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Pre-production

Code: 43777
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Automatic Translation: Technologies of Translation OP 0

Contact lecturer

Name :
Pilar Sanchez Gijon
Email :
pilar.sanchez.gijon@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Pau Torras Coloma
Sergi Alvarez Vidal
Marc Riera Irigoyen
Pilar Sanchez Gijon
Oscar Nogueras Bastardo
Adrià Martin Mor

Teaching staff (external to UAB)

Lucía Morado

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

Having taken, or taking, the previous MA modules.

Objectives

  • Learn about the principles of pre-production.
  • Learn how to identify problems in the pre-production phase.
  • Learn about the principles of corpus management.
  • Become familiarized with corpus management tools and their basic functions.
  • Learn how to compile a corpus.
  • Learn the basic fundamentals of format management of the products that are translated.
  • Learn how to transform files between formats.
  • Learn about the basic standard formats in translation.
  • Learn the most basic principles of task automation.
  • Learn how to use regular expressions in an applied way.
  • Learn the principles of content management systems (CMS).
  • Become familiar with the free tools applied to translation.
  • Expand use of free tools for translating.

Learning outcomes

  1. Solve problems in new or little-known situations within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to the field of study.
  2. Integrate knowledge and use it to make judgements in complex situations, with incomplete information, while keeping in mind social and ethical responsibilities.
  3. Continue the learning process, to a large extent autonomously.
  4. Define the fundamental principles of pre-production as a stage in the translation process.
  5. Work with open-source software to carry out professional translation processes.
  6. Identify the problems associated with the pre-production of a translation project and provide automated solutions through regular expressions and macros.
  7. Manage linguistic information in the form of a translation corpus.
  8. Manage and exchange linguistic information between computer-assisted translation tools.
  9. Work with the formats and standards specific to the translation industry.
  10. Make informed, well-reasoned decisions in the field of translation technologies.

Contents

The pre-production module includes the contents of the pre-translation phase, i.e. those related to obtaining information and the product to be translated, and in particular focuses on the following:



  • Pre-production basics. 

  • Introduction to python. 

  • Standard formats. 

  • Regular expressions. 

  • Content management systems (CMS). 

  • Free operating systems. 

  • Datasets

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Training activities supervised by the teaching staff 19 0.76 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Training activities carried out by the student on a self-study basis outside the classroom. 80 3.2 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Training activities carried out in the classroom 37 1.48 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10
  • Theoretical lectures.
  • Seminars.
  • Task-based classes for solving problems / cases / exercises.
  • Practical exercises in the classroom.
  • Reading: books / articles / reports.
  • Self-study.
  • Writing reports / coursework.
Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Control of practical knowledge 60% 10 0.4 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Classroom practices 10% 1 0.04 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Submission of reports and assignments 30% 3 0.12 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT

- Pre-production basics: 10%
- Format management: 20%
- Standard formats basics: 15%
- Free tools: 15%
- Content Management Systems (CMS): 15%
- Regular expressions: 15%
- Datasets: 10%

Students must provide evidence of their progress by completing some tasks. Tasks deadlines will be indicated in the course schedule on the first day of class. The lecturer(s) teaching this course will provide a detailed description and breakdown at beginning of the course.

Review 

When publishing final marks prior to recording them on students' transcripts, the lecturer will provide written notification of a date and time for reviewing assessment activities. Students must arrange reviews in agreement with the lecturer. 

Missed/failed assessment activities 

Students may retake assessment activities they have failed or compensate for any they have missed, provided that those they have actually performed account for a minimum of 66.6% (two thirds) of the subject's final mark and that they have a weighted average mark of at least 3.5.  

The lecturer will inform students of the procedure involved, in writing, when publishing final marks prior to recording them on transcripts. The lecturer may set one assignment per failed or missed assessment activity or a single assignment to cover a number of such activities. Under no circumstances may an assessment activity worth 100% of the final mark be retaken or compensated for.  

Classification as \"not assessable\" 

In the event of the assessment activities a student has performed accounting for just 25% or less of the subject's final mark, their work will be classified as \"not assessable\" on their transcript. 

Misconduct in assessment activities 

Students who engage in misconduct (plagiarism, copying, personation, etc.) in an assessment activity will receive a mark of “0” for the activity in question. In the case of misconduct in more than one assessment activity, the student involved will be given a final mark of “0” for the subject. Assessment activities in which irregularities have occurred (e.g. plagiarism, copying, impersonation) are excluded from recovery.

SINGLE ASSESSMENT


This module may be assessed under the single assessment system in accordance with the terms established in the academic regulations of the UAB and the assessment criteria of the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting. 

Students must make an online request within the period established by the faculty and send a copy to the lecturer responsible for the module, for the record.

On the day of the single assessment, teaching staff will ask the student for identification, which should be presented as a valid identification document with a recent photograph (student card, DNI/NIE or passport)

The evaluation tests will be concentrated on a single day. The MA coordinator will publish the date of the single assessment.

The evaluation will include a theoretical-practical test for each module content.

The final grade for the subject will be calculated according to the following percentages:

 

- Pre-production basics: 10%
- Format management: 20%
- Standard formats basics: 15%
- Free tools: 15%
-Content Management Systems (CMS): 15%
- Regular expressions: 15%
- Corpus: 10%

 

The processes of revision and recovery of the subject are the same as those applied in the continuous assessment explained above.

 

Bibliography

The lecturer of each content of the MA will provide the corresponding specific bibliography.

 

Diaz Fouces, O., García González, M. (eds.) (2008). Traducir (con) software libre. Granada: Comares.

Esselink, B. (2000). A practical guide to localization. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

Jiménez-Crespo, M. A. (2013). Translation and Web Localization. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

Kenny, D. (2009). Corpora. En: Mona Baker y Gabriela Saldanha (eds.), Routledge encyclopedia of translation studies (p. 59-62). Londres: Routledge.

Martín-Mor, A.; Piqué, R.; Sánchez-Gijón, P. (2016). Tradumàtica: Tecnologies de la traducció. Vic: Eumo Editorial.

O’Hagan, M. (2009). \"Computer-aided translation (CAT)\". En: Mona Baker y Gabriela Saldanha (eds.), Routledge encyclopedia of translation studies (p. 48-51). Londres: Routledge.

Oliver, A. (2016). Herramientas tecnológicas para traductores. Barcelona: UOC.

Oliver, A.; Moré, Q. (2007). Les tecnologies de la traducció. Barcelona: UOC.

Ping, K. (2009). \"Machine translation\". En: Mona Baker y Gabriela Saldanha (eds.), Routledge encyclopedia of translation studies (p. 162-168). Londres: Routledge.

Somers, H. (ed.) (2003). Computers and translation: A translator’s guide. Amsterdam-Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

Software

-Text editors

-Format management tools

-Free software

-Content management system

-Corpus tools

-Free software and commercial software

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TEm) Theory (master) 1 Catalan first semester afternoon