New perspectives in language industry

Hussein Mahmoud

Badr University in Cairo – BUC.

DOI:    10.21608/tjhss.2020.46866.1005

Abstract-Considering the language as industry represents a giant step toward the future: it means that we can call our graduates “language professional” which adds much more power to this category of services, often underestimated.  To better know how this market functions, we can look at one area, that of specialization in professional language services, which continues to grow in the world. In 2107 alone, online and offline content translation, interpreting and adaptation services recorded total revenue of more than 43 billion dollars. The areas of greatest demand have been e-learning, which continues and will continue to show a booming dynamic. This is mainly due to the increasing internationalization of companies that need to ensure that they have a world-class linguistic and cultural presence in every and each country.

Index terms – Language industry  - translation – machine translation  - machine translation post editing - MTPE

I don’t know how or why the title I’ve chosen for this intervention is changed from language or linguistic industry to translation industry, however both are related to each other. By language industry we mean the sector of activity dedicated to facilitating multilingual communication, both oral and written. According to the European Commission's Directorate-General of Translation, the language industry embraces several activities such as translation, interpreting, subtitling and dubbing, software and website globalization, language technology tools development, international conference organization, language teaching and linguistic consultancy[1]. These kinds of activities are almost the same in the linguistic industry all over the world, with little and non-significant variations from country to country.

Considering the language as industry represents a giant step toward the future: it means that we can call our graduates “language professional” which adds much more power to this category of services, often underestimated.

To better know how this market functions, we can look at one area, that of specialization in professional language services, which continues to grow in the world. In 2107 alone, online and offline content translation, interpreting and adaptation services recorded total revenue of more than 43 billion dollars. The areas of greatest demand have been e-learning, which continues and will continue to show a booming dynamic. This is mainly due to the increasing internationalization of companies that need to ensure that they have a world-class linguistic and cultural presence in every and each country.

But what are the emerging sectors that will need quality interpreters and translators the most in the coming years?

Video content

On average, Facebook records 8 billion video views every day, while 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, with about 5 billion videos watched daily. Interestingly, almost 85% of videos on Facebook are watched without volume, which highlights a market space for the realization of subtitles. Captions, and voice-over are now necessary services if you want the video to reach a wider audience.

E-Learning and MOOCs: quality translators needed

The distance learning industry through online platforms has been and is expected to continue to be an industry that is constantly expanding in the coming years. As a result, translation and adaptation services in this area will continue to be required by online courses. We can’t estimate for the time being how much languages will be added soon to those already used. It depends mainly on the unstable conditions created by Covid 19 pandemic.

At the same time, the market for so-called MASSIVE Online Open Courses (MOOCs) continues to grow in astonishing numbers and percentages (600% for last April only).

One of the challenge for many educational institutions is to adopt competence to make the use best of the languages and cultural specificities to ensure the success of their online contributions.

Marketing & Communication: the local challenge is on languages

To provide adequate responses to different stakeholders – customers, partners, suppliers, employees, third parties – we need appropriate and consistent policies.

And in order to achieve them Such polices, companies need language skills that are appropriate to different cultures. For the entire marketing sector, the "localization" of institutional and commercial content is becoming increasingly strategic.

This concerns not only websites and social media, but also the whole framework of technical, contractual and legal information at the heart of any institutional and commercial dynamics of a company.

It is proven, in fact, that the use of a consistent language that suits different professional interlocutors is a guarantee of results in terms of customer care and sales.

Rare languages: new protagonists

Among the trends to be reported is also that of a growing demand for translation for less commonly used languages, something that is confirmed by the increasing use of the Internet in many regions of the world, the African continent and in the Middle East in particular.

Machine translation: human beings do not disappear at all!

Machine translation is another fast-developing sector that is expected to continue to grow driven by the rapid evolution of technologies.

But, contrary to what is commonly believed, the development of machine translation will not stop the demand for true translation professionals by simply making modest translation services more accessible to the general public.

It is only trained professionals who can perfectly translate giving bot the depth and thickness appropriate to the target languages. It is especially so where the competitive dimension of markets and companies grow and where the language factor becomes increasingly strategic and essential.

As TAUS Language Data Network – an independent organization of language studies and analysis – points out that machine translation has reached a very good level, especially with regard to the rapid translation of small service content, the gap between a machine and human translation is still far from being bridged.

The same also applies for the market of smartphones’ translation applications that remain in very large part little more than fun gadgets, useful at most to read road signs or translate menus when you are on the go, but certainly have no credibility when it comes to accurate translation.

I tried very recently to assess the efficiency of the machine translation, specially into Arabic language, through the analysis of various translations of the same passage extracted from a novel of Gabriele D’Annunzio, one of the most eloquent Italian writers of the twentieth century:

Dall'istante in cui l'orrore della dannazione le si levò nella conoscenza, ella si compresse in una specie di raccoglimento cupo, sorvegliando sé stessa, sorvegliando i propri atti, i propri pensieri, i minimi moti per il timore che quella veemenza di pentimento si esalasse, per l'ansia di conservare intatto dentro di sé quel fiore di fede rigermogliato d'improvviso

Google

من لحظة الرعب من الادانة وردة فی المعرفة، وقالت انها تقلص إلى نوع من التأمل القاتمة، ومشاهدة نفسها، والإشراف على الإجراءات الخاصة، والأفکار المخصوصة، والخوف أصغر الاقتراحات المؤسسة العامة الصورة أن شدة من التوبة والزفیر، للقلق للحفاظ على حالها فی نفسه أن زهرة الإیمان rigermogliato فجأة.

In another moment after a certain time (more than one month):

منذ اللحظة التی نشأ فیها رعب اللعن فی معرفتها ، ضغطت على نفسها فی نوع من الترکیز الکئیب ، تراقب نفسها ، تراقب أفعالها ، وأفکارها ، وأقل حرکات الخوف من شدة التوبة. زفیر ، من أجل القلق من الحفاظ على سلامته داخل نفسه زهرة الإیمان التی ظهرت فجأة مرة أخرى.

Bing

من اللحظة التی أهوال الإدانة روز فی المعرفة، وقالت أنها أنهار إلى نوع من التأمل الکئیب، تراقب نفسها، الإشراف على أفعاله الخاصة، وأفکارهم الخاصة، pe الحد الأدنى ' الالتماسات المتعلقة بالخوف أن حماس ویحددون التوبة اسالاسی، عن القلق الاحتفاظ بها سلیمة داخل نفسه أن الإیمان فجأة زهر ریجیرموجلیاتو.

Sdl *from italiano then from english

من لحظة رعب من الهلاک وقد نشأت فی المعرفة ، وهی حبة فی نوع من التذکر قاتمة، مشاهدة نفسه، من رصد لادن أعمال أفکاره ، الحد الأدنى للطلبات PE L الخوف أن العنف من التوبة هو esalasse، عن القلق للحفاظ على فی زهرة الایمان rigermogliato فجأة.

Reverse * italiano then from english

من اللحظة التی الرعب من هذا الهلاک على رفع له فی المعرفة، فإن ضغط فی نوع من الترکیز، تحرس نفسها نفس الذین یحرسون تصرفاته الخاصة به/بها الأفکار، على ما لا یقل عن الطلبات PE "L الخوف أن العنف من التوبة مزفور انه, على قلق للحفاظ على داخل نفسه أن زهرة الایمان rigermogliato المفاجئ.

Online translator from italiano to English then google to arabic

فی اللحظة التی الرعب من الادانة استغرق أجبرتها على الفرار فی المعرفة، وأنها کانت مضغوطة فی نوع من التأمل العمیق، ومشاهدة نفسه، ومشاهدة المخصوصة قادرة، والأفکار المخصوصة، ل أقل الاقتراحات بی 'الرهبة أن ذلک شدة التوبة وقد الزفیر لنفسها، لقلق حفظ داخل سلیمة من ذلک، ظهرت إعادة زهرة الإیمان من مرتجلة.

Wordlingo

من العزم فی أیّ الرعب من الدائمة لعن لف فی المعرفة, هو کبس فی واحدة نوع من تجمیع مظلمة, یراقب نفسه بنفسی, یراقب ال امتلکت أعمال, ال امتلکت أفکار, الحدّ أدنى حرکات ب 'ل خوف أنّ أنّ فیمنزا من توبة إسلسّ, لالحالة قلق أن یحفظ فجأة إینتکت من الدّاخل من بنفسی أنّ زهرة من ریجرموغلیتو إیمان.

babylon

من لحظة رعب من الهلاک وقد نشأت فی المعرفة ، وهی حبة فی نوع من التذکر قاتمة، مشاهدة نفسه، من رصد لادن أعمال أفکاره ، الحد الأدنى للطلبات PE L الخوف أن العنف من التوبة هو esalasse، عن القلق للحفاظ على فی زهرة الایمان rigermogliato فجأة.

systran

بالعزم فی أیّ الرعب من اللعن دائم رفعت هو کانفی المعرفة، itcompressed فی نوع من تجمیع مظلم،یراقب نفسه بنفسی، یراقب proprii theactions، proprii الفکرة، ال minimumsmotions pe 'l خوف أنّ حماس الrepentanceesalasse، لالحالة قلق أنیحفظ suddenlyintact من الدّاخل من بنفسی أنّ زهرة الrigermogliatofaith.

Imtransltor

من اللحظة التی أهوال الإدانة روز فی المعرفة، وقالت أنها أنهار إلى نوع من التأمل الکئیب، تراقب نفسها، والإشراف على أعمالهم، وأفکارهم، والحد الأدنى خوفاً من أن الاقتراحات أن حماس ویحددون توبة اسالاسی، عن القلق الاحتفاظ بها سلیمة داخل نفسه أن زهر الإیمان ریجیرموجلیاتو فجأة.

بِ ال عزمُ فِی أیّ کَبَسَ ال رعبُ مِن ال لعنُ دائِمُ هُوَ کانَ رَفَعتُ فِی ال معرفةُ, هُوَ فِی نوعُ مِن تجمیعُ مُظلِمُ, یراقِبُ نفسه بِنَفسِی, یراقِبُ یمتلِکُ عملُ, امتَلَکتُ فکرةُ, ال حَدّ أدنى حرکةُ لِ ال خوفُ أَنّ حماسُ مِن توبةُ esalasse, لِ ال حَالة قَلَق أن یحفَظَ فَجأَةً intact مِنَ الدَّاخِلِ مِن بِنَفسِی أَنّ زهرةُ مِن rigermogliato إیمانُ

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Italian → EnglishSYSTRAN,  English → ArabicSYSTRAN

فِی the instant فِی أیّ ال رعبُ مِن ال لعنُ أَخَذَ هُم بِاِتِّجَاهٍ آخَر فِی ال معرفةُ, کَبَستُ هُوَ کانَ فِی نوعُ مِن تأملُ عَمیقُ, یراقِبُ بِنَفسِی, یراقِبُ ال خَاصَّة عملُ, ال امتَلَکتُ فکرةُ, ال الأَقَلّ حرکةُ لِ ال فزعُ أَنّ أَنّ توبةُ حماسُ کانَ زَفِرَ إلى بِنَفسِی, لِ ال حَالة قَلَق مِن یحافِظُ داخِلُ مَصونُ مِن أَنّ pousser زهرةُ ال إیمانُ مِن مُرتجِلُ.

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Italian → EnglishPROMT,  English → ArabicSYSTRAN

ارتَفَعَ رعبُ مِن ال لعنُ ضِدَّ هُم مِن ال عزمُ فِی أیّ هُوَ, فِی ال معرفةُ, Ella کانَ کَبَستُ فِی نوعُ مِن تأملُ مُظلِمُ یراقِبُ إِنْ هُوَ یکونُ نَفس یراقِبُ ال عملُ جِدَّاً, ال thinkings جِدَّاً, ال حَدّ أدنى حرکةُ ال خوفُ أَنّ هذا fervor ال حزنُ کانَ أَصدَرتُ, لأنّ ال حَالة قَلَق یحافِظُ ال داخِلُ untouched, هذا زهرةُ یقولُ مِن دینُ rigermogliato D'improvise

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Italian → EnglishSkyCode,  English → ArabicSYSTRAN

Dall'istante فِی cui l'orrore Della Dannazione Le Si levò nella conoscenza, ella si compresse فِی Una Specie Di Raccoglimento cupo, sorvegliando sé stessa, sorvegliando i propri atti, أنا propri pensieri, أنا minimi moti لِکُلِّ il timore che Quella Veemenza Di Pentimento Si e یملِّحُ, لِ ال حَالة قَلَق أن یحفَظَ intact دَاخِل مِن بِنَفسِی أَنّ إیمانُ improvize زهرةُ resprouted مِن

The translation of the same passage from Italian to English by SDL MT

From the moment in which the horror of damnation arose in her knowledge, she was compressed into a kind of deep recollection, watching herself, watching her own acts, her thoughts, the slightest motions for the fear that that vehemence of repentance would arise, for the anxiety to keep intact within himself that flower of faith suddenly regermogliated

Suggest a better translation

الترجمة البشریة

منذ أن تصاعد الرعب من اللعنة إلى مدارکها، سجنت نفسها فی نوع من التأمل القاتم، وهی تراقب نفسها، حرکاتها وسکناتها، أفکارها، مخافة أن تفلت منها زفرة التوبة، وشوقا إلى أن تحافظ بداخلها على زهرة الإیمان التی نما برعمها فجأة فی نفسها.

This week, Lee Seedol, world champion of Go (Chinese board game) lost his most anticipated game: the one against AlphaGo, a supercomputer created by Google. A fact that has opened up new discussions about what are the true frontiers of artificial intelligence. What are the limits? And what's the potential?

Semantics and text to speech were a key step in improving the learning of new languages and translation through digital tools. But the real challenge is artificial intelligence. Experts believe that a method based on neural networks, not algorithms and statistics, would radically change the meaning and role of translators. Because the limitations of current translation systems are all related to the fact that software cannot think for themselves, getting lost (for example) in the literal translation of a commonplace that in the original language has a different meaning. Artificial intelligence will do just that. And while it's hard to say for sure now what the possible goals are, this story seems to be a great challenge. A few weeks ago Marco Varone, president of Expert System - an Italian company that Microsoft chose for the development of Word's automatic proofreader - explained that "in the next 10 years the ability of machines to understand texts will improve incrementally".

But there is a fundamental paradox that is growing conspicuously, and that puts the user in front of a question: does it really make sense, then, to learn new languages? Sounds crazy, sure. But it comes from afar, that is, from the quest to develop systems that can translate every word in every language and maybe in real time. Skype is trying, with the Translator service capable of translating a conversation in almost real time. It's a machine learning system, and it's very similar to the Apple Watch iTranslate App, available in 90 languages. The latter has a charming ease of use: are you abroad and do not understand what they tell you? Have your caller's voice heard at the Watch and the app will translate what you hear.  The development of software like these, which in a few years could reach very high levels of reliability, therefore poses doubts about the real needs of knowing other languages. Yet there is still a lot of desire to learn. Indeed, the spread of the Internet and the digital world has blown up the industry. There are hundreds of applications, and some have gained important recognition. The services offered are often cross-platform and use innovative systems very different from the classic school method. A beautiful reality is that of Aba English, which can count on more than 7 million students worldwide (about 1 million in Italy). Initially it was only present on desktop computers, but since last year the new app to learn English with movies was also launched. And it was the turning point. Apple named it one of the best news in the app store and won the award for Best Educational App of 2015 at the Reimagine Education Awards. Also, very interesting is the integration with LinkedIn, which allows you to provide a certification to students who take the courses. Also, among the most popular apps is Duolingo, a crowdsourced platform that offers an almost playful approach to learning English and French. It looks like a game, a challenge with friends. But the results are recognized in the field of education.

What's the change? Google Neural Machine Translation system (GNMT) does not analyze word for word but the whole sentence within its context. This allows you to better understand the punctuations and the subordinates because it brings them back to the meaning of the phrase to which they belong. After a summary trial, with complex sentences from books, it is understood that the system is still "young". Neural networks need to learn and learn from their mistakes.  That's why user reports will matter a lot. It’s another issue the merits another seminar, especially the new coined term: MTPE (machine translation post editor).

EUROPEAN LANGUAGE INDUSTRY SURVEY

2020 AFTER COVID-19

• Language industry somewhat less impacted than other sectors with high numbers of SMEs - except for Interpreting which has been devastated.
• Independent professionals and small translation companies significantly harder hit than larger companies.
•  Many LSCs are already equipped for remote working.
•  Activity spans all sectors of economy & and focuses on compliance. Therefore, less vulnerable.
•  Crisis situations generate modest amounts of additional work

The new norm:

● Urgent & Agile

● More competition in less impacted client segment > price pressure > MTPE

● Everything can be done remotely

● Cloud-based management, remote interpreting

● Diversified services