LETRAC

Since, obviously, many hands are more likely to make LEIT work, the December article also reported on attempts to combine LISA-sponsored efforts with the LETRAC project, the Language Engineering for Translator Curricula (LETRAC) group, which is funded by the European Commission, DG XIII, within the Telematics Application Programme of the Fourth Framework. LETRAC has also completed its deliverables, which will be available very soon at the following Website: http://www.iai.uni-sb.de/letrac/home.html

LETRAC's Ursula Reuther reports, "We have collectively managed to develop a clear vision of a new professional profile for translators and other language professionals, and have been able to raise awareness in industry and academia as to what that profile is and is going to be in the future."

Market Orientation

In projecting this new image, there remains an ongoing tension between the demands made by market forces, which would dictate a truly market-driven approach, and traditional educational concerns, which look at the development of student skills and knowledge over the long term.

Monterey's Chris Langewis sums up these conflicting concerns: "We always have to bear in mind that there is a difference between training and education. I can direct my attention to teaching my students how to use program X, but the students may possibly never use that program in their work. The important thing is that they also learn what it is about that program that makes it important to the L10N process, how it fits into the project flow." If students learn that, it doesn't make any difference what happens tomorrow. They'll be prepared for the next development along these lines, whether it is a new version of the same program or a totally new application.

Phase 1 Deliverables

The primary thrust of the LETRAC project has mirrored LEIT, with respect to conducting surveys in the language industry and among service providers and academics training future language professionals. In contrast to LEIT, LETRAC has also prepared a detailed curriculum proposal for use in translation training programs, with a broad emphasis on computer literacy at the low end and full-blown language engineering applications at the high end of the scale.

In the process of both the LEIT and the LETRAC initiatives, access to computer applications has been a major source of concern. Leading-edge institutions with international reputations, such as the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne, the University of Geneva, the Monterey Institute, and Kent State University report very cooperative partnerships with major program developers and distributors. Unfortunately, some of the LETRAC partners report that vendors are not as willing to establish cooperative relationships with university departments in areas such as Portugal or Greece, where the same needs exist and the students are eager to work with the materials, but where the vendor network is perhaps not as well developed in terms of capability or willingness to support cooperation with universities.

LETRAC Model Curriculum and Certification

The full LETRAC curriculum consists of three major components, which are in turn divided into modules. As noted above, topics run the gamut of applications from an introduction to basic computer principles to parsing utilities for natural language processing. Saarbrücken's Johann Haller is quick to point out, "Of course it would be ideal if a university were able to implement all the modules to achieve a full range of exposure. This would constitute roughly one tenth of the translation students' total course load for fulfillment of their degree requirements. Nevertheless, we realize that individual universities in various countries will have to look carefully at what they can accomplish in their environments."

Given the significant differences among programs, many have expressed an interest in the certification of various job titles within the framework of LEIT and LETRAC. Readers of the December report on the Kent Language as Business conference will perhaps recall that that discussion focused on the efforts of the Irish CLP (Certified Localisation Professional) project, which has been jointly funded by the Irish government and the EU, within the framework of the ADAPT program.

CLP's Reinhard Schäler reported that twenty companies have conducted detailed analyses to collect job descriptions in the L10N sector. "Our purpose", he stated, "is to establish courses to train L10N skills, but not necessarily to translators, as such. We are targeting people with knowledge in the respective field and with ancillary language skills. The project does not aim at university level in the first place, but at secondary and college level graduates and at other professions as well."  At any rate, experience gained in the Irish effort should be very useful for any future approach to certification, and Schäler has expressed interest in expanding certification in this direction. Recent January and February workshops in Dublin have featured the current findings of the CLP project.

Future Funding

The education initiatives are currently at a crossroads. LEIT is basically in a holding pattern, maintaining the current matrix and regrouping for a next phase. Individual universities, such as Cologne, the University of Washington in Seattle, Kent State, and the Monterey Institute are introducing or expanding their courses in L10N applications and project management. On the EU front, LETRAC's funding has run out under the fourth framework, but both groups are discussing a joint application for funding under the rubric of multilingual information and cross-cultural communication. Such an effort would involve international cooperation between the EU and the US in the field of language engineering and language technology.

Phase 1 of both projects placed special emphasis on industry surveys and planning. Phase 2 must now introduce the validation phase reflected in the long-term objectives of researchers on both sides of the Atlantic.

Phase 2 should also expand the close ties that both LEIT and LETRAC have been forging with the language industry. LISA has the unique opportunity to play a significant role in defining the profile of language professionals in the 21st century. Even if funding is generated at the governmental level in both the EU and the US, continued support and collaboration between the university programs and the language industry is absolutely essential. And even if the applications for government funding were to fail, the lead universities will forge ahead to implement individual modules within their own existing curricula.

Prof. Sue Ellen Wright
Kent State University
Institute for Applied Linguistics
Kent, OH 44242
USA
Tel: +1 330 673 0043
Fax: +1 330 673 0738
E-mail: swright@kent.edu