The Future Translation Organization: Information Technology and the Challenge of Machine Translation

Abstract

This study seeks to explore future changes likely to take place during the next decade in translation organizations in New Zealand. The study is based on an assumption that the future direction of the translation organization is closely linked to developments in Information Technology (IT), including Machine Translation (MT). A case study made of the New Zealand Translation Centre Limited (NZTC) defines the current translation organization viewed as an information system. The study also explores the future IT environment as it affects the translation organization directly and indirectly. Based on the case study results and the framework of the future IT environment models of the translation organization are developed for the year 1995 and 2000, showing how the application of IT eventually affects the translation system as a whole. The study touches upon the effect of developments in the area of Natural Language Processing, in particular MT, as it will pose a major challenge for translators. The research concludes that a symbiotic relationship between the human translator and MT may be essential if translation organizations are to remain viable in the forthcoming mature information society.