• The initiative and vision of the MTPE Training Special Interest Group (SIG)
• The goals and roadmap of the MTPE Training SIG
• The structure & working method of the MTPE Training SIG

The initiative and vision of the MTPE Training Special Interest Group (SIG)

The idea for the document GALA MTPE Training SIG: Findings, Resources, and Conclusions was born in May 2020. It generated during the presentation of the GALA Webinar “The Management and Training Challenges of Post-Editing” (Part 1 and Part 2).

The webinar had two parts, one presenting the management and training challenges of MTPE. It covered all aspects and revealed the need for a training model to bridge three different perspectives: the LSPs/Clients, the Post-Editors and the Academia. The GAL SIG prepared a survey, with different questionnaires for the different stakeholders: LSPs/Clients and SLVs/Universities. The goals was to find out what is the status of the Post-Editor, the service, and the training, in order to identify the training/alignment gaps.

Based on the survey results, which were presented in the second part of the above-mentioned webinar, it was clear that, even if technology is very much developed and MT engines are powerful, what is missing is the “how-to”. It is of vital importance to acquire the expertise to:

• Train all stakeholders in the translation industry.
• Build a common post-editing training protocol for Academia, LSPs, Companies and SLVs which can be accepted by all parties.
• Draft the basic guidelines for defining the role and the expectations in terms of productivity, speed, quality, and compensation, as well as for creating a fair ambience to embrace MTPE.

GALA’s MTPE Training SIG was a collaborative, community-driven initiative to develop and evangelize best practices in the training and preparation of professional post-editors.

The goals of the group were to:

• Share experience in the field of post-editors’ training, common practices, and standards.
• Identify the training needs for post-editors based on a common pool of experience.
• Collect findings and resources with the contribution of all members involved.