Narrative Text, Translator and Machine

Narrative Text, Translator and Machine: In Search of User-Friendly Translation Technology for Literary Texts is a multidisciplinary research project combining translation studies, literary studies, and language and translation technology funded by the Academy of Finland. The project aims to increase knowledge on phenomena that are closely linked to literary texts, translating them, and utilizing translation technology in literary translation.

The project studies narrativity and its modelling, literary characteristics and problems in their translation, the working methods and technological needs of literary translators, and ethical challenges such as copyright issues and sustainable development that are connected with using translation technology in literary translation.

The project also aims to apply the accumulated data in practice. We will develop a prototype for a translation technology application that helps human translators with professionally translating literary texts from English into Finnish. During the later stages of the project, the prototype is further developed with a usability study.

The project’s principal investigator is professor Kristiina Taivalkoski-Shilov. You can find more information about the researchers on the Researchers page.