A Survey On The Teaching Of Computer-assisted Translation At The Monterey Institute Of International Studies

Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) tools are rapidly growing in popularityamong professional translators and language service providers, and have been widelyused in software localization and technical translation. These tools have also beengenerally recognized as one of the key components for translation competence.Therefore, training in CAT becomes increasingly important. In China, however,training in CAT is still at its early stage, facing a lot of difficulties in course designand its teaching, while CAT training has a long history at the Monterey Institute ofInternational Studies (MIIS) and its valuable experience in the years has led toeffective teaching model. The practice of CAT training at MIIS may be inspiring forMTI education in China.A research survey on CAT training at MIIS has been conducted among theeducator of CAT courses and MIIS2013graduates with MA in Translation (MAT),MA in Translation&Interpretation (MATI), MA in Conference Interpretation(MACI), and MA in Translation&Localization Management (MATLM), coveringnecessity and feasibility of CAT training, its content and teaching methods as well asfeedback on CAT courses. Research methods include questionnaire and interview.Analysis of successful paths and difficulties in the teaching of CAT has beenperformed. In this paper the author has answered the following questions:1) What is the current state of CAT teaching at MIIS including its successfulpaths and difficulties?2) What are the objectives and teaching strategies of CAT courses at MIIS?3) What is the feedback from students on the content and teaching methods ofCAT courses at MIIS? Results of the survey show that both teachers and students at the MontereyInstitute value the training in CAT. Based on students’ evaluation on their own CATskills and their ability to use the tools that will serve them best in differentcircumstances, it can be concluded that the teaching of CAT at MIIS is effective andthe goals of CAT courses have been achieved. The use of cloud-based technologiesincluding CAT tools and learning management platform has produced satisfactoryoutcomes. Through discussion and analysis of the CAT teaching model at theMonterey Institute of International Studies, the present paper intends to inspire theteaching of CAT for MTI programs in China.