Expert advances in hybrid machine translation technologies
MT and TM technologies are rapidly advancing to support education, trade, diplomacy and communication the world over, but they remain limited and generally require human intervention. The project EXPERT (Exploiting empirical approaches to translation) established an Initial Training Network to advance the discipline of hybrid MT and help overcome related challenges. To support the research, development and use of hybrid language translation technologies, 15 Marie Curie Fellows received innovative research and training in the fields of TM and MT. The integrated research programme comprised 15 individual projects, each addressing a different aspect of data-driven hybrid MT. The 12 PhD students and 3 postdoctoral researchers also participated in four major training events: scientific and technological training, complementary skills training, scientific and technological workshop, and business showcase. Further, both early-stage and experienced researchers were involved in secondments as well as shorter visits to academic and industrial partners. By the close of the project, all but two researchers had secured employment, mostly in the field of translation, with an almost even split between academia and industry. In more than 160 publications, EXPERT fellows have produced research advancing data-driven and hybrid MT. Project efforts also led to several resources and tools that are available to the research community. The industrial partners have trialled some of the research and incorporated various deliverables in their operations. ActivaTM – one of the project’s major innovations – promotes a new concept in TM database management, and has been heralded by field experts as revolutionary. Overall, researcher training and developments during EXPERT promise improved technologies for a more productive and less-costly translation sector. Advancements in the related fields are slated to facilitate reliable communication and enhance content creation in multiple languages for a better connected world.
Keywords
Expert, machine translation, translation technologies, communication, ActivaTM
