AdaCATT: Adaptive Computer-Assisted Translation Training

This project aims to develop and evaluate an adaptive electronic learning environment for translation trainees, suggesting translation tasks which take previous knowledge, interests and objectives of the learner into account and focus on potentially problematic translation units for the individual learner. The learning environment will support the learner in his translation task by suggesting (semi-)automated feedback and will be developed for the language combinations English > Dutch and French > Dutch.

The project consists of 4 parts:

1) Development of a detailed error typology, based on a literature study, in-depth surveys and learner’s corpora.

2) Creation of a corpus that can detect and classify potentially problematic translation units and generate translation suggestions in order to support the student during the translation task. The corpus will be developed on the basis of existing parallel corpora and new text material from translators and translation students.

3) Educational-technological study: design of the adaptive learning environment, inspired by similar environments in second and foreign language acquisition.

4) Effectiveness measurement: evaluation of the adaptive learning environment.