Project description
Machine translation impact on human translators and end-users
Neural machine translation has revolutionised our perspective on technology and translation: it is even claimed that machines may replace professional translators. However, there is a need to delve deeper into how this technology influences the creative process of translators and its impact on end users. The EU-funded INCREC project aims to uncover the creative stages involved in translating literary and audiovisual texts by professional translators. The project seeks to understand the optimal application of technology to enhance the translation creative process and analyse its impact on readers and viewers, focusing on the inception and reception of literary and audiovisual translation. INCREC utilises data from eye-tracking data, retrospective think-aloud interviews, translated material and questionnaires from professional translators and users.
Objective
The new machine translation paradigm, neural machine translation, has drastically changed society’s perception of technology and the act of translation. It has also motivated a series of claims by research labs and the media implying that machines will soon decode the transfer of one language to another, thus driving professional translators out of their jobs. Creative content producers, such as streaming platforms or publishing houses, are now exploring, testing or using neural machine translation. Yet little is known of the constraints this technology poses to translators’ creative process and how such constraints impact the users. The need to understand this has become essential to sustain translation richness, translators’ job satisfaction, authors’ and directors’ reputations, and the user experience.
INCREC aims to uncover the creative stages of professional translators to understand how technology can be best applied to the translation of literary and audiovisual texts, and to analyse the impact of these processes on readers and viewers. The research project is articulated in four work packages that cover two broad areas: inception and reception of literary and audiovisual translation. To better understand this complex process, INCREC triangulates data from eye-tracking, retrospective think-aloud interviews, translated material, and questionnaires from professional translators and users.
Thus, INCREC develops a new theoretical framework that encompasses a) creative stages in translation, b) classification and mapping of translation problems which require a higher level of creativity and cognition, as well as a classification of the solutions to these problems c) understanding how machine translation is most effectively used during this creative process, and d) understanding user attention to creativity in translated literary texts and films. This is achieved using a new combination of methods from different disciplines.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2022-COG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
9712CP Groningen
Netherlands
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