Translating and the Computer 32 conference, November 2010

Thanks to Stephen C. for suggesting this conference which may interest readers in the London area:

TRANSLATING AND THE COMPUTER 32 Conference

18-19 November 2010, De Vere West One (Oxford Circus) London

This will be the thirty-second conference in the series and is supported by BCS NLTSG, EAMT, ITI and TILP. The Aslib event draws together a diverse group of delegates, who will gain new insights and brainstorm ideas on the use of information technology for translation.

The keynote speakers this year are Olivier Pasteur, WTO, (Day One) and Phil Verghis, The Verghis Group (Day Two).

Day One Keynote:
Challenges at World Trade Organization: Evaluation and implementation of a Statistical Machine Translation System, Olivier Pasteur, World Trade Organization, Switzerland

Mr Pasteur will address the ongoing challenges of integrating statistical machine translation into the translation workflow of an organization such as his, in which significant requirements for technical correctness must be balanced against those for political sensitivity, while fending with such matters as talented but yet not computer-oriented professional translators, budget constraints and complex workflows, tight deadlines, high quality requirements as well as those dealing with translators' reluctance to accept the fundamental changes in their work that the integration of machine translation entails.

Day Two Keynote:
Implications of Culture on Support (and Translation), Phil Verghis, Verghis Group

You have your hands full as you bid for work across the world. Ever wonder what your customers are going through as they try to add globalization, virtual teams, multi-cultural relationships to the work they are already chartered to do? The good news is that once you understand the pressures support is under, and have a framework to better understand the differences between cultures, you can begin looking at your service from a people, process and technology perspective. You might be able to make modifications that aren't particularly expensive or difficult to implement and yet add better margins. This presentation will draw on research by cultural experts and cultural anthropologists to help you differentiate between a 'rules based' culture and a 'relationship based' culture, and the profound implications for people, process, technology and communication across languages in a service environment.

Full details, including the latest programme, registration fees and how to exhibit, can be found at: http://www.aslib.com or contact Nicole Adamides at: conferences at aslib.com