Computer-Aided Translation Technology: A Practical Introduction by Lynne Bowker (review)

humanities 121 university of toronto quarterly, volume 73, number 1, winter 2003/4 instructional tools to the curriculum. The other two papers are focused on more specific functions. Y. Kawamura reports on programs which help to determine the relative difficulties of reading materials in >Analyzing Japanese Textbooks Using the Vocabulary and Kanji Level Checker,= and Y. Tohsaku and H. Yamamoto introduce the testing program on the internet in >Internet-Based Self-Assessment for Language Skills.= This second chapter also provides a good combination of theoretical and practical information. The information on active testing sites on the Internet is especially useful for all involved in Japanese education. The topic of learner autonomy in chapter 3 could be the most interesting because computer technology application seems to be very promising in this field. J. Cummins=s >Learning through Target Language Text= reports an interesting approach to using the target-language text as input for learning. Y. Suzuki, H.C. Quackenbush, and Y. Shimizu present research results on reading systems that are accompanied by audio support. The last paper focuses on the topic of heritage language learning, >Teaching Heritage Language: Individualized Learning=. Here M.O. Douglas discusses various issues in teaching heritage learners and preparing curricula including computer technology. Although these three papers address very important issues, they raise many more questions than they answer. Perhaps this is because >learner autonomy= is an enormous but still vague concept; it is difficult for readers to find a clear focal point here. Even so, this is an area in which we could expect major contributions from research, and a corresponding development of computer technology in the future, and those papers show us directions. The last chapter contains one paper, >Copyright in Japan and Distribution of the CASTEL/J Database= by A. Oikawa. Although his discussion is on the database developed from the project, Computer Assisted System for Teaching and Learning / Japanese (CASTEL/J), this paper presents the crucial problems we have to face. We are now aware of the Internet copyright issue. We also know that collaboration is the next step we might take. The network society has made a wider range of collaboration possible, though not without obstacles. This paper is very thought-provoking. In general, this book provides those who are interested or already engaged in application of computer technology in Japanese language education a good deal of information both theoretical and practical. As the computer-capable generation grows, so does the use of the computer in education. As Nakajima says in the introduction, we have found a powerful help for teaching and learning Japanese, which is one of the world=s most difficult languages. Having a wide range of information on computer application in Japanese language education in one book is of great use and benefit. (HIROKO K. SHERRY) Lynne Bowker. Computer-Aided Translation Technology: A Practical Introduction 122 letters in canada 2002 university of toronto quarterly, volume 73, number 1, winter 2003/4 University of Ottawa Press. xx, 185. $45.00, $27.50 As Lynne Bowker says in the introduction, >This book is aimed primarily at translation students and trainers, but it will also be of interest to professional translators who would like to know more about CAT [computer-assisted translation] technology.= The six chapters deal with >Why do translators need to learn about technology?,= >Capturing data in electronic form,= >Corpora and corpus-analysis tools,= >Terminologymanagement tools,= >Translation-memory systems,= and >Other new technologies and emerging trends.= These are followed by a useful glossary, an appendix on commercially available CAT tools, a good bibliography, and an index. This then is a technical course manual or technological handbook for translators with money. It assumes access to specialized databases and corpora and the money to afford specialized software. It gives detailed technical explanations on how to create, manage, and use electronic textual data, textual databases, corpora, concordances, and memory systems. Most of this information has already been published elsewhere, particularly in various works on computing in the humanities written over the past few decades, although it may be considered useful to gather it together from the perspective of translation. An important distinction, made in the introduction, is that between machine translation (MT) and...