1. Lingtech MT-Summit VIII: User Panel Annelise Bech Lingtech A/S Vesterbrogade 24 DK-1620 Copenhagen V. Denmark www.lingtech.dk (email: abe@lingtech.dk or info@lingtech.dk )abe@lingtech.dkinfo@lingtech.dk

2. MT-Summit VIII – User Panel 2001 (ABe) Lingtech Presentation (Lingtech A/S) Lingtech A/S (Copenhagen) –Technology-based translation company –Established 1993 Business domains –Patents, technical manuals, EU-documents, etc. Heavy user of language technology –The PaTrans MT-system (3.5 mio. words/year) –TMs (Trados and Transit) –Electronic dictionaries and term tools Staff –14 permanent (including 4 computational linguists) –and 50+ freelancers

3. MT-Summit VIII – User Panel 2001 (ABe) Lingtech Advantages of using MT/TM Some of the advantages we see (unordered): –Quality and consistency in terminology Within a text; across client’s texts –Cost-efficiency in translation production Tasks are automated; reliance on human resources reduced –Boosting productivity Tools and work-flow organization important –Reusability of material Previous translations and/or terminology –Knowledge retained in the company Structure capital; less person-dependent

4. MT-Summit VIII – User Panel 2001 (ABe) Lingtech Problems with current technology Some examples (unordered): –Compatibility and integratability of products TMX – still a long way to perfection TM and MT together – it’s hard –Products need to take ”minor” aspects seriously Formats, style, fonts, layout etc.; user spends too much time fiddling with this and repairing after TM/MT –TMs Matching and reusability not optimal; a lot is missed out; matching on constituent basis would be interesting –MT Repetition of ”mistakes” – in and aross texts; a clever TM-facility would be useful – Alignment tools still too weak Too much correction/human intervention needed –Too frequent releases of new versions Tends to be buggy; costs vs. improvements User becomes careful and ”conservative”

5. MT-Summit VIII – User Panel 2001 (ABe) Lingtech Expectations/Requests Give higher priority to: –Compatibility and integratability of products –”Minor” aspects Give development a proper (daily ) user focus –TMs’ matching functionality Flexibility – optimise reusability for end user –MT’s human resource requiring tasks Integrate TM-like facility; pre- and post-editing environments – Making alignment tools more clever Reduce need for human intervention/correction –Quality releases of new versions Thoroughly testet and not too often Useful features and not so much fancy stuff