Group standards, development reports and a blue book on the translation industry, spearheaded and contributed by Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) faculty members, were released at the Translators Association of China (TAC) Annual Conference in Changsha, Hunan province, on March 30. 

The TAC Annual Conference 2024 releases group standards. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn] 

Ethics for machine translation — Requirements, proposed by the TAC, establishes ethical guidelines for the machine translation system across the four stages of design, development, promotion and application. The work aims to address such ethical issues as data privacy, intellectual property rights, information security and fair competition to regulate the relationship among the parties involved and promote the healthy development of the language service industry amid the rapid advances in machine translation. 

Wang Huashu and Ren Wen of the BFSU Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation took the lead in drafting the standard. 

Wang also participated in the formulation of Basic requirements and test methods for machine simultaneous translation system, which intends to solve problems including difficulty in speech recognition, inadequate processing of colloquial expressions, contradictions in ensuring synchrony and accuracy and lack of contextual coherence. 

By establishing uniform criteria for machine simultaneous translation system evaluation, this standard helps to facilitate the standardized growth of technology and products and foster a healthy industry ecosystem. 

Cover photos of 2024 China Translation Industry Development Report and 2024 Global Translation Industry Development Report. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn] 

Ren, together with Zhao Tianyuan and Xu Xiuling from the school, contributed to writing 2024 China Translation Industry Development Report and 2024 Global Translation Industry Development Report. 

The two works comprehensively analyze the current status and trends of the translation industry domestically and internationally, covering aspects of market size, talent demand and technological application. 

The cover photo of 2024 Blue book on the development and application of computer-aided translation technology. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

Also released at the annual conference was 2024 Blue book on the development and application of computer-aided translation technology, contributed by Wang. The book systematically elaborates on the development history, system architecture and product forms of computer-aided translation. 

Through practical cases and research data, it demonstrates the current development and application of the technology, analyzes the challenges it faces and provides recommendations for its future growth. 

The release of industry specifications and reports will further drive the standardization of the language service industry and contribute to a more fair and transparent industry ecology.