Pre-editing in Direct Machine Translation Systems

Written by: Nahlah Al Jar Allah 434029211 MA Translation Program group e

Submitted to: Dr. Faysal Maalej

April 18, 2013

Pre-editing in Direct Machine Translation Systems

Pre-editing is a well-known term in the field of machine translation. It refers to the process where a source text is prepared for a machine translation system. This preparation can take different forms ranging from simply checking the source text for grammar and spelling mistakes, to writing (or rewriting) the source text in a controlled manner, i. e. using a controlled language. According to Hutchins: No current operational machine translation systems can produce good

quality output without either placing restrictions on input texts or involving human assistance before, during or after translation processes. (1987:1) Although Hutchins statement was said before more than two decades, and despite the huge progress in the field of machine translation, I think his statement is still valid today, due to complexities of natural languages. This being the case, solutions were sought to improve the quality of machine translation systems outputs, some solutions deal with the source text before the process of automatic translation takes place (pre-editing), during the translation process (interactive systems), or after the production of the target text (postediting). It is obvious that pre-editing process aims at improving the quality of the output of a machine translation system, whatever the system is. This goal is usually sought in any machine translation system, so it is safe to say that pre-editing process is not meant to be used with a particular kind of systems. In other words, whenever there is a need for a higher quality output, pre-editing process may be employed. Since direct translation system is generally considered the least sophisticated system design, one may think that pre-editing, with this kind of systems, becomes crucial. However, the necessity of pre-editing is determined by many factors, such as the efficiency of a particular machine translation system, and the purpose of translation.

Direct machine translation system may guarantee a good quality of its outputs in certain cases, depending on the system design, e.g. a specific subject field, and the type and purpose of translation. Thus, pre-editing process, in such cases, though may optimize the outputs quality, becomes optional and not crucial.

Finally, pre-editing process is a way of optimizing the output of a machine translation system, regardless to the system design, i. e. direct or indirect. It becomes crucial when the need for a high quality output becomes urgent.

Work cited: Hutchins, W. J. (1987). Prospects in machine translation, in Machine Translation Summit, September 17-19, 1987. Japan