Research projects
View details of our current and recently completed funded research projects. Funders include the European Union (H2020, European Directorate for Justice, Lifelong Learning Programme, Erasmus+) and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).
Expanding Excellence in England (2019-2024)
In 2019, CTS was among the first 13 research centres in England to be awarded an ‘Expanding Excellence in England’ grant by Research England to expand and grow our scholarly activities. Our expansion programme focuses on advancing human-machine interaction and integration in translation and interpreting in an ethically responsible manner. As human practices of translation and interpreting are increasingly supported, enhanced and partially replaced by technologies, our vision is to promote a human-centric approach to technology use in translation and interpreting. Following our E3 award, we have created an interdisciplinary centre for the study of translation, interpreting and related forms of communication, bringing together humanities-based research practices in translation and interpreting studies with innovative social research methods and cutting-edge advances in language, translation and communication technologies, natural language processing (NLP) and artificial intelligence (AI). We have built a reputation for conducting high-quality research into emerging modalities of translation, audiovisual translation and interpreting (distance/remote interpreting), especially their potential to make text and multimodal content, information and services accessible to the widest possible audiences. As part of our E3 research programme, we are working on a number of sub-projects which focus on individual aspects of human-machine interaction or integration in a specific area of translation or interpreting.
Please click the examples below to learn more about some of our current sub-projects.
Description
The project aims to investigate the experiences of translators who work with novel workflows and technologies on digital cloud-based translation platforms. The new workflow we will specifically investigate is called “concurrent translation” (CT). In CT, multiple participants (i.e. translators, editors, domain experts, project managers) work on the same document simultaneously, sharing a computer-assisted translation environment with tools for collaboration. This workflow differs from the traditional, more linear production process, where a text is typically translated by one person, then it is revised by another person and proofread by yet another. The new workflows and technologies are designed to address business requirements of translation buyers such as faster delivery of large volumes of translation, but they change, often fundamentally, the way translators work. This change has not been studied before and little is known about how it impacts the translation process, product and the translators themselves. The study will qualitatively investigate these impacts and will test some hypotheses derived from the pilot studies (Gough, Perdikaki 2018) regarding the general perceptions and attitudes of translators working on the platforms in concurrent mode. These include process aspects such as workflow configurations, social aspects such as isolation vs collaboration, psychological aspects such as motivation vs inhibition and other attitudinal aspects that may result from working in CT mode, which may, in turn, impact the overall experience of these workflows and ultimately, the overall production cycle and the quality of the final product.
Overall, CONTRA has been launched to investigate the experiences of translators in more depth to uncover more details about translators’ experiences of working in this new way and what this means for the translation profession, for the translator education and more broadly, for the quality of multilingual communication around the world that is produced using new technologies.
People
Joanna Gough (PI), Ozlem Temizoz (Co-I), Graham Hieke (Co-I), Leonardo Zilio (Co-I)
Project outcomes
A survey of 831 translators working on cloud-based collaborative translation platforms concurrently was carried out and initial insights were published in Translation Spaces [link].
Description
Interlingual communication in multilingual events (such as conferences, seminars, political events, etc.) is typically afforded via simultaneous interpretation, with highly skilled simultaneous interpreters working in the booth. However, with the advent of new technologies it has become possible to design alternative interlingual communication workflows. MATRIC is a pilot project that aims to explore to what extent communication can be ensured by a workflow involving a human respeaker who respeaks the same language into a speech recognition (SR) software to produce a clear transcript for machine translation (MT) engine.
Our experiment will look at a ‘hybrid’ scenario, where respoken output, i.e. the text recognised by the SR software, is then fed into the European Union’s machine translation engine (E-Translation) to produce translated output in 6 foreign languages. The benchmark for measuring the accuracy of communication will be the transcripts of interpretation delivered highly skilled simultaneous interpreters employed in the European institutions (in the experiment we use authentic speeches from the European Parliament for which simultaneous interpretations already exist and are publicly available in the recordings accessible via the European Parliament’s Multimedia Centre). As part of this pilot initiative, we plan to develop an evaluation framework for comparing outputs from different modes but with the same communicative objective.
People
Elena Davitti (PI), Sabine Braun (Co-I), Constantin Orasan (Co-I), Tomasz Korybski (Co-I)
Project outcomes
The aim of the project is to see if the suggested hybrid workflow can facilitate communication in interlingual settings. An additional outcome will be an evaluation framework for comparison of interlingual and multimodal data.
Resources developed
- A corpus of data from professional EN-EN respeakers aligned with data from professional interpreters.
- An evaluation interface for comparing aligned pairs of text across two different delivery modes.
- An evaluation framework for both quantitative and qualitative analysis of interlingual data delivered through different modes.
Description
TranSent is a broad project funded part of the E3 expansion which investigates challenges that have to be addressed when translating texts which contain sentiments and emotions, and aims to develop methods that improve the translation of such texts. To achieve this, the project aims to combine expertise from a number of areas such as Natural Language Process, Linguistics, Translation Studies and Psycholinguistics.
The current focus of the project is on understanding how off the shelf translation engines, such as Google Translate, perform when they translate user generated content (e.g. product reviews posted on sites like Amazon, Booking.com, or tweets). This research direction is motivated by the fact an increasing number of companies use translation engines to offer their visitors access to content that is not written in a language they can understand. The research carried out so far focused on book reviews written in Arabic and proposed a method for tuning an Neural Machine Translation (NMT) engine to improve the translation of contronyms from Arabic into English. We are currently working on several other language pairs and focusing on more linguistic phenomena.
People
Constantin Orasan (PI), Hadeel Saadany (Co-I)
Project outcomes
The project has carried out an error analysis of translation errors introduced by Google translate when it is used to translate book reviews from Arabic to English. The results of this error analysis are presented in (Sadaany and Orasan, 2020). This data was also used to tune a Neural Machine Translation engine to produce better translations of sentences containing contronyms and to explore ways to automatically assess the quality of translation of sentences which contain sentiments.
Publications
Hadeel Saadany, Constantin Orăsan (2020) Is it Great or Terrible? Preserving Sentiment in Neural Machine Translation of Arabic Reviews, Proceedings of the Fifth Arabic Natural Language Processing Workshop, p. 24-37. [link]
Presentations
- 28 Nov 2020: Translation of Sentiment in Multilingual User Generated Content at the 56th Linguistics Colloquium
- 12 Dec 2020: Is it Great or Terrible? Preserving Sentiment in Neural Machine Translation of Arabic Reviews, presentation at the Fifth Arabic Natural Language Processing Workshop
The Virtual and On-site Interpreting in Court Environments (VOICE) project investigates the impact of newly emerged remote and hybrid court configurations used in the criminal and family courts since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In line with initial evidence, which has highlighted that remote/hybrid hearings may be particularly challenging for vulnerable court participants, the VOICE study focuses on hearings involving participants from linguistic-minority backgrounds and legal interpreters.
The study will provide a synthesis of the post-COVID-19 transition to remote/hybrid hearings in the criminal and family courts, with specific emphasis on how these hearings are conducted when interpreters need to be integrated to assist proceedings with linguistic-minority participants. Special consideration is given to the courtroom configurations (i.e., the distribution of remote/onsite participants), communication media (telephone/video), and platforms that are used. Through an online survey and semi-structured interviews, the project elicits information and views from court participants to identify the impact of these new configurations, media and platforms, considering the ways in which the needs of linguistic-minority court users and interpreters have been accounted for (i.e., to ensure effective participation and procedural justice), any unintended consequences, as well as any further support that might be required.
Project outcomes
The findings from this research will be used to develop guidelines concerning remote/hybrid hearings involving linguistic-minority court users and interpreters
People
Sabine Braun (PI), Graham Hieke (Co-I)
Other current projects
Start: September 2022
End: August 2025
Funder: European Union, Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF)
GRANT NUMBER: 101038590
About the project
The EU-WEBPSI project (led by the University of Ghent, Belgium) aims to develop, test and disseminate an innovative European Web portal for information exchange and online collaboration between stakeholders involved in providing and using Webcam Public Service Interpreting (WEBPSI).
Project objectives
The project has three main objectives:
- Harmonising minimal standards for public service interpreting in close collaboration with relevant stakeholders to guarantee high-quality language support and equal access to basic services for migrants and refugees across Europe;
- Facilitating more flexible uses of WEBPSI services at national and European level by means of remote solutions that are optimised for contemporary needs and opportunities;
- Increasing the interpreting capacity for languages of lesser diffusion (LLD) to reduce the current imbalance between interpreter supply/demand for these languages across Europe and safeguard better language support for and empowerment of speakers of these languages.
Expected outcomes and impact
In line with these objectives, the project aims to produce the following outcomes and outputs:
- A harmonised European model for WEBPSI, based on minimum standards of interpreting competence, training and certification in combination with information and learning materials (e-training modules);
- An accessible web portal for WEBPSI (repository, training platform, booking tool and video-platform) that can be used across national boundaries;
- Training of 60 applicants for international protection and recently recognised refugees as qualified WEBPSIs for LLDs in 8 language combinations, enabling them to interpret across national boundaries.
The expected impact of the is to improve language services for refugees and other migrants, providing them with better access to basic services and resources. By focusing on quality and flexibility, the project will benefit all actors involved in public service interpreting, including service providers, interpreters, and interpreter trainers. Additionally, the inclusion of migrants and refugees as interpreters in the project offers them a path towards professional integration.
CTS’s role in the project
CTS is responsible for Workpackage 2, which includes a baseline study and needs analysis to identify and assess current knowledge and resources in three key areas of the project. These areas include the needs, minimum standards of professional competence, training and certification of public service interpreters in Europe; the needs, minimum standards, and medium-specific challenges of webcam interpreting in Europe; and the training needs and existing curricula for the training of interpreters in LLDs.
People
Sabine Braun (PI in Surrey)
Elena Davitti
Diana Singureanu
Project partners
University of Ghent (Belgium) (coordinator)
University of Vienna (Austria)
FEDASIL (Belgium)
METADRASI (Greece)
Entraide Pierre Valdo (France)
ISM CORUM (France)
AGII (Belgium)
KU Leuven (Belgium)
Start: September 2022
End: August 2024
Funder National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR134866
GRANT_NUMBER: 134866/21/10
Aim of the project
To work with South Asian communities, healthcare professionals and people working in the NHS to understand how interpreting services work for patients with limited English language skills in GP practices in England to improve access to quality healthcare for all.
Background
The UK has a growing and ageing population of people for whom English is not their first language. Interpreters provide a service for patients and doctors to help them understand each other when they do not speak the same language. This is to make sure that people who find it difficult to communicate with a doctor because of a language barrier have no disadvantages compared with people for whom communication is easier. Unfortunately, there is evidence that not speaking English well is related to worse patient outcomes. GPs are often the first point of contact when people have a healthcare need. This means that good interpreting services are key to making sure everyone gets the same level of care. Yet, these services are under-used, and it is not clear why. We will seek to understand the experiences of people from Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi backgrounds because their languages combined are the UK's most commonly spoken languages after English and because of higher healthcare needs.
Research design and methods
We will use a number of different ways to develop a clearer picture about interpreting services in GP practices. We will understand whether people can access interpreting services at their GP practice, how they experience interpreting services and how interpreting services work (or not) for them.
There are three linked work packages (WPs):
WP1 (Public survey and qualitative interviews) aims to understand uptake and experience of interpreting services in South Asian groups in England. For example, how do patients from these groups get access to interpreting services? How do they describe their experiences of these services? We will conduct a large-scale survey across England (N=600) to find out what makes it more likely (or not) that someone uses an interpreting service. We will also interview 30 patients (who have/ have not used interpreting services) in more depth about their experiences.
WP2 (GP case studies, qualitative interviews/document gathering) aims to investigate how interpreting services are delivered in GP practices. For example, how do GPs/ receptionists find using these services? We will work closely with four GP practices and gather views from the people who work there (e.g. GPs/receptionists), from interpreters and providers of interpreting services, and from those involved in organising services (e.g. people in the NHS who decide how services will run). Our work will involve gathering information (e.g. documents/guidance) to understand how interpreting services work in GP practices as well as interviewing people (N~60 in total) about their experiences.
WP3 (Combination of WP1 and WP2 and a policy workshop) aims to work with NHS England to develop and share updated guidance about delivery of interpreting services in primary care.
Patient and public involvement
Recognising the importance of involving users of language support services in this research we have embedded public involvement in developing this proposal. A PPI co-applicant/lead (patient, carer and Bengali interpreter) is the key point of contact for our patients/public members
People
Katriina Whitaker (PI), University of Surrey
Sabine Braun, University of Surrey
Graham Hieke, University of Surrey
Demi Krystallidou, University of Surrey
Emily Williams, University of Surrey
Georgia Black, Queen Mary University
Paramjit Gill, University of Warwick
Cecilia Vindrola, University College London
Main website: https://www.mhealth4all.eu/
Start: January 2022
End: December 2024
Funder: European Union, Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF)
GRANT_NUMBER: 101038491
About the Project
Mental health problems affect about 84 million people across the EU. Refugees and other migrants are particularly at risk of developing mental health problems due to stressors they encounter before, during, and after their migration process. Prevalence rates for some mental health problems, such as posttraumatic stress and psychotic disorders, are higher among refugees and migrants compared to non-migrant populations. Even though many refugees and migrants need treatment for their mental health problems, they have great difficulties in accessing mental healthcare services, particularly those who do not speak the dominant language of their host country. Furthermore, if they succeed in gaining access to mental healthcare services, treatment often lacks cultural and linguistic sensitivity, resulting in inadequate care.
Project Objectives
In this project, which is led by the University of Amsterdam, 13 partners from 9 European countries will develop, test, and implement a multilingual, culturally-sensitive, evidence-based digital information and communication platform in mental healthcare. This platform aims to reduce the negative impact of linguistic and cultural barriers in accessing mental healthcare services for refugees and migrants. The platform will be based on evidence regarding the availability of high-quality language resources, stakeholders’ needs, and barriers, and proven effective intercultural communication strategies. Refugees and migrants, their caregivers, interpreters, intercultural mediators, and mental healthcare professionals and organizations are the main stakeholders to benefit from this new resource.
Expected outcomes of the project
- A resource repository primarily targeted at healthcare providers included in the open-access digital platform to enhance their knowledge of how to access language support in mental healthcare services;
- A set of education and communication strategies addressing these barriers and needs;
- A set of recommendations regarding the suitable integration of automated translation as a macro-strategy integrated into more comprehensive solutions for accessing mental healthcare;
- A number of multilingual educational videos, whose content will be based on the most severe barriers, salient needs, and recommended communication strategies;
- A number of educational videos, whose content will correspond with identified high-quality resources to mitigate the language barrier in mental healthcare;
- An open-access information and communication platform. If the process and effect-evaluation yield positive results, the platform will be disseminated into the wider community to stimulate uptake for any refugee and migrant patient group in Europe.
CTS’s role in the project
CTS is responsible for Workpackage 3: Barriers, Needs and Communication Strategies. The first objective is to identify the major barriers to accessing mental healthcare services for migrants and refugees with low language proficiency (LLP) in the language of their host country and to conduct an analysis of the communication, educational/training, and practical needs arising for LLP migrants and refugees and healthcare providers in order to promote access (by means of a survey and interviews).
Building on this analysis, the second objective is to identify different communication strategies that can potentially mitigate these barriers and effectively meet the identified needs. This will include strategies addressing migrants/refugees’ and providers' educational needs, macro-strategies enabling access (such as the use of a second language or lingua franca, individuals providing language support, and translation tools), and micro-strategies supporting effective communication and interaction within the macro-options.
Additionally, the work will include a small-scale simulated examination of the use of automated translation, such as Google Translate, in supporting access to mental healthcare services for migrants and refugees. The main specific outcomes of WP3 will be a description of the major barriers for access to mental healthcare; a list of the most pressing needs; a set of education and communication strategies addressing these barriers and needs; and recommendations regarding the appropriateness of using (semi-)automated translation as a macro-strategy, integrated in more comprehensive solutions for accessing mental healthcare.
People:
Sabine Braun (PI at Surrey)
Elena Davitti
Graham Hieke
Demi Krystallidou
Constantin Orasan
Ozlem Temizoz
Fang Wang
Jaleh Delfani
Project Partners
Universidad de Alcalá (Spain)
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium)
Vilniaus Universitetas (Lithuania)
Stichting Gezondheid Allochtonen Nederland (The Netherlands)
Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf (Germany)
Uniwersytet Warszawski (Poland)
Univerzita Konštantína Filozofa v Nitre (Slovakia)
Università degli studi di Genova (Italy)
Associatie Marokkaanse Artsen Nederland (The Netherlands)
European Network For Public Service Interpreting And Translation
Stowarzyszenie na Rzecz Wspierania Psychiatrii Dzieci I Mlodziezy Vis-a-Vis
Details
Start: September 2022
End: August 2024
This project investigates how pharmaceutical promotional texts, newspaper texts and medical journal articles talk about the most commonly prescribed antidepressants in Britain and China by making use of large-scale datasets. It aims to find out how British and Chinese people have understood the treatment of depression in different ways. Such findings will inform the interprofessional education of translators and interpreters working in mental health settings. To achieve this research goal, a large English-Chinese comparable corpus on antidepressants will be built, which will be used by Chinese MA students at CTS to practise corpus-assisted medical translation and interpreting.
This project is closely linked with the European project MentalHealth4All funded by Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF), where Professor Sabine Braun is leading one of the work packages. This new European project aims to promote the basic access of mental health services to immigrants in Europe. Research findings from these two related projects will inform each other, potentially leading to a larger project finding out how to promote access of mental health services for Chinese immigrants living in the UK.
Investigators
Principal Investigator: Fang Wang
Co-Investigators: Sabine Braun, Robert Geyer (Lancaster University)
Partners
University of Surrey (UK)
University of Lancaster (UK, Co-Investigator)
Anglia Ruskin University (UK)
University of Birmingham (UK)
University of Manchester (UK)
Shanghai Mental Health Centre (China)
Funded by British Academy/Leverhulme small research grant. Project no: SG2122\210988, 2023-2025.
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10022430#/tabOverview
Funder: InnovateUK
Start: March 2022
End: August 2023
People
Constantin Orasan (PI Surrey), Hadeel Saadany (Research Fellow)
Description
Combining innovations in speech-to-text technology and Natural Language processing, the Leeds based JUST in collaboration with the University of Surrey aim to develop the very first automated transcription tool designed specifically for the Justice sector, exploiting a known market gap for the automation of court transcription services and driven by a planned £2Billion digital court reform programme to be initiated from 2022/23 which will include the way court hearings are recorded and arising data stored
Project partners
Just: Access Limited (Lead Partner)
Funder: ESRC
Start: June 2020
End: June 2023
https://smartproject.surrey.ac.uk/
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ES%2FT002530%2F1
People
Elena Davitti (PI), Simon Evans (Co-I), Pablo Romero-Fresco (Co-I), Annalisa Sandrelli (Co-I)
Research Fellows: Tomasz Korybski, Zoe Moores, Anna-Stiina Wallinheimo
Description
Our day and age is characterised by a proliferation of live multimedia and multilingual content, such as news and TV programmes. Such content is not accessible to everyone. In many countries, live subtitles in the same language are required by law to enable deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences to enjoy access to information, culture and entertainment. In the UK and other countries (e.g. Canada, Spain, Switzerland), intralingual respeaking is the most well-established technique to produce these subtitles: it relies on human-machine interaction whereby a respeaker listens to the original sound of a live programme or event and simultaneously dictates it to a speech recognition software that turns the each sentence into subtitles displayed on screen.
Respeaking so far has been used to produce intralingual subtitles, i.e. in the same language. Given the current multilingual content boom, the SMART project aims to investigate whether respeaking can be used to produce interlingual subtitles, i.e. in a different language. This entails adding translation to an already challenging task which includes listening, speaking, adding oral punctuation, controlling prosody to minimise speech recognition errors, and accounting for space constraints to produce meaningful subtitles. Automatic translation alone is unable to provide live subtitles in a different language of sufficient quality. Interlingual respeaking (IRSP) represents therefore an innovative technique that builds on its monolingual predecessor to achieve this goal. This technique, however promising, has not been systematically tested yet. Therefore there is a need for empirical data to assess its viability. To this end, SMART sets out to achieve three main goals:
1. Investigate the feasibility of IRSP by analysing its challenges. Participants' performance during IRSP tasks will be studied in detail to inform optimal strategies to overcome these challenges. Two pilot projects on students have yielded promising results in this respect. We will need to explore these further in a sample of professionals;
2. Measure the quality of the live subtitles thus produced using an existing, recently-developed measurement tool (NTR model) which could represent a first step towards establishing a quality benchmark for IRSP;
3. Identify the key competencies needed by professionals already working in the language industry (e.g. interpreting, subtitling) to support timely and efficient acquisition of IRSP skills.
IRSP has the potential to provide interlingual subtitles of virtually any live events, such as lectures, conferences, theatre shows, business meetings, live TV interviews or programmes involving speakers of different languages. IRSP could also enhance traditional subtitling methods for pre-recorded programmes, improving productivity. By doing so, IRSP would make such events and programmes accessible to everyone, irrespective of any sensory or language barriers.
SMART research findings will inform the design of bespoke training courses to equip language professionals with optimal skills to ensure high-quality live interlingual subtitling. We will test these materials in a Summer School during the project; after its end, we will continue to offer training that will provide language professionals with a new career path and the possibility to diversify the services they offer. A public engagement event and informative video will raise awareness of IRSP among the wider public and any other stakeholders interested in providing or benefiting from this service.
The UK pioneered the development of intralingual respeaking (today used to subtitle 85% of live TV programmes). SMART will provide the data needed for the UK to become a world leader in IRSP. IRSP is a radical evolution in respeaking methodology and a smart move towards meeting current communication needs, whilst contributing to 'barrier-free' access to different domains of public and private life for all members of society.
Past projects
Technologies in interpreting
Dates
Start date: February 2018
End date: March 2020
Summary
The University of Surrey has been commissioned by the Office of the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner to undertake an independent evaluation of the Video Enabled Justice (VEJ) programme. The VEJ programme involves the pilot implementation of new digital and video technology in magistrates’ courts and police custody suites including: a new digital booking tool designed to identify and reduce time gaps between cases; and the installation of new video technology in police custody suites.
The evaluation will document the conduct of first appearances, breach of bail and arrest warrant hearings both before and after the implementation of new digital and video equipment. These hearings will involve defendants detained in police custody, appearing either via a video link from custody suites, or in person at magistrates’ courts. Comparative analysis of hearings conducted in face-to-face mode and in VEJ video-enabled mode, both before and after the implementation of the new equipment, will support a systematic appraisal of the differences and similarities as experienced by courtroom participants between these modes.
Objectives
The evaluation will assess the extent to which quantitative and qualitative benefits of the new digital and video equipment have been achieved. It will also identify any unintended consequences or issues resulting from the pilot initiative. Overall, the evaluation aims to inform the optimisation of the affordances offered by the VEJ platform and system.
Methodology
The evaluation will triangulate both primary and secondary quantitative and qualitative data. The main stages of the research will involve:
- Desk-based research to appraise the policy context and review of the academic and practitioner literature bases.
- Systematic observations of the ‘before’ stage prior to the VEJ pilot, including video-enabled hearings with old-style technology and traditional face-to-face hearings.
- Systematic observations of the ‘after’ stage following the implementation of the VEJ pilot, including video enabled hearings with the new-style technology and traditional face-to-face hearings.
- The systematic observations will be analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential models, triangulated against qualitative field data.
- Semi-structured interviews with legal professionals, lay participants and other individuals with relevant knowledge and/or experience of the magistrates' courts.
- Analysis of secondary quantitative data.
The team
Principal investigator: Professor Nigel Fielding
Co-investigator: Professor Sabine Braun
Researchers: Dr Graham Hieke, Chelsea Mainwaring
Contact
For further information about this project, please contact Dr Graham Hieke.
Dates
2015 - 2018.
Details
As a result of globalization and the continuous development and improvement of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), spoken language travels through new devices and means. The same phenomenon is observed in the field of spoken-language interpreting where, alongside traditional “face-to-face” interpreting, remote interpreting is spreading through teleconferencing and videoconferencing systems. There is therefore a strong need to update existing theoretical models of interpreter-mediated communication and approaches to educating interpreters and their clients so as to include ICT-based communication and interpreting techniques.
Building on insights from linguistics and multimodality, the research focuses on the concept of situated orality. It tests and develops this concept in relation to orality in technology-mediated communication and in relation to different fields of interpreting (public service, healthcare, legal and business interpreting). The frameowrk will be applied to (a) the analysis of remote, interpreter-mediated dialogue interactions and (b) the development of educational materials for trainee and professional interpreters.
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Sabine Braun
- Co-Investigator: Elena Davitti.
Partners
- University of Bologna/Forlì (IT, lead partner)
- University of Surrey (UK)
- University of Seville (ES)
- University of Granada (ES)
- Dualia SL (ES)
- VeasyT (IT).
Funded by the European Commission, Erasumus+ programme.
See the SHIFT project website for more information.
Dates
2014 - 2016.
Details
This project built on the work conducted in the AVIDICUS 1 and 2 projects (see below). The practical insights from these projects relate directly to European eJustice. The important role of videoconferencing in European eJustice and the multilingual nature of Europe mean that bilingual, interpreter-assisted videoconferences are likely become frequent in legal proceedings across Europe. Justice sector institutions in Europe therefore need to make appropriate provisions for the integration of interpreters in video links, especially links between courts and remote defendants or witnesses. In line with this, AVIDICUS 3 focused on the design and implementation of bilingual videoconferencing solutions in the justice sector. The project conducted a comprehensive assessment of the videoconference solutions used in different types of justice sector institutions across Europe in order to ascertain whether these solutions are suitable for bilingual communication involving an interpreter. A related aim was to make the training solutions developed in AVIDICUS 1 and 2 more accessible. Based on the insight that that traditional face-to-face training can be costly or impractical, AVIDICUS 3 developed an innovative method for using the medium of videoconference itself to deliver training in bilingual videoconferencing.
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Sabine Braun
- Co-Investigator: Elena Davitti
- Research Fellow: Sara Dicerto.
Partners
- University of Surrey (lead partner)
- KU Leuven (BE)
- Ministry of Security Justice (NL)
- Institut Télécom (FR)
- University of Alicante (ES)
- University of Trieste (IT)
- Ann Corsellis OBE (UK).
Funded by the European Union Criminal Justice Programme, Project JUST/2013/JPEN/AG/4553, 2014-16.
See the Video-Mediated Interpreting (AVIDICUS projects) website for more information and follow the project on Twitter.
Dates
2011 - 2013.
Details
Based on the outcomes of AVIDICUS 1, the AVIDICUS 2 project investigated a) the impact of factors such as such as training, familiarisation and quality of equipment on the quality of videoconference-based interpreting, and b) the potentially changing communicative dynamics in videoconference-based interpreting. The first strand replicated the AVIDICUS 1 studies, involving the same interpreters but providing them with short-term training in videoconference-based interpreting before they participated again. Moreover, better equipment was used. The findings of this research create a complex picture, making it impossible to say without reservation that training, familiarization and the use of better equipment resulted in a clear performance improvement. The second strand of research focussed on the analysis of the communicative dynamic in real-life court hearings that used videoconferencing and interpreting and revealed differences in the dynamics of the communication between traditional and video-mediated settings. Videoconference interpreting in court seems to entail a reduction in the quality of the intersubjective relations between the participants and a greater fragmentation of the discourse.
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Sabine Braun
- Co-Investigator: Margaret Rogers
- Research Fellow: Judith Taylor.
Partners
- University of Surrey (lead partner)
- Lessius Hogeschool Antwerp (BE)
- Local Police Antwerp (BE)
- Ministry of Justice (NL)
- Legal Aid Board (NL)
- TEPIS Polish Society of Sworn and Specialised Translators (PL)
- Télécom (FR)
- Ann Corsellis OBE (UK).
Funded by the European Commission Criminal Justice Programme, Project JUST/2010/JPEN/AG/1558, 2011-13.
See the Video-Mediated Interpreting (AVIDICUS projects) website for more information and follow the project on Twitter.
Dates
2008 - 2011.
Details
Videoconference technology is now widely used in criminal proceedings to speed up cross-border communication, reduce costs and increase security. The emerging settings – e.g. video links between courtrooms and witnesses abroad, between police stations and prisons – also involve bilingual communication and therefore require interpreters to be integrated into the videoconference setting. Moreover, videoconference technology offers a potential solution for shortages of qualified legal interpreters, especially for minority languages. Remote interpreting via video link using interpreters at distant locations, possibly abroad, is gaining momentum in criminal proceedings.
While these developments had begun to change the practice of legal interpreting, very little was known about the viability and quality of videoconference-based interpreting. There was a high risk of potential miscarriages of justice through the combined effects of technical mediation (videoconferencing) and linguistic mediation (interpreting). Relevant training for legal practitioners and interpreters regarding videoconference-based interpreting was non-existent. Addressing these issues, the AVIDICUS project conducted the first ever surveys among legal interpreters and judicial institutions in Europe to elicit interpreter experience with videoconference-based interpreting and institutional plans to use it. This enabled us to identify the most pressing problems and the most likely future occurrences of videoconference-based interpreting.
We then conducted a comparative study to compare the interpreting quality (e.g. accuracy) achieved with traditional methods of interpreting and in video links for the situations identified (e.g. police interviews in the UK). The quantitative analysis of the data shows a higher number of interpreting problems and a faster decline of interpreting performance over time in video links, suggesting greater difficulties for interpreters and a faster onset of fatigue. Based on these findings, the project developed guidelines of good practice for video interpreting in criminal proceedings, and designed and piloted training modules for interpreters and legal practitioners. This researched formed the basis for one of our REF2014 impact case.
The AVIDICUS guidelines were recognised as European-wide guidelines for videoconference-based interpreting in legal proceedings and integrated in the European e-Justice portal.
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Sabine Braun
- Co-Investigator: Margaret Rogers
- Research Fellow: Judith Taylor.
Partners
- University of Surrey (lead partner)
- Lessius Hogeschool Antwerp (BE)
- Local Police Antwerp (BE)
- Ministry of Justice (NL)
- Legal Aid Board (NL)
- TEPIS Polish Society of Sworn and Specialised Translators (PL)
- Ann Corsellis OBE.
Funded by the European Commission Criminal Justice Programme, Project JLS/2008/JPEN/03, 2008-11.
See the Video-Mediated Interpreting (AVIDICUS projects) website for more information and/or follow the project on Twitter.
Dates
2012 - 2013.
Details
The DUTT project was a collaborative project led by the National Offender Management Service for England and Wales. Within the context of the European Union Framework Decisions 909 and 947 on the cross-border transfer of custodial and non-custodial sentences in Europe, the aim of the DUTT project was to study and evaluate the use of video-conferencing technology and touch screen facilities as a means of enhancing the cross-border resettlement of offenders between European Union member states. Surrey contributed a qualitative assessment of the use of videoconferencing technology in cross-border resettlement.
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Sabine Braun
- Research Fellow: Judith Taylor.
Funded by the European Commission Criminal Justice Programme, 2012-13.
Technologies in interpreter education
Dates
2015 - 2018.
Details
As a result of globalization and the continuous development and improvement of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), spoken language travels through new devices and means. The same phenomenon is observed in the field of spoken-language interpreting where, alongside traditional “face-to-face” interpreting, remote interpreting is spreading through teleconferencing and videoconferencing systems. There is therefore a strong need to update existing theoretical models of interpreter-mediated communication and approaches to educating interpreters and their clients so as to include ICT-based communication and interpreting techniques.
Building on insights from linguistics and multimodality, the research focuses on the concept of situated orality. It tests and develops this concept in relation to orality in technology-mediated communication and in relation to different fields of interpreting (public service, healthcare, legal and business interpreting). The frameowrk will be applied to (a) the analysis of remote, interpreter-mediated dialogue interactions and (b) the development of educational materials for trainee and professional interpreters.
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Sabine Braun
- Co-Investigator: Elena Davitti.
Partners
- University of Bologna/Forlì (IT, lead partner)
- University of Surrey (UK)
- University of Seville (ES)
- University of Granada (ES)
- Dualia SL (ES)
- VeasyT (IT).
Funded by the European Commission, Erasumus+ programme.
See the SHIFT project website for more information.
Dates
2013 - 2014.
Details
Research into the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to create Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) in different educational settings shows positive results but also raises questions about the affordances of different technologies and the impact of system design on the learning process. In the context of interpreter - mediated communication, questions that need to be investigated are how and what interpreting students and users of interpreting services learn in VLEs; how different VLEs can support different types of learning activities; how VLEs are able to simulate real-life conditions to bridge the worlds of work and education; and how VLEs simulating interpreter-mediated communication can work for learners from diverse backgrounds. Against this backdrop and capitalising on the outcomes of previous research and development projects, EVIVA evaluated the educational opportunities of three types of VLE which were deemed to be particularly useful in the context of interpreter-mediated communication, i.e. video-based environments, videoconference-based environments and 3D virtual environments. See an overview of the VLEs evaluated in EVIVA.
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Sabine Braun
- Co-Investigators: Margaret Rogers, Elena Davitti
- Research Fellows: Catherine Slater, Sara Dicerto.
Partners
- University of Surrey (lead partner)
- Bangor University (UK)
- University of Cyprus (Cyprus)
- University of Poznan (Poland)
- Steinbeis Transfer Centre Language Learning Media (Germany).
Funded by the European Commission, Lifelong Learning Programme, Project 531140-LLP-1-2012-1-UK-KA3-KA3MP, 2013-14.
See the eVIVA project website for more information.
Dates
2011 - 2013.
Details
The rise of migration and multilingualism in Europe requires professional interpreters in business, legal, medical and many other settings. Future interpreters therefore need to master an ever broadening range of interpreting scenarios and skills. This is difficult to achieve with traditional teaching methods and in times of reduced teaching contact hours. Also, in many of the emerging interpreting scenarios, a client-side understanding of what working with an interpreter involves is crucial, but efforts to educate potential clients of interpreters are scarce and normally separate from interpreter education.
Addressing the needs of future interpreters and users of interpreters in higher education, vocational training and adult learning contexts, this project used the exciting features of 3D virtual environment technology to create the first bespoke 3D virtual environment that supports the acquisition and application of skills required in interpreter-mediated communication.
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Sabine Braun
- Co-Investigator: Margaret Rogers
- Research Fellow: Catherine Slater.
Partners
- University of Surrey (lead partner)
- Bangor University (UK)
- University of Cyprus (Cyprus)
- University of Poznan (Poland)
- University of Tübingen (Germany)
- Steinbeis Transfer Centre Language Learning Media (Germany)
- Bar Ilan University (Israel).
Funded by the European Commission, Lifelong Learning Progamme, Project 511862-2010-LLP-UK-KA-KA3MP, 2011-13.
See the IVY project website for more information.
Dates
2009 - 2011.
Details
The context for this project was Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), an innovative pedagogical approach which opens up new opportunities for language learning/teaching and for the development of language proficiency in interpreter/translator training. The project compiled a suite of video-based corpora of conversations, interviews and presentations, and developed a methodology for their pedagogical exploitation in language and interpreter education. The corpora are freely accessible at the BACKBONE project website.
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Sabine Braun
- Co-Investigator: Margaret Rogers
- Research Fellow: Catherine Slater.
Partners
- University of Tuebingen (Germany, lead partner)
- University of Surrey (UK)
- University of Murcia (Spain)
- Erciyes University (Turkey)
- Academy of Humanities and Economics in Lodz (Poland)
- University of Limerick (Ireland)
- Steinbeis GmbH & Co KG für Technologietransfer (Germany)
- Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie du Jura (France).
Funded by the European Union Lifelong Learning Programme, Project 143502-LLP-1-2008-1-DE-KA2-KA2MP, 2009-11.
Technologies in translation and lexicography
Details
The AHRC project "Collocaid: combining learner needs, lexicographic data and text editors to help learners write more idiomatically", is led by Ana Frankenberg-Garcia (Surrey), with Jonathan Roberts (Bangor) and Robert Lew (Poznan) as co-investigators. See the Collocaid project website for more information.
The ColloCaid project investigates user needs, the visualisation of lexicographic data and human-computer interaction in the development of a tool to help writers with collocations, i.e., words that are conventionally used together such as ‘collect data’, ‘change dramatically’, ‘successfully achieved’, ‘entirely appropriate’, and so on. Collocations can be problematic for language learners who cannot recall them as a single chunk. The effective use of collocations can increase the readability and fluency of texts. We have compiled the largest public lexical database of academic English collocations using state-of-the-art lexicography tools and resources, and integrated collocation suggestions into a text editor in a way that helps writers use better collocations as they write. Our proof of concept can be broadened to other languages and usages beyond academic. ColloCaid is funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AH/P003508/).
People
Ana Frankenberg-Garcia (PI), Geraint Rees (Co-I)
Project outcomes
Our project outcomes include the ColloCaid Prototype and lexical datasets:
ColloCaid Prototype
Try out our prototype at: https://collocaid.uk/prototype/editor/public/
Lexical Datasets
- Frankenberg-Garcia, A., Rees, G., & Lew, R. (2020) ColloCaid Sample Data. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.13028207
- Frankenberg-Garcia, Ana; Rees, Geraint (2021) ColloCaid Academic Collocation Errors and Other Problems. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.1364062
Multimodal and audiovisual translation
Details
MeMAD is a is a H2020 research project (2018 - 2021) which is led by Aalto University (Finland). The project will develop novel methods and models for managing and accessing digital audiovisual information in multiple languages and for various use contexts and audiences, based on a combination of computer vision technologies, human input and machine learning approaches to derive enhanced descriptions of audio-visual content. These descriptions will benefit the Creative Industries, especially TV broadcasters and on-demand media service providers, as well as people using their services, by enabling them to access audiovisual information in novel ways.
As a partner in this project, CTS is responsible for Workpackage 5, Comparing Human and Machine-Generated Multimodal Content Description and Translation. Building on our expertise in investigating the semantic, pragmatic and discursive foundations of human audio description as an instance of multimodal translation and our experience of developing multimodal corpora, we will analyse and compare human and machine-generated descriptions of audiovisual content. The main objectives are to identify characteristic features and patterns of each method and to re-model audio description, which was originally developed as an aid for visually impaired people, into a method of describing audiovisual content for diverse audiences. The ultimate aim is to contribute to a conceptual solution for machine-assisted video description. The outcomes of this Workpackage will facilitate story-telling and the re-use of content in the broadcasting context, and improve media access for visually impaired people and other diverse groups.
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Sabine Braun
- Research Fellow: Kim Starr.
- Research Fellow: Jaleh Delfani
Partners
- Aalto University (FI)
- University of Helsinki (FI)
- Eurecom (FR)
- University of Surrey (UK)
- YLE (FI)
- Lingsoft (FI)
- Limecraft (BE)
- Institut National de l'Audiovisuel (FR).
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 780069.
Translation and interpreting in the context of migration
Dates
2014 - 2016.
Details
This project, which was led by Middlesex University (UK), examined aspects of spoken-language interpreting in mediation and civil justice in the European area of justice. The project drew together a multi-disciplinary group from six member states, (Belgium, Holland, Italy, Romania, Spain, UK) to a) undertake an evaluation of the European Union (EU) acquis and other EU legislation directly or indirectly impacting on to the provision of interpreting and translation in civil justice proceedings; b) investigate how the corpus of work completed in successive EU part- funded projects on interpreting and translation in criminal justice can be adapted for civil justice; c) develop methodologies and online materials for practicing legal interpreters and translators to self-assess their competencies against the requirements of interpreting in civil justice; d) research the practice and impact of interpreting in mediation and alternative dispute resolution, including the use of bilingual mediators.
Investigators
Principal Investigator: Sabine Braun
Funded by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Justice, Project JUST/2013/JCIV/AG/4000004684, 2014-16.
See the Understanding Justice project website for more information.
Dates
2011 - 2013.
Details
The QUALITAS project was led by the University of Alicante. The aim of QUALITAS was to provide a roadmap for the development of valid and reliable certification procedures for interpreters working in judicial and police venues which would be provided to all 27 EU member states. Surrey contributed a qualitative assessment of the use of remote, videoconference-based testing procedures.
Investigators
Principal Investigator: Sabine Braun.
Partners
- University of Alicante (lead partner)
- Legal Aid Board (Netherlands)
- University of Stockholm (Sweden)
- Middlesex University (UK)
- Free University of Studies for Innovation and Organisation - Lispio (Italy)
- Lessius University College (Belgium)
- University of Surrey (UK).
Funded by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Justice, Project JUST/2011/JPEN/AG/2889, 2011-2013.
See the QUALITAS project website for more information.
Dates
2011 - 2013.
Details
Directive 2010/64/EU on the right to translation and interpretation in criminal proceedings calls on member states to "request those responsible for the training of judges, prosecutors and judicial staff involved in criminal proceedings to pay special attention to the particularities of communicating with the assistance of an interpreter so as to ensure efficient and effective communication" (Article 6).
Building mutual trust 2 (BMT2) was a European project led by Middlesex University to address this call by offering a video-based learning environment that demonstrates best practices when working with suspects, defendants and witnesses through a spoken language interpreter. The video materials are available freely through the BMT2 website. Surrey contributed to the training module on remote interpreting.
Investigators
Principal Investigator: Sabine Braun.
Partners
- Middlesex University
- University of Surrey.
Funded by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Justice, Project JUST/2010/JPEN/AG/1566, 2011-13.
See the building mutual trust project website for more information.
Translation
Date
2013.
Details
Transnationalism, translation and travel in literary and cultural studies (TRANS) was a bi-lateral research project undertaken by the University of Surrey and the University of São Paolo (USP) that sought to establish and enhance international research in Arts and Humanities across the two universities. The project examined literary, linguistic and cultural movements relating to the phenomena of travel, translation, migration, mobility and diaspora through an interdisciplinary lens drawn from expertise in literary and cultural studies, languages and translation.
The work of TRANS was comparative, qualitative, theoretical and historically driven as well as providing cultural insights on pertinent issues in the world today. This research on transnationalism was unique in that it united internationally recognised researchers from across the two universities.
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Professor Justin D Edwards (formely Surrey)
- Co-Investigator: Professor Sandra Vasconcelos (USP)
- Dr Ana Claudia Suriani da Silva (formerly Surrey)
- Professor John Milton (USP), Prof. Margaret Rogers (Surrey)
- Dr Dimitris Asimakoulas (Surrey)
- Professor Laura P. Zuntini de Izarra (USP).
Partners
- University of São Paolo
- University of Surrey.
University Global Partnership Network (UGPN) 2013 bi-lateral research collaboration project between Surrey and USP.
Dates
2010 - 2013.
Details
The point of departure for this network project was that multilingual skills and high quality translation are key to creating and maintaining a multilingual and multicultural Europe, and that trained professional translators play a vital role in that process despite the recent advances in machine translation and multilingual information processing. In 2009, the efforts of professionals and academics specialising in the field of translation studies to address the issue of advanced translator education and training resulted in internationally recognized professional quality standards and quality control criteria and benchmarks. This was followed by the official launch of the European Masters in Translation Network (December 2009), under the auspices of the Commission’s DGT, as an important move towards the recognition of a Europe-wide reference framework for the high level training of translators.
The aim of the Optimale network was to build on, and feed into, the work being undertaken by the European Masters in Translation (EMT), extending the geographical scope of the surveys and monitoring process, and strengthening ties with institutions and professional bodies outside the circle of universities currently in the EMT network.
Investigators
Principal Investigators: Margaret Rogers, CI Vassilis Korkas.
Partners
This European network involved 70 partners from 32 different European countries (including 27 within the EU; Lead Partner: Université Rennes 2, France).
Funded by the Erasmus Academic Network; Project 177295-LLP-1-2010-1-FR-ERASMUS-ENWA, 2010-2013.
See the Translator Training website for more information.