Instant Translation Computer for eec

The European Economic Community employs a small army of offi­cials to translate technical documents on such turgid subjects as the permitted levels of vegetable oils in butter substitutes, into the Community's nine languages. Soon, however, that tedious work may be done instead by computers. Programme designers are convinced that it is technically feasible to type documents into a computer in one language and have it printed out instantaneously in another. Eurotra is the largest machine translation programme in the world. It employs more than 100 linguists and computer scientists working in teams in most of the EEC's member states.

By early next year staff from Essex and Manchester universities responsible for the British end of Eurotra and their colleagues across the EEC will have a prototype system running able to translate a vocabulary of 4,000 words. That vocabulary is too small to translate documents but big enough to prove that the Eurotra team are working on the right lines. Analysing sentences in the right way so that they can then be machine-translated into any of the Community's languages is what has taken years of work. A true prototype system, with a vocabulary of around 20,000 words in nine languages, will enable anyone to type a technical document into a computer in English, say, and have it emerge instantly typed in any of the EEC's main languages. A person reading the document printed out at the other end will have to check it carefully to correct occasional errors. But he will not need any knowledge of the inputter's language.

1) Translate the following sentences paying attention to the underlined words.

1. By early next year staff will have a prototype system running able to translate a vocabulary of 4,000 words.

2. That vocabulary is too small to translate documents.

3. Analysing sentences in the right way so that they can then be machine-translated into any of the Community's languages is what has taken years of work.

4. Soon, however, that tedious work may be done instead by computers.

5. Programme designers are convinced that it is technically feasible to type documents into a computer in one language and have it printed out in another.

2) Give short answers .to the following questions.

1. Does the European Economic Community employ an army of officials to translate documents?

2. Can the work of translating be done by computers?

3. Is it difficult to translate technical documents?

4. Are the Eurotra team working on the right lines?

5. Has analysing sentences taken years of work?

6. Will the person reading the document have to check it?

3) Answer the following questions.

1. How many languages are technical documents translated into?

2. How many linguists and computer scientists does Eurotra employ?

3. When will the Eurotra have a prototype system to translate a vocabulary of 4,000 words?

4. What vocabulary is needed to type a technical document in one language and have it printed in another language?

5. A person reading the document printed out at the other end needs some knowledge of inputter's language, doesn't he?

4) Read the following text and find English equivalents to the following Russian word combinations.

In 10 years' time the EEC should have a fully-fledged Eurotra system which will not only translate all its technical documents but will also be highly cost-effective. It is expected to repay quickly the money invested through savings in human translator time.

The timescale for really effective machine translation of technical documents, employing a far more sophisticated and linguistically cor­rect system than any of the crude machine translation systems in use today is very short. However, the Eurotra team will not even speculate on a date for effective machine translation of documents more inte­resting than technical ones.

, Plays, novels or love letters to a foreign girlfriend whose language you do not speak require translation, say the linguists and computer scientists, not by a computer programmed with rules but by a person. The still unanswered question is whether the development of artificial intelligence will ever allow a computer to perform such translations.

1) будет очень эффективной по стоимости

2) вложенные деньги

3) гораздо более совершенный

4) на языке, на котором вы не говорите

5) вопрос, на который еще нет ответа.

Unit 4

1) Learn to recognise the following international words.

Parallel computers, architecture, central, effect, company, techni­cians, programmers, industry, expert, minute, revolution, project, organisation, functional, prototype, start, Ministry, talent, individual, technology, system.

2) Translate the following groups of words.

Major industry, intense competition, rapidly evolving industries, computer manufacture, wider user market, conventional computers, central processing unit, completely different architecture, multi­processor design, the desired result, government departments, defence installations, image processing, speech recognition.

3) Read and translate the first part of the text.