Báo cáo khoa học: The Signal System in Interlingua — A Factor in Mechanical Translation

PREOCCUPATION with the problems of communication across language barriers has resulted in our time in the perfection, progressive application, or investigation of three new techniques. They are (1) simultaneous translation, as practiced in the United Nations General Assembly, and more and more extensively also in the most varied international congresses of scientists and other groups of specialized endeavor, (2) Interlingua, as utilized currently (especially for medical summaries) in increasing numbers of scientific periodicals and printed programs of international congresses, and (3) mechanical translation by electronic computers, as envisaged especially by scholars at Georgetown University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the...
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Báo cáo khoa học: " The Signal System in Interlingua — A Factor in Mechanical Translation" [ Mechanical Translation, vol.2 no.3, December 1955; pp. 55-60]The Signal System in Interlingua —A Factor in Mechanical TranslationAlexander Gode, Science Service, Division de Interlingua, New York CityPREOCCUPATION with the problems of commu- of simultaneous translation need never and cannication across language barriers has resulted never serve as an official rendering ready andin our time in the perfection, progressive appli- valid for incorporation in a permanent printed orcation, or investigation of three new techniques. otherwise published record.They are (1) simultaneous translation, as prac- The relation of Interlingua to the technique ofticed in the United Nations General Assembly, simultaneous translation is on the whole one ofand more and more extensively also in the most irrelation. There can be no competition betweenvaried international congresses of scientists the two but only peaceful coexistence and -- letand other groups of specialized endeavor, (2) us hope -- cooperation. An ideal example of mu-Interlingua, as utilized currently (especially for tual complementation of these two techniques ismedical summaries) in increasing numbers of that of the forthcoming Sixth Congress of the In-scientific periodicals and printed programs of ternational Society of Hematology. This Congressinternational congresses, and (3) mechanical has announced its selection of English, Spanish,translation by electronic computers, as envi- French, and Interlingua as official languages.saged especially by scholars at Georgetown Uni- All publications -- announcements, programs,versity, the Massachusetts Institute of Techno- etc. -- which the Congress sees fit to publishlogy, the Universities of California and Washing- will be in either English and Interlingua or inton, and Birkbeck College (University of London). Interlingua alone. All papers presented at the The technique of simultaneous translation Congress will be read in English, French, orseems definitely established. It is to be assumed Spanish with simultaneous translation being pro-that it can be further perfected by technological vided for these three languages.improvements of the machines with which it op- We may, if we wish, dream of a further sim -erates and also by additional refinements in the plification of this already highly efficient setup.training of the translating personnel. The psy- Instead of three languages admitted for the pre-chological processes which the simultaneous sentation of papers, we may wish for an ultimatetranslator experiences--his tendency to identify liberalization shedding all restrictions. Underhimself with the orator after the fashion of a such a fantastically ideal setup, participants ingood actor, his schizophrenic endeavor to be the Fiftieth or Seventy-Fifth International Hema-simultaneously, so to speak, a listening Russian tological Congress may present their papers inbalalaika and a resonant Spanish guitar, and so Dutch, Hindustani, Japanese, Hungarian, Finnish,forth--make fascinating material for descriptive M arathi . . . or any other language of theirand analytical studies in some branch of meta- choosing, with no chaos resulting, thanks to thelinguistics. But no fundamental research seems technique of simultaneous translation and its pro-required at this time to lift the technique of si- vision of Interlingua versions of every individualmultaneous translation into the saddle or to keep contribution.it there. Those who cannot appreciate the well-nigh There is likewise very little to be done to ex- ideal efficiency of these two plans (with the sec-tend the limits of the potential usefulness of si- ond thrown in to placate incorrigible pursuersmultaneous translation. These limits are com- of the as yet unlikely), those, i.e., who hold thatpletely clear, even if they represent a suit of no international congress can be said to havearmor the little giant must grow a lot to fill out handled the language problem efficiently if itcompletely. Simultaneous translation is a tech- does not provide for one common auxiliary lan-nique that can be applied wherever the spoken guage for all participants, are looking at thingsword in one particular language needs to be un- from a viewpoint that is alien to me. I do notderstood for immediate reaction by groups of wish to criticize them, but I also do not wish toindividuals whose language masteries do not be associated or confused with them.cover that one particular language. The product If it seems impossible to construe any sort of 5556 A lexander Godepotential, let alone real, rivalry between the all the parts that are needed for an English trans-techniques of simultaneous translation and Inter- lation can be covered by simple equations, andlingua, the same obtains to an even more st ...