Benefits of Machine Translation

(A Research Report)

Submitted To:
Miss Mahjabeen Saleem

English Language and Composition

FAST-NUCES Lahore

Submitted By:
M. Farhan Atif

Sallahuddin Khan

Hassan Ali

M. Owais

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 Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Miss Mahjabeen for her help and helpful suggestions to
make this research possible. We would also like to thank Mr. Atif for helping in
gathering of data.

Table of Contents

1. Abstract, Introduction 3
2. Scope, Methodology 4
3. Research and Analysis/ Discussion 5
4. Benefits of MT(Educational) 5
5. Benefits of MT(Industrial) 6
6. Graph(Student) 7
7. Graph(Industrial) 8
8. Conclusion 9
9. Bibliographical References 10
10. Questionnaire(Unsolved)

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 Abstract:
Machine translation has been around for a long time and compared to the past it
has grown both in size and advancement in technology. Compared with human
translation MT is much quicker, better and cheaper. Machine translation has
multiple benefits on an educational level. The benefits on an industrial level have
yet to reach an all time best. However, the future of MT is bright and very
promising.

Introduction:
The topic of discussion is benefits of machine translation. This topic was chosen
on the basis of the usage of machinery in universities, especially in language
subjects and its implementations on an industrial scale. Since, the usage of
machinery is increasing with the advancements in technology its benefits are also
increasing. Machine translation basically means the translation of one language
into any other language. Another name of machine translation is CALL (Computer
Assisted Language Learning) or CAHT(Computer Assisted Human Translation).
All these terminologies mean the same thing. CAHT utilizes the strengths of the
computer – speed, memory – and reduces its inaccuracy through user feedback in
the form of post-editing. (Flournoy & Callison-Burch, 2000)

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Scope:
The scope of this research is that it can be used to evaluate the advantages and
disadvantages of machine translation or computer translation. In this evolving
world many question the benefits of machine translation, and whether it will take
over the place of humans in the industry. Another scope is that this research can be
used to predict the future of machine translation based on the opinions given by
experts and students.

Methodology:
The methodology used was question and answer via questionnaires which were
distributed amongst students as well as faculty. For this purpose the questionnaire
were distributed among 20 students and 20 industrial intellectuals. The questions
asked were:

• Is machine translation quicker than human translation?

• Is machine translation helpful in language related subjects?

• Is machine translation cost effective?

• Does machine translation hold a place in the future industrial world?

The data gained from these questionnaires was used to analyze the situation of
machine translation for students in universities like FAST.

The next section presents our research and analysis followed by our conclusions.

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 Research and Analysis/Discussion

Let us now properly define machine translation. Machine translation means

translations carried out by a computer. However, in the sense of language it means
to translate one language into any other language. This kind of use of technology is
tightly linked with other areas of linguistics like autonomy or even computer
sciences. In the worst case scenario machine translation is a little more than a copy
of a textbook or a tutor. The research done was done on this basis that how the
usage of machines has evolved or is evolving in the field of language. First of all
let us discuss translation in the past. In the time before machines humans were used
as translators. A person had to have complete knowledge of the language he was
translating to. That included grammar, short hands, sentence structures, alphabets
etc. Consequently, it was a slow and tiring process. However, with the invention of
translation severs like Google translate and Language Translation Services provide
easy access to such translated material. The reason being that these servers run on
algorithms rather than the literal translation of the material. This sometimes also
changes the meaning of the passage, but it happens rarely. (Beatty, 2013)

Benefits of Machine Translation:

Educational Institutions:
In institutions like FAST which is known for its computer science graduates,
machines play an important role in the lives of students, especially in the language
department where the students write essay, blogs and reports. Sometimes material
is found in another language and one wishes to translate it into a language of
understanding. This is where the machine translators come in. One can easily
translate data from a foreign language to native or official language or vice versa.
The data collected from students at FAST also suggested that machine translators
were indeed helpful in their language related work.

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Industry:
With the benefits in educational institutions there is no doubt that machine
translation has to have benefits in industry as well. For the purpose of finding these
benefits people from different walks of life were also asked questions related to the
use of machine translation in industry as well as the benefits and disadvantages.
We came to know that machine translation was used viewed on a whole different
scale in industry. In industry machine translation was viewed as a global equivalent
of Captain John’s treasure. CALL has multipurpose from translating from one
language to another to be used as a paraphrasing tool. With the advancements in
technology companies are now able to create bigger databases of lexicons,
grammar rules and even extra linguistic knowledge. On an industrial scale machine
translation is measured by the amount of data it can translate, the precision and the
cost effectiveness. The data collected from industrial intellectuals showed a 49%
majority on disagreeing scale, 33% on the agreeing scale and 18% on the neutral
scale. This shows that machine translation has yet to evolve beneficially on the
industrial level.

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 Conclusion

Future of Machine Translation:

The research shows that machine translation has multiple benefits on the
international level. It can be used for conversion of languages, as a paraphrasing
tool and even as a source of profit for companies. While all this may be true it
cannot be denied that machine translation still has a lot to improve. It still lacks in
precision and the amount of data that can be translated. All in all, it can be said that
machine translation has major benefits for students. Although, it requires
development on the international market, the future of machine translation is bright
as the sun and gives no hint of dissipating anytime sooner.

(Hutchins, 2003)

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 Bibliographical References
Beatty, Ken. Teaching & researching: Computer-assisted
language learning. Routledge, 2013.
Bowker, Lynne. Computer-aided translation technology: a practical
introduction. University of Ottawa Press, 2002.
Flournoy, Raymond S., and Chris Callison-Burch. "Secondary benefits of
feedback and user interaction in machine translation tools." Workshop paper
for “MT2010: Towards a Roadmap for MT” of the MT, Summit. Vol. 8.
2001.
Hutchins, John. "The development and use of machine translation systems
and computer-based translation tools." International journal of
translation 15.1 (2003): 5-26.
Levy, Michael. Computer-assisted language learning: Context and
conceptualization. Oxford University Press, 1997.

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APA

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