Double the language challenge

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Double the language challenge

• EU enlargement translation technology
• Dr Joanna Drugan
• Centre for Translation Studies
• University of Leeds
• www.leeds.ac.uk/cts

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Talk map

• Contexts
• The 2004 enlargement problems reactions in
  old new language units
• Lessons from the EU experience how might an
  anticipated increase in workload be managed
  effectively?

3
Context (1) research background

• Based in DGT English Unit, Luxemburg, May-June
  2004
• All new language translators based in Luxemburg
• Additional access to
• Brussels-based staff
• European Parliament
• Court of Auditors
• Translation Centre

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Context (1) research background

• Guided interviews with
• Tools resources teams responsible for planning
  development
• Trainers
• Heads of language units
• Translators from a representative sample of EU
  states, including accession states
• Helpdesk staff
• Members of working groups on tools workflow

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Context (1) research background

• Attended in-house training
• Work-shadowing of in-house tele-working staff
• Follow-up interviews, May 2005
• Same range of sources

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Context (2) EU background prior to enlargement

• Eleven languages
• Translators across different sites, thematic
  specialisms institutions
• Varied text types, varied working practices
• Range of tools approaches to using these

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Context (2) EU background prior to enlargement

• Regular outsourcing of translation, e.g. monthly
  Bulletin (FRA ? all languages)
• Attempts at greater cooperation between
  institutions, e.g. IATE
• Tender process just begun for new electronic
  resources, including TM

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Context (3) presentation focus

• Klaus Ahrend, DGT, November 2004
• Political financial pressures hampered the
  ability of the translation services to prepare as
  effectively as they might have prior to
  enlargement, but electronic tools played an
  important role during following the experience

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Context (3) presentation focus

• Focus today on effective use of translation
  technology management of translation tasks
• Concrete examples illustrations
• Other aspects not addressed here HR, political
  context of enlargement

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2004 problems reactions

• Difference between predicted actual problems
  linked to enlargement
• Difficulty of planning in uncertain context
• Previously unheard-of scale of change for EU
  language services
• Four previous enlargements fewer languages at
  once

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Predictions (1)

• Huge increase in translation workload
• 9 new languages at once
• No parallel increase in staff
• No pre-existing resources for new languages
• Potential language combinations 380 ( 506 when
  22 languages operational)

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Predictions (2)

• Huge increase in translation workload
• Backlog
• 2004 60,000 pages
• 2007 300,000 pages (predicted, March 2004)
• Pages translated
• 2003 1 417 300
• 2004 (predicted) 2 065 000
• 2005 (predicted) 2 370 000

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Predictions (3)

• Likely related increase in translation
  outsourcing
• Official policy in support of outsourcing
• March 2004, Rebecca West, Manager of External
  Translations, European Parliament
• 40 of all EU translations should be outsourced
  by end 2004 50 by 2007
• 30 million euros went annually to translation
  contractors (2004), target of 80 million euros
  by 2005

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Predictions (4)

• Dearth of resources for new languages (MT,
  bilingual terminology, voice recognition)
• Potentially less inter-institutional cooperation
  (Parliament tender process)
• Political sensitivity of language policy
  (increased use of English feared)

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Actual evolution (1)

• Increase in workload only for new procedural
  languages (EFG), except in Parliament
• Decrease in workload for 8 old non-procedural
  languages
• Demand management strategy (26 May 2004)
• Bottleneck in document flow waiting for slowest
  units to translate

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Actual evolution (2)

• 2004 (predicted) 2 065 000 pages
• 2004 (actual) 1 270 586
• Includes 20 languages from May 2004
• Reduction since 2003
• Effect of Demand Management policy

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Actual evolution (3)

• Drop in outsourcing
• Old non-procedural language units practically
  zero
• Policy changes, e.g. Bulletin only in EF
• Different picture for Parliament, EFG units
• New languages dependent on freelance
  translation resources for the language pair

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Actual evolution (4)

• Resources for new languages
• Decision not to award contracts (MT), but
• Unicode
• Alignment term extraction
• Inter-institutional cooperation
• Sharing translation workload (e.g. during
  European election)
• Parliament on-board for IATE

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Actual evolution (5)

• Language policy
• Continuing fairly steady evolution for STs in
  English but some changes Budget in French until
  2004, then mixed F/E, by 2005, 90 English
• Some new languages more comfortable using French
  as working language
• What problems were encountered?

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Problems reactions, 2004-5

• Increase in demand for translation
• Continuing (?) deepening of EU
• Recent developments WWW, multilingual Europa
  site
• Solutions
• Increase productivity/efficiency policy endorsed
  26/5/04
• Encourage use of tools new macros, make it easy,
  automate as far as possible (retrieval, TM
  creation, clean up, central storage)

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Problems reactions, 2004-5

• Solutions
• Decrease demand Document Management policy
  (restrict STs in length number, summarise,
  annexes in SL)
• Educate requesters do they need whole document?
  All languages? Same deadline?
• More outsourcing where appropriate recent
  Dynamic Ranking system to ensure continued quality

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Problems reactions, 2004-5

• Rise in number of languages translation
  combinations
• Wider range of SLs for EFG
• New range particularly for English unit
• EC comparison, July 2004 March 2005

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Problems reactions, 2004-5

• Solutions
• Train existing staff to translate from new
  languages (but dissatisfaction of staff then
  translating from L4 or L5)
• Make use of pivot/relay languages (but likely to
  be EFG)
• Take on new staff where necessary (EC 15 in
  English, 2004-5), bearing in mind long-term
  picture

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Problems reactions, 2004-5

• Solutions
• Use MT where appropriate (gist, internal)
• Encourage/require appropriate file formats for
  STs not PDF, fax (English unit particularly
  affected here)
• Pair working (SL TL mother tongue speakers)

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Problems reactions, 2004-5

• Related imbalance in translation workload
• Decrease for some units
• Likely to change in near future, however
• Solutions
• New ways to use experienced staff not needed for
  translation training new colleagues, mentoring
• Two-way translation (three-way?)

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Problems reactions, 2004-5

• Solutions
• Use language competency imaginatively (checking
  alignments between L2 L3)
• Share translation work across institutions
• Use tools to ensure no duplication of effort
  (central TM, Euramis roll-out, note functions to
  share information)
• Use non-translating staff secretaries, Helpdesk

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Problems reactions, 2004-5

• Lack of resources (1)
• No TBs, TMs for new languages
• Solutions
• Align available useful resources the acquis
  communautaire
• Use temporary staff/stagiaires (but local
  employment law)

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Problems reactions, 2004-5

• Solutions
• Use TMs other tools (Euramis, T-Man)
  imaginatively for terminology in the short term
• Integrate local resources with proviso revision
  of content structure (fields)
• Statistical feedback daily to users motivation

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Problems reactions, 2004-5

• Lack of resources (2)
• Electronic tools (MT, PDF converter, term
  extractors)
• Solutions
• Virtually 100 use of TM
• Creative use of existing resources, e.g. MT
  (F?E?Slovenian)
• In-house design for terminology needs IATE

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Problems reactions, 2004-5

• Lack of resources (3)
• Human resources for some languages
• Polish 2 155 sat competition, 306 passed
  Maltese 94 sat competition, 37 passed
• Solutions
• We are analysing why this is the case this
  information will feed into the organisation of
  new competitions (26/5/04)
• Special exemption for Maltese
• Prioritising STs for translation (legal basis)

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Problems reactions, 2004-5

• Quality of local resources
• Translators bringing unrevised TBs/TMs
• Formats, fields, content
• Temptation to accept matches perpetuate
  unrevised translations

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Problems reactions, 2004-5

• Solutions
• Use TM workflow automatic processing to ensure
  use of best quality DBs ordered searching,
  Normative TM
• TM management separate management of content
  DB structure (one linguistic, one tools/workflow
  specialists)

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Problems reactions, 2004-5

• Personal effects of high workload
• New languages, EFG
• Solutions
• Frequent feedback on progress (TM stocking)
• Mentoring, training, support

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Problems reactions, 2004-5

• Related underuse of experienced staff in old
  non-procedural languages
• Solutions
• Use staff imaginatively (training, mentoring,
  sharing subject knowledge with new languages)
• Share translation tasks through tools (DM note
  function)
• Increase inter-institutional cooperation (ELISE)

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Problems reactions, 2004-5

• Staff reluctance to use tools v. need for
  productivity gains
• Solutions
• Standard working practice immediately for new
  languages through early training by real users
  show usefulness in context of heavy workload
  through real illustrations

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Problems reactions, 2004-5

• Solutions
• Make it as easy as possible macros, automation
• Make it as useful as possible always something
  in your TM, frequent updates (daily)
• Make it easy to provide feedback (quick note
  feature) demonstrate comments are taken on
  board
• Make benefits of tools available to those who
  dont use them (pre-processing, post-alignment)
• Official policy (heads of units to implement)

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Lessons from the EU experience

• How might an anticipated increase in translation
  workload be managed effectively?
• Summarise solutions in place
• Further suggestions based on 2004 experience
• Preparing for the next enlargement

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Lessons from 2004

• Prior planning anticipation of change? But
  hard/impossible to spot in advance
• Acknowledged by Karl-Johan Lönnroth, DG of DGT
• The imbalances between the demand supply of
  translation had perhaps not been sufficiently
  perceived or addressed. But they became really
  acute upon the last enlargement in May 2004

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Lessons from 2004

• Flexibility willingness to react quickly when
  unanticipated problems materialise
• Early allocation of financial resources where
  need is clear
• If new official languages are to receive equal
  treatment from the date of accession, for future
  successive enlargements, significant frontloading
  of translation capacity should take place

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Lessons from 2004

• Use tools to maximise resources
• Provide training as early as possible to ensure
  good working practice
• Make it easy to use the tools
• Require use of tools

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Lessons from 2004

• Manage tools intelligently TM not an archive
  but evolving as languages context do need for
  ongoing content management by language
  specialists
• Provide effective, easily-reached, specialist
  support helpdesk role
• Use existing new staff flexibly to support one
  another through period of change

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Further suggestions, post-2004

• Start as soon as possible with tasks known to
  be needed recruitment, preparing resources (TM,
  libraries, terminology)
• Have as much as possible in place before
  accession

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Further suggestions, post-2004

• Karl-Johan Lönnroth Measures to strengthen
  management and monitoring
• Better indicators
• Feedback loops (top-down bottom-up)
• Communication
• Support staff through change

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Further suggestions, post-2004

• Communication
• Between new established colleagues earlier
• With accession states prior to enlargement e.g.
  DBs with wrong structures or non-Unicode not able
  to be imported advise at early stage on DB
  design fields

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Further suggestions, post-2004

• Use internal expertise
• Advisory group of translators from most recent
  accession states to anticipate problems
• Encourage development of freelance
  structure/training in new accession states even
  earlier

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Further suggestions, post-2004

• Make the most of new opportunities new ways of
  working, expertise in new languages cultures of
  the accession states, more resources based in one
  place
• Question of presentation/perception? Lönnroth
  not problems but the fulfilment of the ideals of
  the EU founding fathers

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Preparing for the next enlargement(s)

• Need for earlier action already taken on board
• Earlier Enlargement 2007 task force road map
• Local offices, collaboration with universities,
  local training for freelances (only in 2004-5 for
  this enlargement)
• Plan to have translators in place one year before
  accession, earlier organisation of competitions
  allocation of financial resources

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Preparing for the next enlargement(s)

• Translators recalling previous enlargements no
  terminology, no library resources, hardly any
  technology
• Much easier for the new translators, even if
  they are having to work hard across all the new
  languages
• Turkish delight?