1. Tool Introduction
This is the entire operation interface of Twinslator. The core of Twinslator lies in the terminology database and corpus database, Twinslator lab, and “Translation Guest Jianghu” section. Those engaged in language learning and translation-related fields know that whether in the learning or translation process, the terminology database and corpus database are essential auxiliary tools. Through the author’s explanation, relevant learners can gain a certain understanding of Twinslator and master the basic operation methods.
First, let’s take a look at the terminology database. After entering the terminology database, you can see options such as create new terminology database, edit database, public database, shared database, and delete database in the top menu bar. To create a terminology database, click on the create new terminology database option.
After clicking create new terminology database, you will enter the following interface. Enter the terminology database name, industry, and language direction according to the relevant prompts.
After establishing the terminology database, since this is the user’s own terminology database in Twinslator, you need to import the prepared terminology database by clicking import and selecting the local file to generate the terminology database.
Then, after loading the terminology database, load the corpus database. Click on the left corpus database, then click create new corpus database.
Similarly, give the corpus database a name, determine the relevant field, and ensure consistency with the terminology database.
Click import to import the locally created corpus database.
After clicking, a pop-up window will appear. Note that when importing the terminology database and corpus database, the platform only supports .tmx, .tbx, .csv, and .xlsx formats. Each file supports a maximum of 50,000 entries. Click import file format instructions to see examples of import files.
Next, after establishing the terminology database and corpus database, we will go to the translation interface for translation, as shown in the translation interface below. Is everyone familiar with this interface? This is Twinslator’s machine translation platform. On this platform, first determine whether the language is foreign language to Chinese, Chinese to foreign language, or foreign language to foreign language.
Next, select the industry and machine translation engine. It is recommended that everyone choose their established terminology database and corpus database based on the text they will be translating. Of course, if you are a paid user, you can completely skip creating a terminology database and corpus database and directly access other MT platforms based on Twinslator.
Twinslator’s MT access is quite comprehensive. Of course, using these MT requires E values (a unique payment unit of Cloud Translation Guest), which means it is paid.
2 Establishing and Training TwinslatorLab
Next, let’s introduce TwinslatorLab. Similarly, open the left menu bar on the platform’s start page to see Twinslator Lab and the Twinslator Market. This interface is the core part of the entire Twinslator platform, which is to establish your own Twinslator.
Just like creating a terminology database and corpus database, when creating your own Twinslator, you also need to give it a name and determine the relevant field and language direction.
Once your Twinslator is established, you can click on data cloning to enhance training.
In this interface, drag the established terminology and corpus into it and click start synchronization, and your Twinslator will be born! Of course, as the amount of translation content increases, we must continuously let your Twinslator learn, so it is necessary to regularly enhance its training.
Back to the Twinslator page, click continue cloning to input new terminology and corpus to update Twins’ translation data, enhancing the machine’s translation ability. After enhancement, you can click experience effect for verification.
In the experience interface, you can compare your terminology database with MT from three other platforms. This is both a verification and a learning and improvement process.
Open the left menu bar on the platform’s start page to find the Translation Guest Jianghu, where you can see the Discovery Cube and E-Power Mall.
You can see character packages of different capacities and price ranges, which are competitively priced in the industry. Of course, free users enjoy 50,000 free characters daily and can also earn cubes through sign-ins and tasks to exchange for characters. Therefore, if you have your own terminology database and corpus database, you can save a lot of expenses.
Through my learning and production process regarding Twinslator, I have gained a new understanding of computer-assisted translation tools, not just limited to attending classes and completing assignments. This time, I truly have my own CAT tool, and what Twinslator brings me is a brand new computer-assisted translation experience. I personally believe that Twinslator will undoubtedly be the direction and trend of future CAT tool development. In this development context, translation and translation work will surely usher in a new era of development, bursting with new vitality, and giving rise to revolutionary changes in the CAT industry, greatly improving translators’ work efficiency and adding joy to their work.
Author: Cong Disheng, Master’s in Translation, Dalian University of Foreign Languages
Translation Learning Community
