Take the intimidation out of medical terminologyEvery job in the medical field needs some background in medical terminology. From the check-in desk to the doctor to the pharmaceutical sales rep, and everyone around and in between, healthcare professionals and those in adjacent fields use a common...
Parce que la jeune génération camerounaise ne parle pas forcément sa langue maternelle, ce riche patrimoine culturelle risque de disparaître. Pourtant, tout le monde reconnaît l’importance des langues maternelles et beaucoup expriment leurs regrets de ne pas pouvoir s’exprimer dans la langue de leurs parents et ancêtres.
One of the easiest and most convenient ways to transcribe YouTube videos is to use professional transcription services like GoTranscript.com. Your video content is transcribed by professionals, meaning the task gets done faster. You also won’t have to worry about accuracy.
To get started, you will need to visit a reliable transcription service and follow the instructions on their website. Be sure you choose the type of service you need. For instance, those that offer closed captions, transcription, translation, and even subtitles.
2. Use Google docs
Did you know that you can also use Google Docs to transcribe your YouTube videos? It has a built-in voice dictation tool that can help the task done. It is only available on chromium-based browsers such as Google Chrome right now. Here is how to get started.
Open a blank Google Doc • Create a new document and then choose “Voice typing” from the tools bar on the menu on top. • Select the language you will be speaking from the drop-down menu. • Begin recording and transcribing the audio • Now move to your YouTube Video tab and play your video.
Google Docs Voice Typing is very easy to use. As long as the sound is clear, this free tool can do a reasonable task of transcribing it. You should also know that it works best if only one individual is talking at a time. The output lacks punctuation as well, so if you need an accurate, clean transcript, it’ll need editing. Also, you cannot navigate away from the Google Docs window because you will stop the recording.
3. Use Google and YouTube’s free transcription tools
YouTube has its own free built-in tools for converting videos to text. They are built right into the interface and are free, so it is only logical that they are the transcribing options you would want to use in most cases.
But if you want to transcribe through YouTube, you have to enable automatic captioning. YouTube will then use its speech recognition technology to generate captions, and from there, you can download a transcript.
While speech recognition software is an option, it is vital to keep in mind that automated captions are not 100% accurate. It usually has little to no punctuation, no speaker differentiation, and poorly done line breaks. That means you will have to do lots of editing to make YouTube’s automatically-created transcripts. Here is how to get started.
• Log into your YouTube channel and navigate to YouTube Studio. • Click on Subtitles from the left-hand menu. • Choose the video you want to transcribe. • On the next screen, select your preferred language and then click Confirm. • YouTube will automatically generate a transcript for you. • Edit the text by clicking on Duplicate. • Once you are done, click on the PUBLISH button.
Additionally, if you want to get a transcript for an existing YouTube video, then you will have to:
• Open the video on the platform itself. • Click on the dots under the right sidebar to save. • Next, select “Open transcript.”
If you are having issues getting YouTube to create captions, then the audio may be of poor quality, in a language that the platform doesn’t support or is not clear enough.
4. Do it yourself
img source: freepik.com
If you have a tight budget, consider going for the DIY (do it yourself) option. The option will cost you less or none, but you will definitely have to invest much of your time.
You can use a paid or free online tool. The disadvantage of using these online tools is that it is time-consuming. Don’t forget that if you add subtitles, you must be proficient in your target foreign language to make them error-free and understandable.
Why transcribe YouTube videos?
There are several reasons why it is important to transcribe your YouTube videos. They include:
Boost your SEO
Search engines cannot crawl videos, but they can crawl texts. So without a doubt, YouTube transcriptions boost SEO, which means generating more visitors to your YouTube channel.
Improve learning
If you are creating learning or teaching tutorials, then you must add text transcripts. Text transcripts let viewers understand what you are teaching better. They are important in learning foreign languages and everyday speech.
Text transcripts are a great tool for offering learning opportunities since they allow the viewers to understand the tutorials better.
Increase engagement on the videos
Engagement is usually shown on YouTube via human actions like viewing, liking, commenting and subscribing. Adding transcriptions have been shown to increase engagement. Put simply, transcriptions grab and hold your viewer’s attention, making them watch the video content to completion.
Help with accessibility
Adding transcriptions enable hard-of-hearing and deaf users to watch and enjoy videos. That is crucial for all video publishers, but educational institutions, broadcasters, businesses, and government agencies must comply with internal policies and accessibility laws.
We are seeking a motivated candidate who is interested in pursuing a PhD on the topic of how we can use linguistically grounded methods to improve the predictions obtained from QE systems. The research to be carried out is expected to propose new methods which can be applied to automatically obtained translations. New evaluation methods could be built on recent data-driven approaches or propose alternative metrics which rely on eye-tracking or postediting effort to assess the quality. The overall research agenda will also entail applying QE to low-resource languages and efforts towards developing data for multiple language pairs. In the light of this, programming experience is essential and experience with Python, PyTorch or TensorFlow, along with previous experience in NLP is desirable.
Elle compte notamment donner de nouveaux pouvoirs au commissaire aux langues officielles.
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Le commissaire aux langues officielles, Raymond Théberge, s’est dit « très heureux » du pouvoir d’imposer des sanctions administratives pécuniaires que lui réserve le gouvernement.« Ce nouveau mécanisme permettra certainement de veiller à ce que les entités qui servent les voyageurs respectent leurs obligations linguistiques en matière de communication et de services », a-t-il indiqué dans une déclaration écrite.
Protection accrue du français
Par ailleurs, le projet de loi C-13 conférera aux travailleurs des entreprises privées de compétence fédérale du Québec, mais aussi « des régions à forte présence francophone » — qui ne sont pas encore identifiées par Ottawa —, « le droit d’effectuer leur travail et d’être supervisés en français », « le droit de recevoir toute communication et toute documentation […] en français » ainsi que « le droit d’utiliser des instruments de travail et des systèmes informatiques d’usage courant et généralisé en français ».
Les entreprises privées de compétence fédérale ne peuvent « traiter défavorablement un employé [au Québec ou dans une région à forte présence francophone] au seul motif qu’il n’a pas une connaissance suffisante d’une langue autre que le français » sauf si elles sont « capable[s] de démontrer que la connaissance de cette langue s’impose objectivement en raison de la nature du travail à accomplir par l’employé ».
Cela dit, le gouvernement fédéral compte offrir le libre choix aux entreprises privées de compétence fédérale présentes au Québec de mener « leurs communications avec les consommateurs » dans le respect du projet de loi C-13 — qui réitère que « les consommateurs au Québec ont le droit de communiquer en français avec une entreprise privée de compétence fédérale qui y exerce ses activités et de recevoir de celle-ci des services dans cette langue » — ou encore de la Charte de la langue française du Québec.
La Fédération des travailleurs et des travailleuses du Québec (FTQ) demande que tous les travailleurs, au Québec, aient « les mêmes droits ». « Et l’application de leurs droits doit relever d’un seul maître d’œuvre, soit l’Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) », affirme le secrétaire général de la FTQ, Denis Bolduc. « Laisser aux entreprises du Québec le choix du règlement — fédéral ou québécois — tel que proposé dans le projet de loi ne risque que de créer un cafouillage administratif et embourber les tribunaux », a-t-il prévenu.
« Les demandes du Québec ont été rejetées du revers de la main », a résumé le député bloquiste Mario Beaulieu.
Le Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) s’est dit « consterné » devant la création de nouveaux droits linguistiques protégeant le français au sein des entreprises de compétence fédérale au Québec, « où l’utilisation du français n’est pas menacée ». En revanche, l’OBNL constate avec satisfaction l’inclusion du financement du Programme de contestation judiciaire dans le projet de loi, y voyant « une ressource essentielle pour les Canadiens qui exercent et font progresser leurs droits à l’égalité ainsi que leurs droits linguistiques ».
Les projets de loi C-13 à Ottawa et 96 à Québec « ne doivent pas alourdir le fardeau administratif des entreprises en multipliant les contrôles et les démarches à effectuer auprès des différents ordres de gouvernement », a pour sa part souligné la Chambre de commerce du Montréal métropolitain.
Plus d’immigration francophone, plus de justice en français
La politique d’immigration du Canada « contiendra des objectifs, des cibles et des indicateurs dans le but d’augmenter l’immigration francophone hors Québec », a aussi promis Mme Petitpas Taylor, qui représente la circonscription de Moncton–Riverview–Dieppe à la Chambre des communes.
Le projet de loi C-13 prévoit aussi que « les décisions définitives des tribunaux fédéraux ayant valeur de précédent » soient simultanément diffusées en français et en anglais. Il stipule également qu’à l’instar des autres tribunaux fédéraux, la Cour suprême du Canada devra « veiller à ce que celui qui entend l’affaire […] comprenne le français sans l’aide d’un interprète lorsque les parties ont opté pour que l’affaire ait lieu en français ».
Ginette Petitpas Taylor qualifie de « préoccupante » la situation du français au pays. « Avec 8 millions de francophones au Canada, dans un océan de plus de 360 millions d’anglophones en Amérique du Nord, la protection du français mérite une attention particulière et une attention immédiate », a-t-elle soutenu à Grand-Pré mardi.
La première Acadienne à assumer les responsabilités de ministre des Langues officielles est persuadée que le projet de loi C-13 « répond aux besoins de la langue française en Amérique du Nord » de même qu’aux « défis » des anglophones au Québec sans nuire « à la réappropriation, à la revitalisation et au renforcement des langues autochtones ».
La Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne (FCFA) s’est désolée que le projet de loi n’introduise pas une obligation d’inclure des clauses linguistiques exécutoires dans les ententes fédérales-provinciales-territoriales. « On a vu, avec la signature des ententes sur le Programme national de garderies, combien rien n’est assuré quand il n’y a pas de clauses qui exigent explicitement des services équitables en français », a déclaré la présidente de la FCFA, Liane Roy, après avoir salué les « gains substantiels » pour la protection et la promotion du français au pays dans le projet de loi C-13. « Il faut féliciter la ministre Petitpas Taylor. Cela dit, certains éléments ne sont pas au point, et il faut y travailler avant de se dire “mission accomplie” », a-t-elle ajouté.
AI-based translation: what is it and how does it work?
The two things that make artificial intelligence a great proponent for use in any industry is its speed and ability to become accurate over time. These two factors are relevant in the field of translation services as well. The AI-based translation is also not particularly new since they have been embedded in our smartphones for some time now.
You can today summon Google Assistant, Siri or Alexa to do translation for you with ease. Before we further dive into their advantages, let us understand about AI translation first. An AI translation tool or AI translator is a digital tool that uses advanced artificial intelligence (usually natural language processing) to translate not only written or spoken words but also the meaning and context of a message.
These AI translators began their journey as a tool that can translate a sentence. However, they lost context or feeling and simply translated the words. The modern AI-based translation services have improved to a point where they understand the meaning and feeling of a message and are able to translate in another language without losing that meaning.
The most common approach to AI translation right now comes in the form of neural machine translation (NMT). This process involves machines learning to translate through a large neural network that is designed to mimic the human brain. The NMT produces results that are more accurate and sophisticated.
The AI-based translation process begins with data cleansing and training the AI on sector-specific topics. AI is then able to use natural language processing (NLP) to convert human language into machine language, which results in the conversion of data from unstructured text into significant data. AI-based translation is also designed to improve continuously by using machine learning, where the algorithms learn not only from the input but also from the output.
Advantages of AI-based translation
The advantages of AI-based translation can be described as consistency, continuous improvement, use of specific vocabulary and saving of time and money. These strengths have led to many organisations offering AI-based translation or hybrid translation services. Here is a detailed look at some of these advantages of AI-based translation.
Consistency and Accuracy: The translations done by AI are often consistent for each client and can also be tuned to align with the assignment and business needs. The consistency also goes along with accuracy, which AI-based translation can increase with more assignments and can even match human translators.
Continuous learning: The NMT-based AI engines used for machine translation can be continuously trained to learn from large datasets and even learn from human feedback. These AI-driven algorithms can also be made to learn from customer content or examples of other translation. Since AI’s scope to learn is endless, machine translation results generally get better with each new training dataset that the program uses to learn.
Specific vocabulary: AI-based translation can also be used to appease clients who require a specific vocabulary in their translation. The AI-based translation tool can be provided with terminology databases that allow users to manage terminology more efficiently and even organise terms with custom metadata. The AI can be trained by importing terminology with metafields or by adding new fields, which results in specificity of translation. This kind of training leads to AI-based translation that results in specialised content.
Time and money: Last but not the least important advantage of AI-based translation is its ability to save time and money. While there is a general consensus that human translators won’t be displaced, an AI-based translation can improve and learn to offer machine translation that results in easier editing. This will significantly reduce the cost and time required by human translators. For companies with limited resources, an AI-based translation offers an opportunity to scale globally.
Cons of AI-based translation
Artificial intelligence and services based on AI are limited by the fact that the technology is not fully matured. Anything going haywire with an AI program could significantly impact the product and services based on that program. Here is a look at some of the disadvantages of using an AI-based translation service.
Initial cost, time and training: The first disadvantage of an AI-based translation service is that it is not like a ready to cook meal. An AI-based program needs to be trained with large sets of data to reach a point where it can deliver high-quality results. This requires investment in the form of time, training and associated cost. While this training will pay dividends over time, the initial cost to create memory banks or terminology bases cannot be ignored.
Reliance on human translators: Even though AI-based translation will learn and improve, reliance on human translators is here to stay. It is widely believed that AI will take many years to reach a point where it can differentiate between different Spanish dialects. AI is unlikely to rival a human translator in the translation and transcreation of emotive, impactful and persuasive texts. A highly likely scenario is AI-based translation tools doing the translations and humans editing them for context and clarity.
Confidentiality and Privacy: Another problem with AI-based translation tools is data privacy and confidentiality. The free AI-based translation services are unlikely to adhere to the highest standards of data privacy and security. In order to offer anonymisation services and robust data protection, companies will need to train their AI programs and thus increase the cost mentioned earlier.
List of Cons of AI-based translation
Low level of accuracy
Inconsistency across different dialects
Inability to understand context without extensive training data
Dependent on data networks and server loads
Initial cost
Reliance on human translators
Data privacy and confidentiality
multiple languages,” the company says on its website.
With the continual increase in globalization in recent decades, the demand for translation and interpretation services has grown significantly across many industries. Professional translators and interpreters work in a variety of fields locally, and all over the world.
With the continual increase in globalization in recent decades, the demand for translation and interpretation services has grown significantly across many industries. Professional translators and interpreters work in a variety of fields locally, and all over the world.
The February 2022 issue of Translation News from the Centre of Translation Studies - CenTras (University College London) comprises very useful announcements on conferences, call for papers, seminars, webinars, workshops, courses and job vacancies
George Bernard Shaw once said, “We understand the beauty of our Mother tongue when we are abroad.” The greatest propaganda in the world is our mother tongue that is what we learn as children and which we learn unconsciously, that shapes our perception of life, which is propaganda in its extreme form.
Once again all these debates come to our mind when the world is set to celebrate International Mother Language Day on Feb21, 2022. Pandemic changed our lives. The technical support for the fundamental development of the mother language of the diverse people of the world is now a sine qua non for all projects related to language teaching. Very relevantly the Theme for 2022 is “Using technology for multilingual learning: Challenges and opportunities”, which is expected to focus on the potential role of technology to advance multilingual education and support the development of quality teaching and learning for all.
Multilingualism and diversity were encouraged during the International Year of Languages in the earlier years with the goal of promoting unity in diversity and global understanding. Although it has been a United Nations initiative since 2002, the original idea to mark the day came from Bangladeshi migrants living in Canada who successfully petitioned the then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, to take action to save languages from extinction. The efforts of the Bangladeshi people to protect their language are honoured by UNESCO which was established on February 21st asInternational Mother Language Day in 2000.
The intention of the day is to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. According to the United Nations, approximately 6,000 languages spoken across the world are at risk of extinction with a language disappearing every fortnight.
Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow. English for the Indians cannot exude that magic which the mother tongue can in spite of all the lures that the foreign language carries. We think in our mother tongue which Tagore calls ‘mother’s milk.’ Mother tongue is like mother’s milk. On the UN resolution A/RES/56/262 of 2003, the General Assembly of the UN-supported the declaration of International Mother Language Day.
In Resolution A/RES/61/266 May 16, 2007, the motive was made clear. It was to “Publicize the protection and management fo all languages in use by nations and people”. In fact, the Idea of celebration of this day was the outcome of the great turmoil in the Indian sub-continent – the cultural clash between the newly created Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan) and the existing stage of Pakistan.
Due to the declaration of Urdu as the national language in 1948, the tension among the people of Pakistan increased. The Bengali-speaking majority in East Pakistan organized many violent demonstrations as a result of the government’s decision. In early February of 1852, several students from Dhaka University held a protest together with various activist organizations. The celebration of February 21 marks the beginning of many UNESCO –run events one of which focuses on helping people learn to use their mother tongue and also on expanding their language knowledge.
To help encourage the study of languages, many governments and non-governmental organizations issue a number of policies as well. It is important to increase advancement in vernacular language teaching in order to understand the importance of the mother tongue-based education system. Many language movements occur for the preservation of the identity of a nation or people of a community. In Pandemic changed our lifestyle and there is pressure all around for digitalization. Hence technological advancement is a need for making the Mother languages grow in a better way in the days to come.
Nelson Mandela’s words are so relevant in this regard. He says, “If you talk to a man in a language that he understands, that goes to his head, if you talk to him in his language, it goes into his heart.” This is the best focus on the importance of the mother language and it explains why it is extremely needed for the growth and development of the nation. There may be diversity but the diverse growth of mother languages will strengthen the nation. Thus when in Bengal the Santhals wanted the recognition for their mother language and the government recognized it officially, it developed their growth in education and other spheres of life.
Sometimes people go over-protective about their mother language and feel an aversion to the language of other people. This happens when the South as a whole opposed Hindi when it was imposed on them. Here the problem occurred from both ends. The Hindi-speaking people wanted linguistic hegemony all over India when the majority support was for the government that is in favour of Hindi.
This is still more sensitive for the Assamese people. Assamese is needed for them for their identity in the state as the states were divided basically on the language parameters such as Assam for Assamese speaking people, Bengali for Bengali speaking people, Tamil Nadu for Tamil speaking people and so on. But when Assamese was imposed on the Bengali speaking Cachar then all the opposition and protest movements started. AASU movement created awareness among the people of Assam about the importance of the Assamese language in Assam.
Many may see the Bangal Kheda movement from a narrow-angle. But if one considers impartially, he will feel that it was chiefly anger against those Bengali people who cherished aversion to the Assamese language when it was most needed for the cultural identity as well as the political and social identity of the people of that region. Many Bengali people are still under the misconception that Assamese is derived from Bengali which Professor Suniti Chattopadhaya long ago in his lecture in the Guwahati University made clear that Assamese is a separate language and in spite of some similarities with the Bengali language of erstwhile East Pakistan (Now Bangladesh) it is totally an original language of a particular region which we now know as Assam.
Again there is intolerance found among some Assam about the Bengali language and this kind of intolerance created the language movement in Cachar. On February 5, 1961, the Cachar Gana Sangram Parishad was formed to agitate against the imposition of Assamese in the Bengali-speaking Barak Valley. That was also a movement for the mother tongue.
On 14 April, the people of Silchar, Karimganj and Hailakandi observed a Sankalpa Divas in protest against the injustice of the Assamese government. The Bengali Language Movement of Barak Valley, Assam was a protest against the decision of the Government of Assam to make Assamese the only sole official language of the state, even though knowing that a major proportion of the Barak Valley population speaks Bangla language.
In May 1961 at Silchar railway station 11 ethnic Bengalis were killed by Assam police. After the incident, the Assam government had to withdraw the circular and Bengali was ultimately given official status in the three districts of Barak Valley. Section 5 of Assam Act XVIII, 1961, safeguards the use of Bengali in the Cachar district. Thus language movements occur everywhere for the preservation of the identity of a nation or people of a community.
Under the direct supervision of NCDs Programme Manager the national UN Volunteer (Interpreter/ Translator) will undertake the following tasks: Ensuring efficient, timeliness and qualitative translation Review the documents to be translated. Translate Documents (English to Turkish; Turkish to English) Ensure efficient, timeliness and qualitative translation the usage of proper terminology (English and Turkish based on the nature of documents, accuracy in language and structure confidentiality of translated materials Proofread and edit final translated versions Provide simultaneous/consecutive/whispered interpretation services during meetings/trainings organized by WHO on various topics; Ensure simultaneous translation (with translation booth, headset and necessary system/ equipment) at project related events and workshops Perform terminology research to ensure the accuracy and appropriateness of all translations Be responsible for ensuring quality and accuracy of the entire document before submission Travels with WHO staff on their missions to the filed for interpretation and other assistance, as needed Responds to queries relating to the area of responsibility; Takes notes at meetings; takes and transcribes from dictation, recordings and handwritten drafts. Performs other duties during as required.
From health to the justice system, from the voluntary sector to sport and the arts, we all increasingly live and work in contexts where people speak more than one language.
Vacancy: Associate Professor - Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies The Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies in the School of Literature, Languages & Media Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand is seeking to make an appointment at the rank of Associate Professor to start in 2021. To apply, submit a letter of motivation - clearly indicating which position you are applying for, detailed CV and the names and contact details of three referees (incl. e-mail addresses). External applicants are invited to apply, by registering a profile on the Wits i-recruitment platform located at https://irec.wits.ac.za and submitting your application. Enquiries Only: Prof Dan Ojwang, email: Dan.Ojwang@wits.ac.za Closing Date: 26th February 2021
Provides accurate, timely and stylistically appropriate self-revised translations of political, legal and administrative texts mainly from French (and preferably Spanish or another UN language) into English;
Revises translations produced by external English translators where appropriate;
Edits English texts drafted by colleagues and Members, ensuring consistency of style and language;
Takes minutes and produces the summary records of statutory IPU meetings such as those of the Executive Committee;
La transcription consiste à convertir un fichier audio et/ou vidéo en un texte écrit de haute qualité, au moyen de technologies de reconnaissance vocale, dont le résultat brut fait ensuite l’objet d’un contrôle rédactionnel a posteriori. La transcription peut comprendre des timecodes et l’identification du locuteur.
Traduire les mots de la pandémie relève de la gageure linguistique mais souligne tous les enjeux sanitaires là où la distanciation sociale ne va pas de soi, note cet article d’un hebdomadaire sud-africain.
Traduire les mots de la pandémie relève de la gageure linguistique mais souligne tous les enjeux sanitaires là où la distanciation sociale ne va pas de soi, note cet article d’un hebdomadaire sud-africain.
Mororo moros. Corolla virus. Coro. Ce sont là quelques-uns des nombreux petits noms que l’on donne en Afrique de l’Ouest au nouveau coronavirus. Alors que l’épidémie ébranle l’Europe et les États-Unis, les gouvernements africains tentent désespérément, en multipliant les mesures de confinement et les campagnes de santé publique, d’empêcher qu’elle ne se répande chez eux aussi comme une traînée de poudre.
Mais faire passer le message à des publics qui ne parlent pas ou ne comprennent pas l’anglais [la langue officielle dans plusieurs pays d’Afrique de l’Ouest], soit la moitié de la population dans certaines zones, n’est pas tâche facile. Et en particulier leur faire comprendre que ce virus ne fait pas la distinction entre riches et pauvres.
Les mesures de prévention sont formulées dans des termes si étrangers à la culture qu’ils ne trouvent pas de traduction dans nombre de langues locales. Or trouver les mots pour que chacun mesure la gravité de la pandémie est essentiel : des millions de vies sont en jeu.
Alors Vickie Remoe, sierra-léonaise et femme de média, fondatrice d’un cabinet de marketing, s’est mise au travail à la minute même où le Ghana et le Nigeria ont annoncé leurs premiers cas de Covid-19. Elle savait que le virus ne tarderait pas à arriver dans son pays.
Quand le premier cas y a été annoncé le 31 mars, elle et son équipe avaient déjà créé des flyers et des fictions radiophoniques pour inciter la population à “Was yu an” [Wash your hand], “Dey na os” [Stay at home]et “Kip tu yusef” [Keep to yourself] – ce qui en krio
Au long de la lutte contre le coronavirus, les Français ont dû se familiariser avec un mot venu d'ailleurs: « cluster ». Quel sens donne t-on à ce terme dans ce contexte d'urgence sanitaire mondiale ?
Au long de la lutte contre le coronavirus, les Français ont dû se familiariser avec un mot venu d'ailleurs: "cluster". Le terme est cependant bien connu des scientifiques et des autorités qui lui donnent plusieurs définitions.
"Cluster dans l'Oise", "cluster dans le Morbihan", "cluster en Haute-Savoie", "cluster à Mulhouse". En ces temps de coronavirus, les clusters semblent pousser comme des champignons dans l'Hexagone. Ce terme anglais qui désigne la "grappe", le "groupe" ou encore "l'amas" renvoie dans ce contexte sanitaire à un regroupement de cas dans un territoire délimité.
Diversité de définitions
A vrai dire, les définitions sont pléthore. Santé publique France évoque tout à la fois une simple "chaîne de transmission de taille importante", et plus longuement: "Le regroupement dans le temps et l’espace de cas de maladies, de symptômes ou d’événements de santé au sein d’une population localisée est dénommé 'agrégat spatio-temporel' ou 'cluster' en anglais." Le ministère de la Santé, relayé ici, parle lui "d'un regroupement d'au moins deux cas en même temps, au même endroit", tandis que celui de l'Education nationale pointe en quelques mots un "foyer de circulation de virus".
L'anglicisme, un peu barbare à première vue, inusité du grand public, ne plaît pas à tout le monde. Pas même à "son" ministre de tutelle, Olivier Véran, qui mardi lâchait sur notre antenne: "On va arrêter de parler de cluster parce que je crois que les gens ne comprennent pas quand on parle de cluster. Je comprends parfaitement et en plus c’est un anglicisme."
Cluster et foyers
Sauf que le terme est adoubé par la communauté scientifique. "Cluster est un terme très courant chez les épidémiologistes", a ainsi noté Didier Lepelletier, coprésident du groupe de travail national au Haut Conseil à la Santé publique sur le coronavirus, auprès du site de L'Express. Les experts en ont même fait un outil. Car le cluster se distingue du "foyer", permettant ainsi une classification plus précise du péril.
En effet, si le cluster est un regroupement d'"au moins deux cas", il plafonne vite en principe. L'hebdomadaire pose ainsi qu'à partir de cinquante cas, il faut justement parler de foyer. Celui-ci a aussi reçu son contenu, comme l'a observé ici Le Télégramme, puisant dans le lexique de qui le définit de cette manière: "Une unité épidémiologique de cas pathologiques, exprimés cliniquement ou non, survenant dans un même lieu (ferme, maison…) au cours d’une période limitée de temps".
Buffeted on all fronts and criticized in the media and the House of Commons, Canada’s Translation Bureau finally responds.
At the end of our October 28, 2016 story on the continuing woes of Canada’s Translation Bureau, we mentioned that Slator had reached out to officials and was told a response was forthcoming.
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On November 10, 2016, a spokesperson from Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), the federal government’s centralized purchasing agent and overseer of the Translation Bureau, sent us their comments on issues surrounding staff attrition, outsourcing to the private sector, the procurement process for freelance conference interpretation, and the homegrown statistical machine translation system Portage.
The House of Commons study on the Translation Bureau noted its “reduced workforce,” while labor union CAPE testified before the Standing Committee on Official Languages that the TB had not hired since 2011.
“Through this inexorable attrition, about 33% or 34% of the translators have disappeared” in the last five years, said Emmanuelle Tremblay, president of CAPE, which stands for Canadian Association of Professional Employees and counts TB staff among its members.
However, the PSPC spokesperson said language professionals at the bureau had actually decreased by 19.4%, not 33–34%, across five years. Even overall reduction (including non-language staff) posted a lower figure, 25.7%.
The PSPC representative said attrition impacts all employees and not just language professionals like translators, terminologists, and interpreters, adding that “over the past five years, as part of the Bureau’s effort to modernize its services, its workforce has decreased from 1,746 employees (March 31, 2012) to 1,297 employees (March 31, 2016).”
Outsourcing
The TB has also been criticized for outsourcing translations to the private sector to the detriment of staff linguists and the quality of the bureau’s output. Said Tremblay before the House committee, “The uneven quality of the freelancers also means that our members now have to correct the mistakes made outside. That ends up costing the bureau a great deal and forces our members to salvage the institution’s reputation by doing revisions for which they are often not adequately compensated.”
According to the PSPC spokesperson, the TB outsources only to “accredited, professional, and experienced” freelancers. And, furthermore, that “outsourcing is done mainly through a Supply Arrangement in a directory containing a mix of qualified freelancers and language service providers. Outsourced texts go through a quality control process by Translation Bureau language professionals before being delivered to a client.”
Additionally, the PSPC representative said, the TB runs a mandatory in-house accreditation process for all freelance interpreters, which entails a series of rigorous exams adjudicated by a jury of senior interpreters from the bureau’s staff.
Outsourced texts go through a quality control process by Translation Bureau language professionals before being delivered to a client—PSPC representative
Asked what portion of the 354 million words translated by the TB per year (mentioned by its former CEO Donna Achimov at another committee meeting) is outsourced to the private sector, the PSPC representative replied that, from 2015–2016, they outsourced 39% of the volume translated for government departments and agencies and 18% of the volume for parliament.
The PSPC spokesperson said, however, interpretation was handled differently in that the level of outsourcing varies by target audience. In its visual interpretation program for people with disabilities, for instance, services are completely outsourced.
But for conference interpretation (e.g., international summits, talks between heads of state), approximately 70% of services are outsourced. As for parliamentary interpretation, it is mainly done in-house, with only some 30% of the work outsourced.
Vetting
In September 2016, we wrote about how the TB’s new vetting system for conference interpreters was criticized by a number of freelancers. According to the PSPC spokesperson, “The new method of supply for conference interpretation services is a result of recommendations made by the Office of the Procurement Ombudsman in 2014” based on a three-point rationale: increase transparency in the procurement process, put fair contract mechanisms in place, and reduce the administrative burden.
The criteria used for selecting suppliers was developed in consult with the industry, said the spokesperson and, “to ensure that the greatest number of suppliers can respond to the Request for Standing Offer,” the deadline has been pushed back to January 23, 2017.
Portage
As covered by Slator back in February and March 2016, Canada’s homegrown statistical machine translation engine, Portage, drew much flak from linguists who depend on the TB for their livelihood.
This behooved the bureau to repeatedly emphasize that Portage was designed to translate only short, internal non-official text, such e-mail and memos. Officials explained the engine was only meant as a reference of sorts and not intended to replace humans.
Asked how Portage is now deployed, the PSPC spokesperson referred to it as a Language Comprehension Tool and explained that, when a government employee queries Portage, “the engine uses algorithms to create a word string in the other official language.” All sentence pairs generated, both original and translated, are then stocked in a database for future revision.
Portage was designed to translate only short, internal non-official text
“When enough content volumes are entered into the tool, the Translation Bureau does an en-bloc revision of the pairs of sentences produced,” explained the spokesperson. The revisions are then forwarded to the National Research Council Canada, which “retrains the engine” using the revised content to improve output.
The PSPC rep added, “The frequency at which revision cycles are triggered depends on the volume of text processed by the tool and internal revision capacity,” adding that Portage “now resides in the secure, internal Government of Canada network.”
A disclaimer was also added to Portage advising users against running anything through it other than texts unclassified by the Canadian government.
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