The advantages of using language technology

A classic problem in translation is maintaining consistency: how can you make sure that you use the same translation for a term on page 117 as you did on page 12? And how can you ensure that a particular slogan or legal phrase is translated in precisely the same way every time?

Another, more economically-oriented, problem is that many translations consist of updates, in which connection it can be difficult to ensure that all the alterations are included in the translation.

The actual size of a translation can also be a problem, if several thousand pages are to be translated within a short period of time.

Lingtech utilises computers and software for all its translation tasks. In most cases specialised software is used, which is more suitable than, for example, Microsoft Word to handle the kind of problems mentioned above.

To ensure that we always use the same translation for particular terms or phrases, we utilise online dictionaries which automatically supply translators with suggested translations – in some instances specifying whether the translation has been used before, and in which context. This also means that we collect terminology in connection with our translations, which allows us to gradually build up customer-specific dictionaries for our customers – as ordinary dictionaries are not nearly comprehensive enough to cover the many specialised and technical expressions used in the real world.

Many translation consist of updates, for which it used to be necessary to spend a long time pointing out what was new and what had already been translated, with the translator receiving a patchwork of inserted texts and crossed-out words. Now, with the language technology utilised by Lingtech, this process can be automated and made much simpler. If we have the original text and its approved translation, the system can compare the new text with the old one, and find precisely which words and sections have been altered or are new. The translator is even provided with suggested translations, if the changes in the text are minor. This makes the preparation process easier, and gives better results and a cheaper translation.

One of Lingtech's undisputed specialities is the translation of large technical texts. If these are to be translated from English to Danish, we can in many cases use PaTrans, the world's first system for the automatic translation of patents. It was developed around 1990 by the Centre for Language Technology at the University of Copenhagen, on the basis of the EU Commission's extensive EUROTRA system, which is used to translate between the various EU languages. Lingtech's founders invested millions in the development of the system, which has over the years been refined and enhanced so that it can now be used with other kinds of text. In other instances, we use standard industry software such as Trados and Transit to ensure optimum working procedures.

We even use language technology with such exotic languages as Chinese, and can train and assist our partners to utilise the latest technology.