TRANSLATION 3
Translation and technology: study of UK Freelance Translators
Translation and technology: study of UK Freelance Translators
Demand
for
translation
services
has increased
considerably
over
the
past
decade
or
so, exacerbated
bye
a number
of factors,
including
the
growing
emphasis
in business
on globalization,
the
advent
of the
World
Wide Web as an
international
marketing tool,
the
rise
of the
software localisation
industry
and the
increasing
opportunities
for
international
trade.
With
regard
to technological
developments,
the
proliferation
of personal computers
(PCs)
has resulted
in a widespread
shift
among
translators
from
the
use of dictating
equipment
and typists
to the
use of row
processing
software.
The
internet has transformed
the
way
in which
translators
receive
and deliver
translation
assignments,
with
much
of this
now
being
undertaken
via
electronic
mail, rather
tan by
fax or
via
the
conventional
postal system.
Translator's
workstation
document
production, managing terminology, storing and retrieving segments of previously
translated text, and automated translation.
Locke
cities: Budgeting, pricing, and hardware and software acquisition.
Austermühl's
‘process-orientated’ view of the translator's workstation.
‘translation
as a business’ as well as translation ‘as a linguistic and cultural process’
Research Method
When
condicting
an
empirical
investigation
ofa
phenomenon,
the
resercher
has at his/her
disposal
a variety
of posible reserch
approaches,
including
questionnaire
surveys,
case studies,
laboratory
experiments
and action
reserch.
There
is
an
established
body
of reserch
literatura in which
questionnaires
have
been
used
to study
ICT adoption
in a variety
of small
business
contexts.
Such
studies
provided
a valuable
source
of ideas and insight
to inform
the
design
and development
of the
questionnaire
formulated
for
use in this
study.
The
questionnaire
was
organised
into
the
following
sections:
Translation Profile
Covering
demographic
data; details
of translator
training and qualifications;
ICT knowledge
and skills.
ICT familiarity and usage
Covering
general-purpose
software, translation-specific
software, other
specialised
software (financial
management
packages),
web-based
language
resources,
online tolos and communications
technologies.
ICT Strategy
Covering
translators
opinions
and thoughts
about
ICT use in their
translation
workflow,
their
perceptions
of translation
technologies,
and their
approaches
to business
planning
and strategy
issues.
Attitudes towards ICT
The
overwhelming
majority
of translators
believed
ICT to be important
to support
each
of the
various
groups
of activity
discussed
earlier,
particularly
for
communication
activities
and for
information
retrieval
activities,
such
as terminology
identification
and locating
relevant
background
reference
material.
ICT Adoption Strategies
There
was little evidence of technology being adopted ‘just
for the sake of it’
or ‘just because it was there’,
an approach conventionally thought of by ICT strategists as immature. For many
in the sample, it seemed that their guiding principle was to ensure that ICT
adoption improved their efficiency and productivity.
The
use of ICT by UK freelance translators is a timely and relevant subject of
inquiry, given the high proportion of the translator community now working on a
freelance basis.
The
results of a statistical analysis suggest that general-purpose software
applications are widely used, but there is less evidence of
translation-specific tools being adopted.
EDUCATION 3
Unesco ict competency framework for teachers
There is an emerging broad consensus
worldwide about the benefits that can be brought to school education through
the appropriate use of evolving information and communication technologies.
•Schools and teachers may not be able to afford
the equipment, they may lack access to the internet, or suitable materials
might not be available in their own language. However, a fundamental issue is
whether teachers know how to use ICT effectively in their teaching.
•The way ICT is used will depend on
the subject being taught.
•It is important to set out the
basic principles which should guide the use of ICT in teaching, and this is
what the UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT – CFT) does.
•It offers engaging and
fast-evolving learning environments, blurs the boundaries between formal and
informal education and prompts teachers to develop new ways of teaching and
enabling students to learn.
Education is a central function of
any nation or community. UNESCO and the UN see education as having the
following aims:
•Inculcating the community’s core
values and passing on its cultural legacy
•Supporting the personal development
of children, young people adults
•Promoting democracy and increasing
participation in society, particularly among women and minorities
•Encouraging cross-cultural
understanding and the peaceful resolution of conflict, improving health and
well-being
•Supporting economic development,
reducing poverty and increasing widespread prosperity.
The UNESCO International Commission
on Education for the first 21st Century views learning throughout life and
participation in the society of learning as the key to meeting the challenges
posed by a rapidly changing world.
‘learning to live together’, ‘learning to
do’, and ‘learning to be’
Education Reform
The successful integration of ICT
into the classroom will depend on the ability of teachers to structure the
learning environment in new ways, to merge new technology with a new pedagogy,
to develop socially active classrooms, encouraging co-operative interaction,
collaborative learning and group work.
The Modules
By crossing the three approaches to
teaching based on human capacity development- technology literacy, knowledge
deepening, and knowledge creation- with the six aspects of a teacher’s work-
understanding ICT in education curriculum assessment, pedagogy, ICT, organization and administration and teacher
professional learning- a framework of 18 modules is created.
Understanding ICT in Education
1. Identify the policy goals supported
by the ICT-CFT Framework
2. Identify ICT-CFT Framework purpose
and approaches
3. Understand the relevance of the
ICT-CFT Framework in a given scenario
ICT
Select and apply basic tools
1.Given a specific learning activity,
identify the required hardware and devices
2.Use the internet and browsers to
support learning activities
SERVICES 3
Processes, Performance Drivers and ICT Tools
in Human Resources Management
The goal of this article is to present results of a recent scientific project, focused on research
of relations between personnel performance, HR-related business processes and supportive
information and communication technology (ICT).
The article presents resolutions of the following research questions:
What are the main generic performance drivers, handled by HR managers?
How can a dedicated human resources information system (HRIS) support HR managers
in build-up and support of these performance drivers?
During the last decade, a “holistic” approach to managing people in organizations, corresponding
to the above presented definition, largely replaced the traditional “personnel management”
concept. HR managers are no longer responsible only for “bringing people into
the organization, helping them perform their work, compensating them for their labors, and
solving problems that arise” as described by Cherrington (1995) or “handling, directing and
controlling of individual employees, … (as well as) acquisition and retention of competent employees
trough proper recruitment, selection, placement, utilization, and development” (Sison,
1981)
PRACTICAL FEEDBACK – SURVEY RESULTS
In order to get a practical insight on current trends in HR management area, the research team
conducted a survey among selected Czech-residing companies. Main focus of the study was
the usage of ICT tools for personnel management and motivation factors related to continuous
measuring of performance. Findings identified in previous chapters were, for the sake of
understandability by broader audience, presented on more general terms and covered by leading
questions
Functionality provided by HRIS
The following graph shows the evaluation of functionality provided by HRIS – it measures the
level of satisfaction the respondents feel towards the functionality provided.
Measuring performance
The following graphs show some of the results of a very interesting survey section, covering
personnel performance measurement and management.
The first graph represents overview of general usage of performance management – expressing
whether KPIs or other forms of clearly set goals are defined for individual employees.
