AN ONLINE REPOSITORY OF PYTHON RESOURCE FOR TEACHING MACHINE TRANSLATION TO TRANSLATION STUDENTS

This paper presents an online repository of Python resources aimed at teaching the technical dimension of machine translation to students of translation studies programmes. The Python resources provided in this repository are Jupyter notebooks. These are web-based computational environments in which students can run commented blocks of code in order to perform MT-related tasks such as exploring word embeddings, preparing MT training data, training open-source machine translation systems or calculating automatic MT quality metrics such as BLEU, METEOR, BERTScore or COMET. The notebooks are prepared in such a way that students can interact with them even if they have had little to no prior exposure to the Python programming language. The notebooks are provided as open-source resources under the MIT License and can be used and modified by translator training institutions which intend to make their students familiar with the more technical aspects of modern machine translation technology. Institutions who would like to contribute their own Python-based teaching resources to the repository are welcome to do so. Keywords: translation technology, machine translation, natural language processing, translation didactics, Jupyter notebooks, Python programming

‘IT FELT LIKE WE WERE ALL HANGING OUT WHILE TALKING ABOUT TRANSLATION THEORY’: LESSONS LEARNED FROM A FLIPPED TRANSLATION THEORY COURSE IN EMERGENCY REMOTE TEACHING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The role of translation theory in translator education seems to be undergoing a crisis as universities struggle to provide graduates with practical, market-driven skills that will increase their employability. The overnight transition to online delivery in the time of educational disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has only heightened the challenges in making theoretical courses relevant for students. This paper explores the application of the flipped classroom model in a translation theory course on the graduate (MA) level, delivered in the context of emergency remote teaching. The course is described and evaluated with the help of student feedback (N=30) elicited via an online questionnaire. The main source of data are responses to open-ended questions, which are analysed qualitatively. The data are coded for general perceptions of the flipped classroom and its four course components (videos, experimental translation assignments, forum discussion assignments, synchronous Zoom discussions), as well as for perceptions of teacher support. Lessons are drawn for emergency remote teaching but also for future face-to-face teaching of theory-oriented translation courses. Keywords: flipped classroom, teacher support, translation theory, emergency remote teaching, YouTube, Zoom

INSIGHTS INTO TECHNICAL TRANSLATION COURSE DESIGN

This article offers theoretical and pragmatic insights into the nature of technical translation course design. In so doing, I first provide a definition of specialized translation based on a survey of the literature in this field, conducted collaboratively with a research assistant. Then, I present a comparative table sourcing how technical translation has been taught, as a university course, across Canadian higher education institutions. Following this, I offer a rationale for student-oriented ways of teaching this course, all the while giving concrete steps to co-explore novel topics with undergraduate and graduate students. Finally, I generate a series of considerations and questions for further inquiry into the instruction of technical translation in Canada and worldwide. Keywords: technical translation, specialized translation, English-French translation, translation pedagogy, course design

THE HISPATAV TRANSLATION TECHNIQUES FOR SUBTITLING: A NEW PEDAGOGICAL RESOURCE FOR AUDIOVISUAL TRANSLATION STUDENTS

Being able to propose a taxonomy of translation techniques has been a long-standing aspiration of translation theorists. By building on previous proposals, this paper presents the HispaTAV typology of translation techniques (ToT), a new list specifically designed for subtitling trainees. The aim of the proposal is to increase students’ awareness of the variety of possible solutions to translate segments of the source text, and to promote creativity, a key factor in the development of translator competence. The proposal has been presented to current translation students, who have provided feedback in terms of its usability for learning purposes. Keywords: translation techniques, subtitling, HispaTAV, audiovisual translation, translator competence

TRANSLATOR AND INTERPRETER TRAINING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: PROCEDURAL, TECHNICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS IN REMOTE TRAINING

The main focus of the study lies on the challenges in translation and interpreting university training in the changed environment of the COVID-19 pandemic. It reflects the significant changes in training and learning in Slovakia after shifting from campus-based training to remote training, investigating the key factors influencing the learning process of students from their perspective. Based on the results of a focus group discussion with students, their qualitative analysis and quantitative verification via an online survey at all Slovak universities that provide translation and interpreting study programme, three types of factor were identified. The first category – procedural factors – relates to the training process itself; technical factors relate to technical aspects and limitations influencing the education of students; and psychosocial factors reflect intra- and interpersonal aspects affecting students in either a positive or negative way. Investigation of these factors provides useful findings on the learning experience of students during the current crisis. Key words: university training, translation and interpreting, COVID-19, learning experience, remote training, students’ perspective

AN ONLINE REPOSITORY OF PYTHON RESOURCES FOR TEACHING MACHINE TRANSLATION TO TRANSLATION STUDENTS

This paper presents an online repository of Python resources aimed at teaching the technical dimension of machine translation to students of translation studies programmes. The Python resources provided in this repository are Jupyter notebooks. These are web-based computational environments in which students can run commented blocks of code in order to perform MT-related tasks such as exploring word embeddings, preparing MT training data, training open- source machine translation systems or calculating automatic MT quality metrics such as BLEU, METEOR, BERTScore or COMET. The notebooks are prepared in such a way that students can interact with them even if they have had little to no prior exposure to the Python programming language. The notebooks are provided as open-source resources under the MIT License and can be used and modified by translator training institutions which intend to make their students familiar with the more technical aspects of modern machine translation technology. Institutions who would like to contribute their own Python-based teaching resources to the repository are welcome to do so. Keywords: translation technology, machine translation, natural language processing, translation didactics, Jupyter notebooks, Python programming

IMPACTS OF GLOBAL PANDEMIC ON TRANSLATOR’S CAREER AND TRANSLATOR TRAINING

The translation market as well as many other businesses and activities have been affected by the lockdown of economies in the whole world since the beginning of 2019. Under the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic, translator’s career has undergone some major and minor transformations. Some recent research papers have focused on crisis-related situations and emphasised the fact that translators need to be ready to ensure an effective communication between all stakeholders in disaster settings (Rodriguez Vazquez & Silvia Torres del Rey, 2020). Therefore, the methods and approaches in translation training have to be re- examined in order to provide language support in crises (Federici & O’Brien, 2019). This research was designed to examine and depict the effects of the global pandemic and the lockdown on the translator’s profession and translator training in graduate and postgraduate education. The paper analyses the insights and attitudes expressed in surveys by different players in the Lithuanian translation market, including freelance translators and interpreters, language service providers and translation students. The results highlight different opinions of reelance translators and translation students about the future of their career, trust of freelance translators towards the state support and translation agencies at which they are hired, and anxiety of language service providers towards the stability of the industry in crises situations. The results of the research further indicate the necessity to develop translation study programmes focussing on a wider skillset so that future translators would be well equipped to contribute to communication and well-being of different members of society in crisis settings. Keywords: COVID-19, pandemic, translator training, translation industry, language service providers, LSPs.

THE TEACHING OF LITERARY TRANSLATION AND THE CONSISTENCY OF EQUIVALENTS TO OBTAIN FUNCTIONAL TARGET NARRATIVES: ANALYSIS OF THE RENDERING OF MOBY DICK BY HERMAN MELVILLE FROM ENGLISH INTO SPANISH

This paper was developed to draw conclusions about the teaching methods that can be applied to the translation of literary works and about the study of the needs for consistency concerning rendering options in order for students to produce functional target narratives. It was carried out through the analysis of the novel entitled Moby Dick by Herman Melville from English into Spanish from the point of view of transversal narrative coherence. It centres its attention on the multiple translation options that can be employed to transfer specific extracts of this novel (such as verbs and pronouns whose equivalents must be maintained throughout the complete text) and on showing the importance of a consistent use of these translation options to obtain a functional target text. Keywords: literary translation, Melville, Moby Dick, narrative consistency, translation teaching