demand and adjusting the firm's strategy to respond to them.

Operating environment

The firm operates on American market which is characterized by political and economical stability, technical advancements in producing and distribution processes, large number of potential customers, broad demand and intense competition.

Business model

Business model is the mechanism for the company to generate the revenues and profits. It includes strategy and implementation thereof and should answer such questions as how the firm selects its customers, how it differentiates its products from those or rivals, how it creates utility for the customers, how it acquires and preserves them, promotion and distribution strategies, how it allocates its resources and derives profit. As for promotion and distribution techniques for Colorado Creative Music, the particular attention is attached to Internet aspect of the distribution and its capabilities.

Internet is not only alternative way to traditional methods of music distribution, but also a great opportunity for artists and music-recording companies to expose these products to broad public. The advantages of such means are low cost of entrance and enormous size of potential customers market. Traditional chain of music distribution includes such components as writer/performer, publisher, musical instruments company, live performances, venue equipment and services, recording, studio equipment and services, recorded performances such as night clubs, bars, business music, broadcast, film and music videos, and retail. These are traditional stages through which the song or other musical product must pass to get to the final customer. Internet makes this chain of distribution shorter and simpler, and therefore internet-based promotion, advertisement and distribution can be considered a new business model to base the business on. Further information on virtual distribution will be discussed in relevant section.

CCM business model includes following components:

Value Proposition: satisfaction of customers' needs in quality classic music;

Market Segment: white females (predominantly) and males of 40-60 age range. The market segment needs to be further expanded.

Value Chain Structure: structure of the firm to be described below

Revenue generation: through sales, direct sales in particular; revenue generation roots need to be expanded.

Position in the value network: enters the most specialized industry segment. A large number of competitors from all 4 segments of the industry; business may be complemented through alliance with larger recording company.

Competitive strategy: company's strategy primarily focused on differentiation rather than cost leadership strategy, through internet distribution allows making the products of CCM cheaper than those of competitors.

Market segmentation, targeting, positioning

The music recording industry has 4 clearly identifiable segments: major recording studios, independent labels, micro-labels and vanity labels. Major companies have large quantities of artists under contracts, reaching the number of 100, specialize on multiple types of music - rock, country, jazz, classical, traditional and other, and have formal and reliable national and international channels of distribution. Independent labels have 10-100 artists under contract, focus on recording of one or two major music styles and have either national or most often regional distribution channels.

Micro-labels have less then 10 artists under contract and are tightly focused on definite style of music. They are characterized by small staff and manager performing as the leading artist of the studio. Micro-labels have rarely formal distribution system and heavily rely on direct sales to fans and wholesale to clubs and specialty retailers.

Vanity labels segment is the fourth, the last and the most specialized segment of the music recording industry. They are founded by independent artists for recording and selling their products (Darren& Winn, 2003). At present, CCM is the micro-label that strives to convert into independent label. Therefore, CCM currently occupies rather narrow market niche of classic and traditional acoustic music admirers within the age of 40-60, predominantly white, middle class females throughout the territory of the United States, though the major part of the customers is focused in Colorado region. This is the result of market targeting, when the studio developed the measure of segment attractiveness - loyal customers and fans of performers; music, and selected appropriate target segment.

Today, the company wishes to change the segment it operates into. To expand the company's market segment it should develop product differentiation aimed at selling various products with different characteristics to different market segments. So far such differentiation is not developed.

On the basis thereof, the positioning approach now applied by the firm is differentiation positioning, which lies in filling less competitive, smaller market niche in which the firm locates its brand and attracts its customers.

Products

At present, the company disposes of 4 product lines and 11 different records. The brand names of the Company are: Darren Curtis Skanson, Acoustictherapy, Andrew Thomas Harling and Music for Candles. The style of the music offered is the same throughout all the brands: light classical guitar.

Distribution channels

The distribution channels of CCM are predominantly direct sales. These include sales in the gig, shopping mall distribution and in the back end (which includes CD order through 800 number, website sales, mail order). In 2000 CCM sold 30,000 Darren Curtis Skanson CDs, predominantly through direct sales. Though, traditional chains of distribution are more effective and they include major distributors, one-stop distributors, independent record stores and major chain record stores. Developing traditional distribution methods is one of CCM's primary tasks.

Financial positions

CCM is a micro-label, the third of the four segments in music recording industry. Therefore, in contrast to the premier recording studios as Columbia, Sony Music, EMI and BMG, which possess enormous financial actives, financial position of CCM is rather modest. In 2000, the company reached total income number of $216,614.05 and net income of $4,292.00, which, though, was 4 times less than net income in 1998 (amounting to 20,626.70) and nearly the same as in 1997 and 1999.

Major strategic issues

Major strategic issues of the company are formulated by the manager of the company, Darren Skanson, in the Case Study for Colorado Creative Music (Darren & Winn, 2003) and include the following:

- create a profitable music recording label with expanded range of artists and performers;

- position Darren Curtis Skanson label to compete with major artists who have contracts to Sony Classical. For this, acquiring traditional distribution methods is necessary;

- create new product line similar to Acoustcitherpay which would be saleable and provide funds for the previous two goals.

The strategic tasks and ways of their implementation are not uniform and completely complementary. Thus, the first aim of growing the company contradicts the easiest and most possible way of accomplishing the second goal - promote the music by selling CCM's product lines to recording studio larger then CCM, independent of major label with access to traditional outlets. Thus, the company has to define its prerogative - develop the recording label or promote the music by means other than within CCM capabilities.

For other parts of this series, please check Music Recording Company Case Study

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