Testing interaction with a Mobile MT post-editing app

Authors

  • Olga Torres-Hostench Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
  • Joss Moorkens SALIS/ADAPT Centre, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
  • Sharon O'Brien SALIS/ADAPT Centre, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
  • Joris Vreeke Design & Innovation Lab, ADAPT Centre, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland

Keywords:

machine translation, machine translation post-editing, mobile devices, Kanjingo, mobile app, translation

Abstract

Kanjingo is a post-editing application for iOS devices developed at the ADAPT Centre (formerly CNGL) at Dublin City University (DCU). The first stage of user testing was conducted in 2014 (reported in O’Brien, Moorkens & Vreeke, 2014), and improvements were made based on the initial feedback. This abstract describes further exploratory testing based on the second iteration of the Kanjingo application. The new tests were designed with several aims: (1) testing Kanjingo for post-editing using the phone’s keyboard (2) testing Kanjingo for post-editing with voice input; (3) testing Kanjingo for revision of post-edited texts; (4) testing Kanjingo general usability; and (5) testing Kanjingo interface design. This paper presents the results of the various tests, issues identified, and ideas for improvements. For example, the use of Kanjingo for post-editing with voice input, one of the most innovative forms of interaction with MT in the test, worked much better than participants expected, and this mode of input was preferred for translating from scratch when MT quality was very poor, whereas post-editing short words or phrases was found to be faster with the iPhone keyboard. In addition, we present some reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of the testing methods employed.

Downloads

Published

2017-07-21

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 2 (2017): Translation and Interpreting

Section

Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).