Teaching MT/CAT tools in Greece: the state of the art

33 Teaching MT/CAT tools in Greece: The State of the Art Dimitra Kalantzi Centre for Computational Linguistics UMIST PO Box 88 Manchester M60 1QD United Kingdom D.Kalantzi@postgrad.umist.ac.uk Abstract This paper reports the results of research into the current state of affairs with respect to teaching MT/CAT tools in Greece. Although a variety of methods is employed, this research essentially takes the form of a survey. According to the data provided by respondents, the current status of MT/CAT tools, now described as “poor” and “nonexistent” or at best as beginning to set off, appears somewhat disappointing. Yet, with respect to the future, it is our contention that the growing awareness at least among respondents of the need to integrate MT/CAT tools in their curricula, will sooner or later bring about the changes now anticipated. 1 Introduction – Research Aims This paper reports the results of research into the current state of affairs with respect to the teaching of Machine Translation (MT)/Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools in Greece. What we essentially set out to achieve is to explore whether MT/CAT tools are actually taught in any university or private school in Greece and if they are, to establish particular teaching centres and courses. By extension, our interest lies in establishing how MT/CAT tools are taught to whom and by whom so as to acquire a description of courses and course resources, as well as a description of students and instructors. Finally, given that MT/CAT tools appear to be taught only sparsely, we shall also attempt to address issues, such as why MT/CAT tools might be taught only marginally, whether any change is foreseeable and what might possibly be done to that effect. 2 MT/CAT At this point it seems appropriate to briefly refer to the view adopted herein with respect to the term “CAT” and its relation to MT. Thus, the two often-made distinctions between MT and CAT on the one hand, and between Machine-Aided Human Translation (MAHT) and Human- Aided Machine Translation (HAMT) as distinct modes of CAT on the other, are retained (see Hutchins and Somers, 1992, p147). Although both distinctions are rather fuzzy and blurred, they remain useful for the purposes of this research, which may confidently be maintained to be less concerned with HAMT than with MAHT and MT. Bearing these distinctions and predilections in mind, let us now look at some of the types of MT/CAT tools currently available to translators, especially the types of tools likely to be taught in a university or private school setting in Greece. As a matter of fact, for the purposes of the present research, it was deemed necessary to come up with a 34 more or less comprehensive list of tools in advance so as to provide a reference point for people in Greece participating in our effort who might not be familiar with MT/CAT. Several works on CAT tools and the translator’s workstation – including relevant chapters in books on MT and dictionaries – were consulted [cf. Kay (1980), Melby …

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