Chinese-language Art & Architecture

Thesaurus: Methods and Issues

Shu-Jiun (Sophy) Chen

Program Office, Taiwan e-Learning and Digital Archives Program

CIDOC 2009, Chile, 29 September 2009Special Session on Multilingual Access: "Developing Tools forMultilingual Access to Cultural Materials: the Experience of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT)"

Agenda

Introductions

Methodologies

Current Outcomes

Issues

Conclusions and Outlooks

2

Introductions AAT-Taiwan research project

– Officially launched by TELDAP Program Office at the beginning of 2009

– The goal is to collaborate with GRI (Getty Research Institute) in developing the Chinese version of Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT).

The project is comprised of five task forces:– Methodology R&D

– Equivalence Mapping

– Translation

– Localization, Creation of New Concepts and Contribution

– Technical and Functional development3

Methodologies

Equivalence Mapping (M)

Cross-Division Coordination 跨分項協調 (C)

等同關係對照 Equivalence Mapping (M)

中英對照 (M2)Mapping

確認詞彙來源Identify Sources

詞彙英譯Identify the Eng term

參考資料References

在 AAT 對照到的架構Locate the term in AAT

確認中文詞彙 (M1)Identify Chinese terms

故宮器物National Palace Museum

台灣古建築圖解事典Traditional Architecture in Taiwan

中國工藝美術辭典Dictionary of Chinese Arts and Crafts

知識網Knowledge Web of Taiwan’s Diversity

人類學 / 科博館Anthropology / NMNS

Translation 翻譯 (T)

英翻中 (T2_EC)English to Chinese Translation

中翻英 (T2_CE)Chinese to English Translation

• mapped to a broader or narrower term• determine the importance of this concept• pass on the concept to (N)

Scope Note 範圍註撰寫 (N)

撰寫範圍註 (N2)Create a new record with required fields

確認詞彙類型 (M3)Identify Types of

Equivalence Mapping

完全等同 (M3_EE)Exact Equivalence

不完全等同 (M3_IE)Inexact Equivalence

部分等同 (M3_PE)Partial Equivalence

一對多 (M3_SM)Single to Multiple

不等同 (M3_NE)Non-Equivalence

Translation (T)

Cross-Division Coordination 跨分項協調 (C)

翻譯 Translation (T)

Expert Group專家審訂 (E)

前置作業 (T1)Preparation

確認翻譯內容 (T1_I)Identify Translation Materials

資料整理 / 更新 (T1_F)File compilation and update

翻譯 (T2)Translation

募集兼任譯者 (T1_R)Translators recruitment

英翻中 (T2_EC)English to Chinese Translation

中翻英 (T2_CE)Chinese to English Translation

內容審訂 (E2)Content Verification

Equivalence Mapping 等同關係對照 (M)

Scope Note of New Concept

範圍註 (N)

System Development 系統開發 (S)

著錄翻譯內容、圖片、參考書目Input data into the system

• translate matched AAT terms• add required fields in AAT- Taiwan (additional note, sources, variant terms, transliterated Chinese term, etc )

• translate the terms into English, submit to AAT

review

(a) approved

(b) revision

校訂 (T3)Proofread

統一詞彙翻譯與格式 (T3_U)Unified terms and format

翻譯品質管理 (T3_QC)Translation Quality Control

募集校訂人員 (T3_R)Proofreaders recruitment

Proofread (T3)

校訂 (T3)Proofread

統一詞彙翻譯與格式 (T3_U)Unified terms and format

翻譯品質管理 (T3_QC)Translation Quality Control

募集校訂人員 (T3_R)Proofreaders recruitment

T3_QC2 ： make sure the translated scope note is both fluent and idiomatic

Frequent problems:

1. Translated text is redundant or awkward, and does not assimilate to the cultural context of the target language.

Not understanda

ble in Chinese

Scope Note of New Concept (N)

Cross-Division Coordination 跨分項協調 (C)

範圍註撰寫 Scope note of new concept (N)

搜集資料 (N1)Data Collection

撰寫範圍註 (N2)Create a new record with

required fields

遵循 Getty 和 TELDAP 的指引Follow editorial guideline

to create a record in Chinese

參考權威資料Authoritative References

增加相關圖檔 ( Ｎ 3)Find images

Equivalence Mapping 等同關係對照 (M)

Expert Group專家審訂 (E)

Translation 翻譯 (T)

中翻英 (T2_CE)Chinese to English Translation

System Development 系統開發 (S)

著錄翻譯內容、圖片、參考書目Input data into the system

校訂 (T3)Proofread

內容審訂 (E2)Content Verification

部分等同 (M3_PE)Partial Equivalence

review

approved

Cross-Division Coordination 跨分項協調 (C)

Expert Group (E)

專家審訂 Expert Group (E)前置作業 (E1)

Preparation

Translation 翻譯 (T)

內容準確性 (T3_A)Translation Accuracy 1

確認內容 (E1_I)Identify Content

審訂表整理更新 (E1_F)File compilation and update

內容審訂 (E2)Content Verification Content experts need to

verify the accuracy of the provided terms. If they determine it’s

accurate, then the data will be inputted into thesystem; if not, revision

is needed before the datacan be submitted to AAT and

AAT-Taiwan.

Scope Note範圍註 (N)

完成新增中文詞彙所有的欄位資料 (N3)Create a new record with required fields

專家修訂 (E2_RE)Revision by Expert

範圍註準確性 (E2_NA)Scope Note Accuracy

翻譯準確性 (E2_TA)Translation Accuracy

System Development 系統開發 (S)

著錄翻譯內容、圖片、參考書目Input data into the system

(a) approved

review

(b) reject

Current Outcomes

Translation Progress Update

Total Terms in AAT-Taiwan ： 5957

last updated: 2009/9/1

For Example :

ceramic

Search Result

corresponding images

Terms in different language

Switch to Chinese

External links

MCN Taiwan MuseFusion System

MuseFusion adopts the following standards:• CDWA Lite• CCO (Cataloging Cultural Objects)• AAT (Art & Architecture Thesaurus)

TELDAP Union Catalog

Results 41 for “graves”

AAT-Taiwan

From User’s Perspective

(1) User searches for a term in AAT-Taiwan via query /browse

(3) Use the term in AAT-Taiwan to retrieve records from MCN Taiwan MuseFusion

(5) Use the term in AAT-Taiwan to retrieve records from TELDAP Union Catalog

(2) Use Subject ID to retrieve equivalent English term in AAT

(4) Use the same Term to retrieve records from TELDAP Union Catalog

Adopt the following standards:• CDWA Lite• CCO (Cataloging Cultural Objects)• AAT

Issues

A Summary of Equivalence MappingIssue 1 Invite domain experts to participate in the process

– Problem of Insufficient Chinese references– need to determine the importance of this concept in relation to

our culture.– Need to ensure the accurate results of equivalence mapping

Partial equivalence with culture-dependent concepts

– Carefully evaluate and provide AAT with enhanced version of Asia-related art and cultural concepts.

Compound Terms– Some of Chinese terms are presented as compound terms,

which need to be separated into individual term before mapping to the appropriate concept in AAT.

An Example of Mapping IssuesCulture-dependent Concepts ：福 / 祿 / 壽 fu/lu/shou (1/3)

Hierarchical position ：motifs> characters > symbol > fu/lu/shou紋飾資料庫 > 文字 > 符號 > 福 / 祿 / 壽

Since most motifs from NPM Metadata Requirement Specifications are cultural specific, many terms cannot be found in AAT. We recommend to create new terms, so these cultural-dependent terms may be added.

因故宮後設資料需求規格書的詞彙有其文化特殊性，許多並不存在於 AAT ，可以獨立新增一個先導詞，在其下直接增列這些中華文化特有的詞彙

Source ： NPM Metadata Requirement Specifications (p. 22) 「故宮器物數位典藏子計畫　後設資料需求規格書 version 1.2 」 (p. 22)

An Example of Mapping IssuesCulture-dependent Concepts ：福 / 祿 / 壽 fu/lu/shou (2/3)

The motif shou is found in AAT under the following hierarchical

position : Physical Attributes Facet .... Design Elements ........ <design elements> ............ motifs ................ shou

According to the Metadata Requirement Specifications, under Chinese characters > symbols ( 文字 > 符號 ), there are 9 cultural-specific terms, including:

bagua, wan, fu, lu, shou, xi, shuang xi, chun ( 八卦 , 萬字 / 卍 , 福 , 祿 , 壽 , 喜 , 雙喜 , 春 )

A Summary of Equivalence Mapping Issue 2

When the Chinese terms are from collection institutes

– Every institution implements its own classification methods and terms, we often need to re-examine and sometimes adopt their logic to find matching concepts in AAT.

– We need to determine when it is necessary for a Chinese term to become an individual concept, and whether to add a descriptor or a none preferred term.

Preferred term vs. non-preferred term– what should be the divide line between preferred

and non-preferred term?– If the official name of a term is rarely used, is it still

the preferred term?

A Summary of Translation Issues

Translation Completeness– Interpretation difficulty of Non-

English terms Single (Eng.) to Multiple (Chin.)

– When English terms have broader meanings

Multiple (Eng.) to Single (Chin.)– When Chinese terms have

broader meanings Insufficient Information

– Term, scope note

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ID: 300264492 Record Type: conceptBeweging van Tachtig Note: Dutch literary movement of the 1880s, the members of

which were young writers and poets determined to express real emotions in highly individualistic language, avoiding cliché and traditional rhetoric. Notable members included Willem Kloos, Jacques Perk, Frederik van Eeden, and Hélène Swarth.

Beweging van Tachtig範圍註 : 一八八零年代荷蘭的文學運動，其中成員為年輕的作家和詩人

，他們致力於非常個人的語言傳達真實情緒，避免陳腔濫調或傳統修辭技巧。著名的成員包括 Willem Kloos 、 Jacques Perk 、 Frederik van Eeden 、 Hélène Swarth 。

It’s a Dutch term, no Chinese translation available, and difficult to transliterate without proper understanding of the language. And the Dutch names as well, the translators can only make a close guess on its pronunciation .

Solution: Keep the original Dutch term as preferred term, unless domain experts can verify the accurate transliteration in the future.

An Example of Translation IssuesTranslation completeness ： Beweging van Tachtig (1/1)

Lesson Learned - 1 Team building

– different experts should be involved and work together.

– include domain experts from art history, lexical semantics, bilingual translation, museum and library studies, project management, etc.

Training– Equivalence mapping specialists,

translators, proofreaders Coordination

– Different divisions/staff in TELDAP– Different background and

expectations on the tasks

Lesson Learned - 2 Methodology

– Establish efficient and practical methods and workflows– Workable

Follow AAT’s guidance and establish close communication with the AAT editorial team

– short learning curve and time saving– Towards seamless integration with the AAT

Set milestones– Specific outcomes for each year

sustainable development / marketing– Find the niche

Conclusion and Outlook Integration of TELDAP-related terms

– Create multilingual and structural network of Chinese concepts.

Provide global Asian cultural heritage communities with a knowledge-based database as a reference to collection access and data value standard.

Next, we will:– Proceed with AAT-Taiwan system

enhancement (including user environment and editorial environment)

– Invite more domain experts from various study fields to identify important concepts of Asian art, architectures, and material culture.

References

Chen, S.J. and Wu D. and Chang, Y.T. (2009). Bilingual equivalence mapping: methods and issues. Presented at Getty Research Institute.

Chen, S.J. and Wu D. and Peng, P.W. (2009). A Close look at bilingual translation: methods and issues. Presented at Getty Research Institute.

Chen, S.J. and Wu D. (2009). Contribution and creation of new concepts in the bilingual thesaurus: methods and practices. Presented at Getty Research Institute.

Cheng, C., Chen, Y.N., Chen, S.J., Chung, F.C., Lin, Y.H., and Wu, D.(2009). AAT-Taiwan System: initiative and progress. Presented at Getty Research Institute.

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Thank you for your attention!

Photographer: unknown , Source: Cyber Island http://cyberisland.ndap.org.tw/game_item.php?cid=43&album=969&parent=11