Unit Seven Machine Translation

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Unit Seven Machine Translation

• Text A

Tongues of The Web
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?. Objectives

• Students will be able to
• 1.grasp the main idea and structure of the text
• 2.have a general idea of the latest development
  of MT
• 3.appreciate the writing skills employed in the
  text
• 4. conduct a series of activities skills
  focused reading and writing
• skills integrated speaking and listening

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II Time Allotment
periods content
1st 2nd Pre-reading While reading (Parts1-2)
3rd 4th While reading (Parts 3-4) Post reading
5th Practical exercise book IV Theme-Related Language learning tasks

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III. Pre-reading tasks
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1. Ask students to answer some questions as
warm-up exercises

• a. Do you often surf on Internet?
• b.What do you usually do when you go on Internet?

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2. Discuss in class what are the positive
aspects and negative aspects of surfing on
Internet?
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3. Divide the whole class into two sides
(positive side and negative side) and hold a
debate

• Positive Side People should be encouraged to
  go on Internet.
• Negative Side Some restrictions should be made
  to prevent people, especially university
  students, from surfing on Internet. (Some words
  for reference latest information, exchange,
  different cultures, relaxation, erotic content,
  virus, )

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IV. While-reading tasks

• 1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of
  MT?
• 2. What does the title of the text mean? Ask
  several Ss to paraphrase it.
• 3. T tells Ss some related background
  information.
• 4. T helps Ss analyze the organization of the
  text.
• 5. T explains some of the language points and
  has Ss to prepare for the others.
• 6. T asks Ss to paraphrase some difficult
  language points.

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Cultural Notes
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1). Rockefeller Foundation

• An Introduction of Rockefeller Foundation
• The year was 1913. The United States, as a
  nation, was 137 years old. Woodrow Wilson was
  inaugurated as the 28th president. The 16th
  amendment was passed, creating the federal income
  tax. Richard Nixon was born. Willa Cather
  published O Pioneers! and John Singer Sargent
  painted Portrait of Henry James. Vitamin A was
  first isolated and Niels Bohr formulated his
  theory of atomic structure. J. Pierpont Morgan
  died, Grand Central Station opened, the
  Philadelphia Athletics beat the New York

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• Giants in the World Series, and World War I was
  imminent. And in 1913 the work of the
  Rockefeller Foundation began. During the emerging
  years, scientists and scholars worked to solve
  many of the worlds and the countrys ills. Plagues
  such as hookworm and malaria have been brought
  under control food production for the hungry in
  many parts of the world has been increased and
  the mind, heart, and spirit have been lifted by
  the work of Foundation-assisted artists, writers,
  dancers, and composers. But other plagues
  continue World hunger persists, particularly in
  Africa, as the imbalance among food, health, and
  growing populations threatens many countries, and
  in America the problems of cities

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• and schools demand attention. The tasks of today
  are as vital and daunting as they were when John
  Davison Rockefellers foundation formally came
  into being. His bent for philanthropy began early
  in life. In his teens, from sums earned in his
  first job, he allotted money for his Sunday
  school and other activities of his Baptist
  church. By 1860 Rockefellers philanthropy
  included regular contributions to churches,
  Sunday schools, and an orphanage.

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• As his personal wealth grew, Rockefellers
  interest in philanthropy increased. He was
  impressed in 1889 by an essay written by Andrew
  Carnegie and titled The Gospel of Wealth. The day
  is not far distant, Carnegie said, when the man
  who dies leaving behind him millions of available
  wealth, which was free for him to administer
  during life, will pass away unwept, unhonored,
  and unsung. Rockefeller wrote a letter to
  Carnegie I would that more men of wealth were
  doing as you are doing with your money but, be
  assured, your example will bear fruits, and the
  time will come when men of wealth will more
  generally be willing to use it for the good of
  others. In the same year 1889 Rockefeller began
  his philanthropic work in

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• earnest, making the first of what would become
  35 million in gifts, over a period of two
  decades, to found the University of Chicago. In
  1901 he established the Rockefeller Institute for
  Medical Research, now Rockefeller University. In
  1903 he created the General Education Board at an
  ultimate cost of 129 million to promote
  education in the United States without
  distinction of sex, race, or creed.

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• In 1909 he established the Rockefeller Sanitary
  Commission for Eradication of Hookworm Disease to
  cure and prevent the disease, particularly in the
  southern United States. Rockefeller was prepared
  to begin the Rockefeller Foundation in 1909, even
  signing a deed of trust to turn over 72,569
  shares of Standard Oil of New Jersey stock worth
  50 million. But delays and difficulties in
  seeking a federal charter for the Foundation,
  desired by Rockefeller though never obtained,
  resulted in a lapse until 1913, when the
  Foundation was officially incorporated in the
  state of New York. Since its inception the
  Rockefeller Foundation has given more than 2
  billion to thousands of grantees worldwide and
  has assisted directly in the training of nearly
  13,000 Rockefeller Foundation Fellows. In the
  chronology that follows, we highlight the work of
  these men and women who have brought the work of
  the Rockefeller Foundation to life.

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2). IBM IDC

• The character of a company -- the stamp it puts
  on its products, services and the marketplace --
  is shaped and defined over time. It evolves. It
  deepens. It is expressed in an ever-changing
  corporate culture, in transformational
  strategies, and in new and compelling offerings
  for customers. IBM's character has been formed
  over nearly 100 years of doing business in the
  field of information-handling. Nearly all of the
  company's products were designed and developed to
  record, process, communicate, store and retrieve
   information -- from its first scales,

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• tabulators and clocks to today's powerful
  computers and vast global networks. IBM helped
  pioneer information technology over the years,
  and it stands today at the forefront of a
  worldwide industry that is revolutionizing the
  way in which enterprises, organizations and
  people operate and thrive. The pace of change in
  that industry, of course, is accelerating, and
  its scope and impact are widening. In these
  pages, you can trace that change from the
  earliest antecedents of IBM, to the most recent
  developments. You can scan the entire IBM
  continuum

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• from the 19th century to the 21st or pinpoint --
  year-by year or decade-by-decade -- the key
  events that have led to the IBM of today. We hope
  that you enjoy this unique look back at the
  highly textured history of the International
  Business Machines Corporation.

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• This IDC study presents a competitive market map
  for the business analytics (BA) software market
  based on the end-of-year 2002 results. The market
  map and its methodology are introduced as a tool
  for evaluating the competitive positioning of
  software vendors in an increasingly complex
  market. Although we used end-of-year 2002 data
  (the most recent available full-year data), this
  study will be updated by the end of May 2004 with
  full-year 2003 vendor performance results.
  Therefore, the primary purpose of this study is
  to introduce the tool and methodology in advance
  of the 2003 full-year results. "The business
  analytics software market continues to mature

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• and has attracted vendors from different segments
  of the overall software market. To evaluate the
  market landscape, IDC introduces the competitive
  market map as a quantitative tool based on the
  following four variables size, scope, momentum,
  and dependence of business analytics software."
  Dan Vesset, research manager, Analytics and Data
  Warehousing

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Babel

• AltaVista - Babel Fish Translation

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2. The structure of the text

• Part One Paras1-3
• Main idea An brief introduction to MT.
• Part Two Paras4-8
• Main ideaThe chronological development of MT
• Part Three Paras9-12
• Main idea The need for MT and its current state 

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3. Have Ss paraphrase some difficult sentences

• 1) Since its has suffered from exaggerated
  claims and impossible expectations.(Para1)
• 2) It does so because both the difficulty of
  getting computers to understand human languages,
  and the high expectations that must be met if MT
  is to be taken seriously.(Para2)

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4. T explains some key and active language
points
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1). a short in the arm sth. that boosts ones
spirits or encourages, esp. in a difficult
situation

• Example
• The new measure taken by the government was a
  real short in the arm for the local economy.

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2). transmit pass along(news or information)
send an electronic signal, radio, television
broadcast, or disease etc.

• Examples
• Water transmits sound better than air.
• Insects can transmit disease.
• trans- This prefix means changing or moving.

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• transform ---- to change in form
• transplant ---- to move (a plant) from one place
  and plant it in another
• transport---- to carry (goods or people etc.)from
  one place to another
• transact---- to carry (a piece of business, etc.)
  through to an agreement
• transition---- to change or pass from one state,
  subject or place to another

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3). lay out plan in detail, provide (a detailed
plan or design) spread out or arrange

• Examples
• The architect laid out the interior of the
  building.
• His dinner jacket was already laid out on the
  bed.
• Some phases with lay
• lay down to put down (tools, arms etc.) begin
  to build or state firmly
• lay off to stop employing

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• lay over to make a short stay (usu. at an
  airport) before continuing a journey
• lay up (usu. Pass. ) to cause to be kept indoors
  or in bed with an illness

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4). be (well) along toward go in the direction
of, come near

• Example The talk is well along toward reaching
  an agreement on the border dispute between the
  two countries.

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5). dry up disappear as if by draining or
cutting off a source of a supply

• Examples
• The streams dry up in the summer.
• The separation of many years has dried up their
  intimacy.

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6). revival the coming again into activity and
prominence (followed by of )

• Example
• There has been a revival of interest in the
  fashions of the 1930s.
• v. revive

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7). spur urge or incite to act (used in the
patterns spur sth. spur (on) sb. to do sth.
spur sb. into sth./doing sth.

• Example
• He spurred on his team to try harder.

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8). analysis (pl. analyses) work done to find
facts and solutions to problems

• Example
• The analysis of the samples on the murder spot
  showed some valuable clues to the police.
• v. analyze

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9). databases a large collection of information
that is stored in a computer system in such a way
that it can easily be found by a computer user

• Examples
• We are linked to the online database at our head
  office.

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10). output information or data produced by a
computer an amount produced or manufactured

• Examples
• The output of the factory this year is four times
  that in 2000.
• An assessment of the Welfare System would involve
  careful study of its inputs and outputs.

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11). elaborate carefully worked out and rich in
detail very detailed and complicated

• Examples
• They are making the most elaborate preparations
  for the wedding.
• He came out with such an elaborate excuse that I
  didn't quite believe him.
• cf collaborate

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12). highlight v. emphasize, make important

• Examples
• The report on the accident highlights the need
  for considerable improvements in safety.
• Could you read through this for me and highlight
  the important points?

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highlight n. the best or most exciting,
entertaining, orinteresting part

• Examples
• The highlight of our trip to New York was going
  to the top of the Empire State Building.
• Youll be able to see the highlights of the TV
  series in a one-hour special on Christmas Day.

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13). scramble mix or throw together haphazardly
move or climb quickly but with difficulty,
often using the hands

• Examples
• We had scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast.
• She scrambled up the steep hillside and over the
  rocks.

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14). whereas but compared with the fact that

• Example
• He must be about sixty, whereas his wife looks
  about thirty.

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15). partial not complete or whole

• Examples
• He made a partial recovery, but he was never able
  to walk properly after the accident.
• Opp. impartial

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5. T asks Ss to prepare the following words and
expressions in advance.

• 1) anonymous (n. anonymity)
• 2) storage
• 3) on the face of it
• 4) go back to
• 5) memorandum (memo)
• 6) automatic

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• 7) collaboration
• 8) better than none/nothing
• 9) multinational
• 10) intermediate
• 11) symbolic
• 12) plug
• 13) multiple
• 14) particle

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6. Practice

• 1. Cholera is __________ through contaminated
  water
• A. transferred B. transmitted C. transported
  D. transacted
• 2.  The company has signed (a) ________ of
  understanding with a group of investors to sell
  its steel operations.
• A. memoirs B. memento C. memorial D.
  memorandum
• 3.  Most of Manhattan is _________ in a grid
  pattern with avenues of going north-south and
  streets east-west.
• A. laid down B. laid out C. laid off
  D. laid up
• 4.The two playwrights worked in close _________
  with each other on the script.
• A. operation B. colleague C. collaboration D.
  connection

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• 5. With cheaper PC software and wider access to
  the Internet , there has undoubtedly an _______
  growth in the use of MT.
• A.unprocessed B.unperceived
• C.unprecedented D. unperturbed
• 6. Recently there has been some __________ of
  interest in ancient music.
• A. revival B. revision C. reversion
  D. reverse
• 7. Many shops cut prices just before Christmas in
  an attempt to ________ sales.
• A. spurn B. spurt C. spur D. sputter
• 8.  Radio Two plans to double its daily news ____
  from next month. A. output B. outrage
  C.outspread D. outcome
• 9. He came out with such (a)n ____ excuse that I
  didnt quite believe him.
• A. cooperative B. elaborate C. collaborated
  D. evaporated
• 10.  Its about time we ____ the organization of
  this company.

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• A.demonstrated B.demoralized
• C.demotivated D.democratized
• 11.   What the person does next is the result of
  the ________ influences to which they have been
  exposed.
• A. multilingual B. multiple C. multilateral
  D. multinational
• 12.   The report on the accident ___________ the
  need for considerable improvements in safety.
• A. highballs B. highlights C. hightails
  D. hijacks
• 13.   He came to the party dressed in a yellow
  suit and a pink bow tie, which caused great
  ________ among the other guests.
• A. confusion B. congestion C. hilarity
  D. enthusiasm
• 14.   Bad weather _________ the air schedule, and
  a lot of passengers are allocated to hotels
• around waiting for new information.
• A. bothered B. scrambled C. interfered
  D. troubled
• 15.   He must be about sixty, ________ his wife
  looks about thirty. A. whereas whereby C.
  wherein D. whereupon

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• 16.   The food decays easily. It is
  important to store these ________ food in cool
  places.
• A. available B. breakable C. valuable
  D. perishable
• 17.   ________ news coverage is quite hard to
  find as quite a few news companies are financed
  by particular interests.
• A. Immoral B. Impartial C. Immortal D.
  Impassive
• 18.   There is a wide __________ of opinions on
  the question of unilateral disarmament.
• A. diversity B. involvement C. database
  D. analysis
• 19.   Ive wired up the stereo system, but I
  havent _______ the speaker in yet.
• A. placed B. inserted C. plugged D.
  bolted
• 20.   A(n) _______ of seven years work revealed
  errors and inconsistencies.
• A. output B. analogy C. collaboration
  D. analysis

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• 21.   Very correctly, she was handing out the
  polite but casual _____ due to a new neighbor who
  had rendered her small service.
• A. hostility B. hospitality C. submission
  D. indifference
• 22.   Were linked to the online ________ at our
  head office.
• A. website B. database C. logo D.
  datemark
• 23.   He is ______ one of the worlds finest
  football players.
• A. arguably B. unintentionally C. colloquially
  D. partially
• 24.   She wouldnt give me the slightest ________
  of information about what shed been doing.
• A. part B. party C. particle D.
  partition
• 25.   I didnt have much _______ into the
  project, which resulted in bad consequences.
• A. output B. input C. putout D.
  putdown

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• 26.   Environmentalists are doing everything
  within their power to ______the impact of the oil
  spill.
• A. maximize B. minimize C. lower D.
  miniaturize
• 27.   Their team _______ to the top of the League
  after their three years efforts.
• A. rocketed B. bolstered C. blustered
  D. boomed
• 28.   English, maths and science are compulsory
  for all students, but art and music are ________.
• A. available B. acquirable C. optional
  B. optical
• 29.   Dictators like him rarely go ________
  without a fight.
• A. back on B. for C. off D. down
• 30.   This fundamental idea immediately found its
  way into mans speech, which ____ became filled
  with words and idioms expressing it.
• A. henceforth B. nevertheless C.
  whatsoever D. whereby
• 31.   What ________ do you use when judging the
  quality of a students work?
• A. standard B. norm C. appraisal D.
  criterion

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• 32.   As a revenge, the government has ordered
  the immediate __________ of exports to that
  country.
• A. inspiration B. expiration C.
  cancellation D. suspension
• 33.   Susans success in winning the first prize
  ________ the other girls jealousy and they
  viciously spread a rnmor that she was cheating in
  the exam.
• A. concurred B. recurred C. incurred
  D. occurred
• 34.  The computer program isnt ____ with this
  operating system.
• A. comparable B. compatible C. compactable
  D. computable
• 35.   There is a growing ______ that this country
  can no longer afford to be a nuclear power.
• A. recognition B. acclamation C. evaluation D.
  recommendation
• 36.   He sees himself as being _________ economic
  reform.
• A. on the face of B. well
  above
• C. well along toward D. in the
  vanguard of
• 37.The concert was a good one, but because of bad
  __very few people came.A.publishing B.publicity
  C. highlights D. advertiser

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• 38. There was much ____ before the family would
  agree to my suggestion.
• A. unanimity B. controversy C. conspiracy
  D. anticipation
• 39.  You must ___ with the library rule, or else
  you will be fined.
• A. abide B. stick C. conform D.
  comply
• 40. No matter what the teacher said, he still __
  tenaciously to his opinion. A. persisted B.
  insisted C. clung D. persevered
• 41.At the moment there is a (n) ____lack of
  enthusiasm in her musical performance.
• A. extinct B. instinct C. distinct D.
  intact
• 42.Congress is considering measures to ____the
  sale of cigarettes.
• A. restrict B. enchant C. promote D.
  retract
• 43.I know him well and have some___about the
  truth of his story.
• A. reservations B. conservations C. preservations
  D. desperations
• 44.The man standing over there is the composer
  who will __________ the orchestra at tonights
  concert.
• A. control B. manipulate C. operate D.
  conduct

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• 45.   Do you think he is ________ in making that
  remark?
• A. reasoned B. rationalized C. justified
  D. identified
• 46.   The constitution is no longer ________ as a
  system of private rights and legislation is now
  regarded as a dynamic, not an interpretative
  process.
• A. contrived B. conceived C. contracted
  D. contributed
• 47.The new job _______ selling and setting up
  sale conferences.
• A. retails B. entails C. details D.
  pintails
• 48. Half the people questioned said they were
  opposed to military _______ in the civil war.
• A. interference B. interpretation C. intrusion
  D. intervention
• 49. The campaign of violence and ____ against
  them intensifies daily.A. intimation B.
  intoxication C. intimidation D. intrusion
• 50.   His face _________ with bitterness and
  rage.
• A. contorted B. extorted C. presorted
  D. retorted
• 51.The missionaries____the teaching of
  Christianity throughout the islands. A.
  dispatched B.apprised C. discharged D. preached

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• 52.  In buying an apartment, a difference of ten
  cents in prices is _____. A. negligible B.
  infallible C. doubtful D. innumerable
• 53. Cheer up! It is stupid to ______ over the
  lost opportunity all the time. A. rejoice B.
  brood C. dwell D. conceive
• 54.   The lighting of the Olympic torch ________
  peace and friendship among the nations of the
  world.
• A. expresses B. predicts C. means D.
  symbolizes
• 55.   Two men _________ him with weapons and
  forced him to give up his money.
• A. blackmailed B. menaced C. conquered
  D. eliminated
• 56.   Dont be so __________ to be taken by their
  lies.
• A. merciful B. malignant C. ingenuous
  D. obscene
• 57.   There is no evidence to think that the
  _________ that the phone call was made by the
  defendant is correct.
• A. resumption B. consumption C. supposition D.
  consideration
• 58.   The dress will not __________ the years as
  my velvet will.
• A. stand up to B. live up to C. come up
  to D. face up to
• Key

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Keys

• 1-5 BDBCC 6-10 ACABD
  11-15 BBCBA
• 16-20 DBACA 21-25 BBACB 26-30
  BACDA
• 31-35 DDCBA 36-40 DBBAC 41-45
  CAADC
• 46-50 BBDCA 51-55 BABDB 56-58
  CCA

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4. Writing Skills Employed in the Text

• 1. How to write a chronological development of a
  thing or an event.(pay attention to time
  indicators)
• 2. How to define a new term (e.g. use of
  synonyms, examples, a list of items covered by
  the term, or a list of items not covered by the
  term), and ask Ss to work in pairs to locate and
  appreciate the definitions for the following
  terms in Text A MT(Para1), parallel
  text(Para7), example-based MT system (Para7),
  Babel Fish (Para 10), round-trip translation
  (Para 10)

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V. Post- reading tasks

• 1. Have Ss do some after-text exercises
• 2. Check on Ss home reading of Text B
• 3. Guide Ss through Reading Strategy
• 4. Have Ss to prepare for the next
  unita. Preview Text A of Unit 8b. Suggested
  topic of Oral Presentation for Text A of Unit 8
• 5. Let students do some additional exercise

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The End

• Thank you !