Dear MT-List Members, With apologies for cross-posting, this is to inform you that CTS, the Centre for Translation Studies <https://www.surrey.ac.uk/centre-translation-studies> of the University of Surrey, is announcing the next event in the Convergence lecture series. Dr Félix do Carmo <https://www.surrey.ac.uk/people/felix-do-carmo> will deliver an online lecture on the theme of "*Machine Translation myths*". The event will take place online on Wednesday *23 November 2022, 2.30pm GMT*.
*Title of the lecture:* *Debunking a few machine translation myths: from ‘zero-shot translation’ to ‘human parity’ and ‘no language left behind’* *Abstract:* The amazing capacities of machine translation are supported by very rigorous and powerful research. However, science is also discourse, and sometimes scientific discourse creates myths, beliefs that are based on how terms and concepts may be used in scientific publications with no proper debate or understanding. In this lecture, I will present a critical view of three of the most influential papers from machine translation research, not criticising their scientific validity, but highlighting how their use of terms and concepts helped create myths around the power of machine translation. My perspective is that translation is much more complex than what common discourses about machine translation convey, and that we are losing sight of that complexity when we focus on the scientific achievements. My objective is to contribute to real convergence between machine translation research and translation studies by presenting a view that aims at solving current limitations of discussions about translation. I believe that real convergence can only be fruitful if translation studies contributes to the debate, bringing with it the power of a rich legacy of theories and practices that help us all understand the complexity of translation. For more details and registration: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/news/convergence-lecture-series-debunking-few-machine-translation-myths-zero-shot-translation-human On behalf of CTS, Félix do Carmo
