Problem-Based Approach to Teaching Linguistics Students to Pre-Edit Texts for Machine Translation

The present study investigates the problem-based approach in teaching students to pre-edit texts for machine translation systems, the concept of pre-editing, and pre-editing techniques and suggests the lesson organization of problem-based learning for teaching pre-editing. The paper covers the results of an experiment conducted among the students majoring in linguistics, their level of mastering pre-editing skills. The data were collected from the results of a diagnostic assignment to 11 students. The diagnostic assignment was to pre-edit the text for machine translation, paying attention to secondary predication. The results show that more than half of the students do not possess pre-editing skills and cannot use pre-editing techniques. It argues the need for students in linguistics to be taught pre-editing and its techniques. This problem can be solved with the aid of problem-based learning. Such teaching approach is effective for translator training, and provides an opportunity to practice in authentic work translator conditions and develop translator competences.