The Department of Modern and Classical Languages (MCLS), in Kent State University’s College of Arts and Sciences, recently hosted the Second MEMENTO Boot Camp 2019 – a one-month research camp gathering 20 interdisciplinary researchers from 10 countries and regions, who worked together on the innovative translation research project: ‘Modelling Parameters of Cognitive Efforts in Translation Production’. The camp was sponsored by the Center for Research and Innovation in Translation and Technology (CRITT) at Kent State. The first boot camp, in summer 2018, was hosted by the University of Macau (China). The next bootcamp is planned to take place in Summer 2020 at Gutenberg University in Germersheim, Germany.
To learn more about the consortium and their project, visit: https://sites.google.com/site/centretranslationinnovation/projects/myrg
Five Kent State students participated in the camp in addition to 15 researchers from China, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Belgium, Ireland, England, Germany, and New Zealand. The researchers are investigating cognitive aspects of the translating mind grounded in empirical evidence. Emerging hypothesis and models are validated through a broad range of parameters using various approaches and tools, including a corpus-based approach (large collections of “real life” language stored in computerized databases), keylogging (studying keystrokes made by a computer user), eye tracking, and neuroimaging.
Participants included researchers from different fields of expertise, including translation studies, psychology, linguistics and psycholinguists, as well as computer science students with an interest in machine learning, data analytics and artificial intelligence.
During the camp, participants updated each other on state-of-the-art research tools, explored and developed new research methodologies, and identified and resolved technical issues. The boot camp ended on August 9 where participants presented the outcome of their four weeks intensive work.
The boot camp was organized locally by Dr. Michael Carl, a professor in MCLS and director of the Center for Research and Innovation in Translation and Translation Technology (CRITT) who joined Kent State in 2018. His research interests include the investigation of human translation processes and how advanced computer tools (such as machine translation) can fruitfully complement and support human (translation) activities. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Sciences from the Saarland University in Germany and previously served as a professor at the Copenhagen Business School in Denmark and at Renmin University of China.
2021 UPDATE:
The boot camp has resulted in a book on "Explorations in Empirical Translation Process Research" which is now available and online. It contains chapters from Kent State translation students Haruka Ogawa, Devin Gilbert, Samar Almazroei, as well as faculty Dr. Isabel Lacruz and Dr. Michael Carl and several students who participated in this boot camp.
The book can be downloaded from the Springer link:
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-69777-8
About CRITT
The primary goal of the research carried out at the Center for Research and Innovation in Translation and Translation Technology (CRITT) is to build up new knowledge of translation and communication processes and provide a basis for technological innovation in this field. The center is home to a lab space in Satterfield Hall with access to two types of eye tracking software.
For more information about Dr. Carl and CRITT's activities, visit the CRITT website: https://sites.google.com/site/centretranslationinnovation/home.
# # #
Media Contacts:
Michael Carl, mcarl6@kent.edu, 330-672-4009
Jim Maxwell, jmaxwel2@kent.edu, 330-672-8028