Without any author's name or main title, the major themes of this document are computers

and translation. Although it lacks of a main title, this document is divided in three parts which
can be regarded as the subtitles of the document; firstly, the computers’ history which unfolds
the various stages of computers’ evolution from antiquity to the modern era. Next, word
processing and spreadsheeting are the following themes, as the author explains to us the main
advantages of word processing and spreadsheeting. And finally, the document ends up
discussing about Computer Aided/Assisted translation (CAT) , which the author separates in
two parts : the Machine Translation (MT) and the Machine Assisted Human Translation
(MAHT); with Machine Translation being a fast way of translating with a computer and
Machine Assisted Translation a method of translation with the computer, using previously
translated terms thanks to the Translation Memory (TM).

EVOLUTION OF COMPUTERS
In his document, the author supports the idea that computers are very ancient machines;
since the past, their task is to perform arithmetic calculations. Those types of computers are
named the first generation or computers, and that era goes from 500 BC to the earlier 1940s.
Among the computer of this generation, those which really distinguish themselves among
others are: firstly, Pascal’s arithmetic Machine, being the first mechanical calculator. Secondly,
the Charles Babbage's machine which is consider as the pioneer of modern computers, and
finally the electronic computer which inaugurates the invention of electronic computers.
Despite having brought a revolution in the area of computer, electronic computers are
limited and are very large physically. Processing with these machines is very slow and is a one
step at a time. So, for having a fast computer, the program instructions should be store inside
the computer memory. And the reflections on this thought lead to the era of modern computer,
states the author.
Furthermore, he asserts that the development of second generation of computers which
comes during the late 1940s marks the beginning of the era of modern computers, with
scientists devising the transistor. And by the 1960s, with transistor circuits being fabricated
onto minute chips of silicon and the diminishing of computers’ prices, the improvement on
computers' performances becomes tremendous. That is the period of third generation of
computers.
Besides, the fourth generation of computers introduces a more personalized computer or
desktop which can be used in office and home. After that, the era of microcomputers arrives,
but the earliest ones come with a low powered, and a limited capacity. Mostly used in the field
of business, the major events which initiate the boost of microcomputers are:
- First, when the manufacturers start developing software appropriate for business field,
- Secondly, the availability of much cheaper machines for home use.
- Finally, the burst of microcomputer appeared when the well-known company IBM release
the Personal Computer (PC).
After, he adds that further researches are undertaken in order to develop the fifth generation
of computer which should feature Artificial Intelligence that is computers with the ability to
think and to learn.

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 Then author declares that IBM facilitates the use of microcomputers, since before the
arrival of this firm, it was impossible to run a software in different machines, as their Operating
System were different. According to the author, the inauguration of MS DOS/PC DOS brings
something new, as the manufacturers of IBM’s PC cloners ensure that all IBM software could
also run on their Operating System. Later on, it was finally possible to run a software on any
compatible hardware, thanks to the development ls software clones.
Nowadays, those kinds of Operating Systems such as CP/M or MS-DOS/PC-DOS are still
in use, in the commercial market.

CHARACTERISTICS AND TYPES OF COMPUTERS

In this part, the author tells us what a computer is, and its different components. So, as he
says, according to the Collins English dictionary, a computer is “a person or thing that
computes, specially an electronic machine that performs rapid calculations or compiles,
correlates and selects data”. So, the authors states that for a computer to process information,
it must meet four requirements, that we quote:
“- It must be able to obtain data from the outside worlds, that is INPUT
- It must be able to PROCESS input, that is perform arithmetic calculations, re-arrange
data, compare relative values
- To make products of its labor usable by those employing it, it must the OUTPUT
information
- For short-term handling of data and for long-term reference, STORAGE of data is
required.”

The author enumerates some parts of a computer and list: first the peripherals (which can be
INPUT or OUTPUT). INPUT devices transfer data on the INPUT medium into the computer
and the OUTPUT peripherals transfer information from the computer to the OUTPUT device.
Next, he adds the processor and the main memory which according to him have similitudes:
“The processor and the main memory which operate in close junction with one another; in
particular, the memory holds the Program which controls the functioning of the processor.”
And finally, the backing storage, that has been invented because the main memory is volatile.
The author the suggests us the types of computers, we can enumerate: the microcomputer
with its central processing silicon chip, the personal computer, the mainframe computer, the
minicomputer and finally the supercomputer which is the largest, fastest and most powerful
type of computer.

WORD PROCESSING AND SPREADSHEETING

Two of the most used functions of a PC are word processing and spreadsheeting. Firstly,
used with a word processing software, word processing is the capability of creating any type
of written communication by manipulating letters, number and symbol you can type on a
keyboard. The author lists the main services than can be done with a word processing:

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- Inserting, delete or explore a material on the screen
- Edit texts (pagination, underlining, bold facing...)
- Use the function cut, copy and paste.
- Save and print part or all document.
As the authors says, using a words processor confirms the English adage: “A picture is
worth a thousand words “. In fact, graphics, artworks may convey an idea more quickly and
effectively add meaning to words. That's why word processing programs can be used for
graphic representation in the business field.
Next, spreadsheeting is the ability of editing and manipulating numerical data in rows and
columns using a spreadsheet software. Mostly used in accounting for budget and financial
planning, its main ability is to perform calculations from very simple sums to the most complex
financial and mathematical formulas, as the calculator is replaced by the electronic spreadsheet.

MACHINE TRANSLATION
As Machine Translation becoming an important topic nowadays, the author analyzes its
importance socio-politically, commercially, scientifically and finally philosophically. But
before entering in the issue, we should first remember the examples of Machine Translation
given by the author, which are: Globalink GTS Power Translator, Transcend Corporate
Translator, SYSTRAN Professional, and TRADOS.
The first domain in which the author tells us the importance of translation is socio-politically.
He states that translation is useful for communication, since nowadays, the world wants to
adopt a common lingua franca which is English, and translation which enables ordinary human
interaction, will be an important point to fight against it because it will involve the
disappearance of other languages. Moreover, there is the commercial point, which states that
translation is a very expensive activity, As Parterson estimates that some 40 % - 50%of of the
running most of European community institutions are “language cots”.
Scientifically, Machine Translation participates to the development of Computer science and
Artificial intelligence. And finally, philosophically, the Machine Translation requires all the
entire knowledge of someone. An important quote of the author is that: “An Understanding of
Machine Translation is an essential part of the equipment of a professional translator”.
Next, the author gives the reason why Machine Translation has been created. The reason one
is to cover the several national languages of the world. In fact, the growing number of national
languages requires full documentation, and there are not really many translators to do that. As
international business and commercial negotiations are made between countries, the Machine
translation can help the translator. Secondly, another reason why Machine Translation has been
invented is that as the authors says: “There is a growing opportunity for machine translation
because of the inability of the convention market to meet the increasing demand and the
consequent rise of the cost of translation”.

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Besides, the author adds some conceptions and misconceptions about Machine Translation:
1- “Generally, the quality of translation you can get from a Machine Translation system
is very low. This makes them useless in practice”
The author strongly disagrees with this point of Vue by explaining that despite their number
being small, the organizations which decide to use machine translations are satisfied. e.g.: The
METEO system in Canada.
2- “MT threatens the jobs of translators”
One more time, the author disagrees with that point of Vue and he states that: “It will not
eliminate them, simply because the volume of translation to be performed is so huge, and
consistently growing”. So, for him the translator needs the help of the machine.
Some facts about machine translation are raised by the translator, and we classify them
depending whether they are positive or negative facts.
1- Positives facts about Machine Translation:
- Even if sometimes Machine Translation sometimes produces stupid mistakes, there are
times when it produces reliable translations.
- As METEO can testify, Machine Translation produces good quality OUTPUT. Because
4% of METEO's translations require correction by a human being.
- The job of translator is very vast, and whether than diminishing. Machine Translation
allows human translation to concentrate on more interesting tasks.

2- Negative facts about Machine Translation:

- The speech-to-speech Machine Translation should be institute
- Building an MT system is arduous and time consuming
- Before an MT system becomes really useful, a user will typically have to invest a
considerable amount of effort in customizing it.
- In machine Translation, if the document is not free and without any typological error, the
misspelled words will diminish the quality of the translation.
At last for Machine Translation, the author brings on the table the benefits of Machine
Translation. He starts first for business user by saying that it can be useful to them for gusting
(if they want to know the main idea of the document), for screening and for conveying. He then
continues with professional translator by saying that it usually helps them when they want to
use it as a proofing tool and for a simpler document structure when user-specified dictionaries
have been adequately maintained.

Computer Assisted Translation is a computer technology application that automates or

assists the act of translating text from one spoken language to another. And the three major
categories are: terminology manager, Machine Translation Tools and finally the Machine
Assisted human Translation.
As the authors said, the terminology Manager is a database which helps to translate terms
from a specific field of study to a different target language. The main key functions of
terminology manager are: to serve as a collection point for gathering translation for later use,

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to facilitate the look of terms. Some examples of terminology managers are: Termwatch, MTX
and Termex.
Lastly, the Machine Assisted Human Translation (MAHT).
According to the author, the principle of the Machine Assisted Translation is that, it's based
on the concept of Translation memory and the re-use of previously translated terms and
sentences. Some examples are: SDL TRADOS, IBM translation manager. The main benefits
from Machine Assisted Human Translation are: they are useful in translating new versions of
previously translated documents; reduction of time to translate and finally better consistency
across an entire document.
So, in a nutshell, the author says that the main difference between Machine Translation and
Computer Assisted Human Translation is at the level where the translator is working
interactively within the MAHT program to finalize translated sentences.