Zapata, Julián and Maggi, Ludovica

Bringing dictation back: An experiment among students with and without sight translation training

The idea of speaking translations instead of typing them has fascinated scholars, trainers and professionals for several decades. More recently, with the tremendous advances in voice recognition (VR) technology, this idea seems to be increasingly gaining ground among the research community. Several studies have highlighted the advantages of dictating translations using VR in terms of productivity (Dragsted et al. 2011, Désilets et al. 2008, Zapata et al. 2017), quality (Dragsted et al. 2011, Ciobanu 2016, Baxter 2017) and ergonomics (Zapata and Saint 2017). However, these works seem to pay little attention to external factors that may contribute to succeeding with VR applications; some of them identify the lack of familiarity with the technology as a major obstacle to increased efficiency with oral translation techniques (Baxter 2017, Zapata et al. 2017). To fill this gap, we are investigating the added value of sight translation (SiT) training for translation dictation with VR (TDVR). We ran a pilot experiment comparing the performance in SiT and TDVR of two groups of translation students: an experimental group, which had received 36 hours of SiT training; and a control group, which had never been exposed to SiT. While knowing that previous training in SiT had been intended only as a useful tool for developing written translation skills (Spilka 1966, Pratt 1990), we hypothesised that the experimental group would deliver better results in terms of efficiency and quality in both SiT and TDVR. In this presentation, we will present the findings of this experiment and will highlight the SiT competences that may positively impact TDVR. Our research should open avenues for the development of a specific training in TDVR, building on the methodology of translation dictation (Gouanvic 1976) and SiT for interpreting (Pöchacker 1994, Sawyer 2004, Sampaio 2007) and adjusting it to emerging tool environments including multimodal voice-and-touch applications for mobile devices.

Bibliography

BAXTER, Robert Neal (2017). Exploring the effects of computerized sight translation on written translation speed and quality, Perspectives, 25:4, 622-639

CIOBANU, Dragoş (2016). Automatic Speech Recognition in the Professional Translation Process, Translation Spaces 5, n°1, 124-144

DESILETS, Alain, STOJANOVIC, Marta, LAPOINTE, Jean-François, ROSE, Richard, and REDDY, Aarthy (2008). Evaluating Productivity Gains of Hybrid ASR-MT Systems for Translation Dictation, Proceedings of IWSLT

DRAGSTED, Barbara, MEES, Inger M., and HANSEN, Inge Gorm (2011). Speaking your translation: Student’s first Encounter with Speech Recognition Technology, Translation & Interpreting 3 (1), p. 10-43

GOUANVIC, Jean-Marc (1976). Esquisse d’une methode de traduction au dictaphone, Meta 21 (4), 252-255

PÖCHACKER, Franz (1994). Sight translation and interpreter training. In GAMBIER, Yves – SNELL-HORNBY, Mary (eds.), Problemi e tendenze nella didattica dell’interpretazione e della traduzione, Misano Adriatico: Istituto San Pellegrino, 127-132

SAMPAIO, Gloria Regina Loreto (2007). Mastering sight translation skills, Tradução & Comuniação: Revista Brasilera de Traductores 16, 63-69

SAWYER, David B. (2004). Fundamental aspects of interpreter education: Curriculum and assessment, Amsterdam-Philadephia: John Benjamins

SPILKA, Irène V. (1966). La traduction à vue instrument de formation, Meta 11 (2), 43-45

ZAPATA, Julián, and SAINT, Elizabeth C.  (2017). Traduire à voix haute : La traduction dictée interactive comme solution ergonomique, InTRAlinea 19

ZAPATA, Julián, CASTILLO, Sheila, and MOORKENS, Joss (2017). Translation Dictation vs.  Post-editing with Cloud-based Voice Recognition:  A Pilot Experiment, Proceedings of the Sixteenth MT Summit Conference, Nagoya, Japan

Authors’ bio:

Julián Zapata is the founder and president of InTr Technologies, a Canada/Ireland-based translation services and technology start-up. He holds a doctoral degree in translation studies from the University of Ottawa, where he also taught for several years English, Spanish and French translation; terminology and terminotics; and translation technology, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Dr. Zapata has worked internationally in several projects related to translation process research, language and translation technologies, as well as translator training, with several academic publications and dozens of presentations, guest lectures and plenary speeches around the world.

Ludovica Maggi is a conference interpreter and translator, as well as conference interpreting and translation trainer at ISIT, Paris. She is also research assistant and pedagogical supervisor of research projects on intercultural communication and translation at the graduate level. Her own research focuses on translation and orality. Sight translation is one of her main fields of expertise.