MACHINE TRANSLATION PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83M00171R001800120014-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 17
• Document Creation Date: January 4, 2017
• Document Release Date: December 14, 2001
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: December 12, 1975
• Content Type: PAPER

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MACHINE TRANSLATION, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
PROFESSOR LOH SH I U-CMANG, PH. D., FRCS,.F 1 P, FRSA,
THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
Important note
The attached paper "MACHINE TRANSLATION, PAST, PRESENT AND
FUTURE" is a direct translation in English by computer of a paper
originally written in Chinese. The English translation is reproduced
here, without any alterations, from the computer print-out,
EXPERT GROUP MEETING
ECONOMIC'AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
BANGKOK
8-12 DECEMBER 1975.
* This background paper has been prepared by Professor LOHSHIU-CHANG,
PH.D., FRCS, FIP, FRSA, Chinese University of Hong.Kong. The views
expressed In this paper, which is presented In Its original form, are
those of. the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the
.. P oacristariat or of the United Nations.
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THE NEED FOR MACHINE 2RAXMTION
THE RATE AT WHICH MAN HAS CON IN 1Q BEST 'ACCUMULATING USEFUL KNOWLEDGE
ABOUT HIMSELF AND THE ENVIRONMENT HAS ACCELERATED-?GREATLY, PARTICULARLY.DURING
TEE LAST 100 YEARS. THERE ARE MANY REASONS FOR THIS INCREASE : TRfRE ARE MORE
SCIENTISTS TO-DAY T EVER BEFORE, SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IS tECEIVING
SUBSTANTIAL GRANTS AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM OOVERN1NT AND YNDUSTRY, THE COLD
WAR HAS RESULTED IN A COMPETITIVE ATMOSPHERE IN WHICH NATIONS ARE ENDEAVOURING
FOR MILITARY AND OLOGICAL SUPPD(ACY, ETC.
BY THE MOST CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATES, EUROPE WAS PUBLISHING 1000 NEW BOOKS
PER YEAR BEFORE 1500. BY 1950, FOUR AND A HALF CENTURIES LATER, THE RATE
HAS ACCELERATED SO SHARPLY THAT EUROPE WAS PUBLISHING 120,000 NEW BOOKS
PER YEAR. BY THE MID-SEVENTIES, THE PUBLICATION OF BOOKS ON A WORLD SCALE,
EUROPE INCLUDED, REACHED THE FIGURE OF APPROXIMATELY 1,500 NEW IKOKS.PER DAY.
THERE ARE MORE SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES IN EXISTENCE TODAY THAN EVER BEFORE,
AND THESE SOCIETIES ARE HOLDING MORE M TINGE , CONVENTIONS AND SEITIINARS ,
AND PUBLISH MORE JOURNALS AND PROCEEDINGS THAN EVER BEFORE. THE FIRST TWO
SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS APPEARED 300 YEARS ADO. IN 1958, THE NW ZR OF RESPONSIBLE
TECHNICAL JOURNALS APPROACHED 100,000: THERE ARE NOW FOUR MILLION JOURNAL
ARTICLES, 120,000 TECHNICAL BO KS AND 100,000 TECHNICAL REPORTS BEING PUBLISHED
ANNUALLY. (ON A WORLDWIDE BASIS APPROXIMA LY 60,000,000 PAGES EVERY YEARS
AND THIS RATE OF PUBLICATIONS IS INCREASING EVERY YEAR. TO-DAY, FOR EXAMPLE,
THE NUMBER OF SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL JOURNALS AND ARTICLES IS DOUBLING,
LIKE INDUSTRIAL PROWCPION IN THE INWSTRIALISED =10TRIES, ABOUT EVERY FIFTEEN
YEARS.
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H O W E V N i , W E C ARM " A T EVERY HOOK. XS A ;6 `FOR THE? AD1VA1NC29 NT OF
KNOWLEDGE. NEV',R83 ,ES8, IT IS TRUE THAT TER ACC RAT. ON RATE OF BOM
PUBLICATION IS, IN FACT, PARALLEL TO THE BATE AT ma MAN DIS .11il FISH M.
Kam.
THE RESOII2 OF ALL THESE PUBLICATION ACTIVITIES IS THAT ,INDIVIDRIAL
SCIENTIST IS STRUGGLING IN AN OCEAN OF INFORMATION AND I8 ENDRAVOUBING TO SEEK
THE INFORMATION - HE NEEDS. FURTHERNARE, ALL JOURNALS AND NOOKS ARE PUBLISHED IN
DIET NATIONAL LANGUAGES, BECAUSE 80 ONE COUNTRY' CAN WKWOLIZE mm
DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. THEN, HOW CAN. T, E SCIENTIST OF ONE
COUNTRY BE FAMILIAR WITH THE SCIENTIFIC. AND TECHNOLOGICAL D VMPIjENTS AND
RESEARCH FINDINGS TAKING PLACE IN OTHER COUNTRIES ? SHOULD WE INSIST TEAT
THE SCIENTIST BE ABLE TO READ ONE, TWO, OR MORE FOREXON LANGUAGES,. SO HE
CAN READ THE CURRENT LITERATURE RELATING TO HIS OWN FIELD, TO SEARCH TI
LITERATURE - ACCUMULATED IN THE PAST, AND TO BE MADE AWARE OF WUM REXAM TO
HIS FIELD 80 THAT HE CAN PROCEED CONFIDENTLY IN HIS WORK TO AVOID UNI MMONAL
DUPLICATION.
THE SO-CALLED " INFORMATION EXPLOSION " HAS ARRIVED. SUITABLE WAYS .ITT
BE ESTABLISHED TO ASSIST THE SCIENTIST AND RESEARCH WORKER TO READ CURRENT
LITBRATLRtE IN THE FIELD RELATING TO HIS WORK, TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE AMONG PEOPLE.
AND AMONG NATIONS. I BELIEVE THAT MACHINE TRANSLATION OFFM'THE ONLY REALISTIC
SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM WE ARM FACING. A GREAT DEAL OF TIRE AND RESOURCES COULD
BE SAVED IF DUPLICATION OF RESEARCH EFFORT WERE TO BE ELIMINATED, OR AT LEAST
REDUCED TO A MINIMUM BY MUTUAL REPORTING OF PROGRESS AND EXCHANGING IDEAS. TO
WORK OF SCIENTISTS SPEAKING DIrP'Ezi 1 LANGUAGES CAN BE ACCELERATED BY LXAMrM
WHAT SCIENTISTS IN OTHER CM MUMS ARE DOING, THEIR AC IEVEMENTS AND FAIUIRE,
AND THEY CAN PLAN A BETT'E'R COURSE OF ACTION TO SOLVE THEIR OWN PROBLEMS. THE,
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ONLY MEANS BY WHICH THESE SCIENTISTI CAN COMMUNICATE WITH EACH 00M IS -BY
PUBLISHING PAPERS OUTLINING THE METHOD USED AND .;THE RESULTS = OBTAIINED, AND
THESE PAPERS HAVE TO BE TRANSLATED BEFORE THEY BECOME UNDEiiBTANbABLE TO THE
OTHER SCIENTISIS. AUTOMATIC TRANSLATION IS DEFINI'2ELY NEEDED SINCE HUMM
TRANSLATORS' CANNOT POSSIBLY 'HANDLE THE VOLUME OF WORK OR EVEN HOPE TO' ACQUIRE
THE SPECIAL VOCABULARY TO MAKE GOOD TRANSLATIONS IN A WIDE RANGE OF TECHNICAL
AUTOMATIC TRANSLATION CAN NOT BE PERFECT. WHETHER IT COULD EVEN BE HIGH
QUALITY OR NOT IS DEPENDENT ON HOW HIGH THE STANDARDS ARE SET. THE IMMEDIATE
GOAL IS NOT TO DESIGN A PERFECT AUTOMATIC TRANSLATION SYSTEM OR TO ACHIEVE HIGH
QUALITY MACHINE TRANSLATION, BUT TO DESIGN A MACHINE TRANSLATION SYSTEM THAT IS
BETTER AND MORE EFFICIENT THAN THE ONES WE HAVE TO-DAY.
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THE BU?QBI OI. THAT .)bD . COMPtfl NG MA $ :alb i
TRANSLATION ORIGINATED FROM A. D. BOOTH.. IN 1944 VARIOUS MW t
AUTOMATIC --DIGITAL CO1eV WERE BEtNO CONS . THESE A PPLIC01Ot RANMD
FROM TO ROSE OBVIOUS APPLICA' TC TO PROBLEM -MAT TICS _AW : IY$ICS,. TO
PHILOSOPHICAL PROBLEM SUCH AS MECRWZATION OF SUM TEOtfl T PAOCESSSS,,. .
PLAYING OF GAMES AND THE TRANSLATION OF LANGUAGE. AT THIS EARLY STACM OF
AUTO A'1'IC TRA LATI ?, MOST OF TEE RESEARCH WORK. DONE IN AMERICA WAS YOCUM
ON - G 1AN INTO ENGLISH, LE IN RUSSIA, THE!' FOCUSED ON GM",UM RUSSIAN.
THIS WAS- PROABLY' BECA1 Z GERMANY HAD DE ELOPE7 Y M ADVANCE TECHN LOGY DU=G
WORLD WAR II. Ham; AT TION WAS SOON DID TOWARDS Rt EAR-?Ej0U8#:
TRANSLATION IN AMMICA. WITH R)MUM TO THE AUTOMATIC TRANSLATION OF *-
RU SIA HAD SP M A LOT OF TIME AND RESOURCES IN ThIS R CT B ~ aI gAy Et * fix` 4eo- ~i,-.
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