Alan K. Melby

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Alan Kenneth Melby (born March 25, 1948 in Utah ) is an American linguist and translation scholar . He is a full professor of linguistics and computational linguistics at Brigham Young University in Provo , Utah.

Life

After completing his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Master of Arts in Linguistics, Melby received his PhD in Computational Linguistics in 1976. He is an ATA (American Translator Association) certified translator for French and English and has been a translator since 1970. Melby is married and has six children. He is listed on the international Who's Who list for translation and terminology.

engagement

For many years he was an active member of Boy Scouts of America (BSA) as a Roundtable Officer for the Rock Canyon District of the Utah National Parks Council (UNPC). He received the District Award of Merit, the highest award in the district for a representative in youth work, as well as the Woodbadge Beads, a badge used in the scouting movement for completing a course in one of the member associations of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) .

Research areas

Melby's research focuses on translation studies , didactics and evaluation . His field of activity also includes working on various norms and standards.

His areas of research include Translation, Training and Testing (TTT) with an emphasis on translation technology and standards. He is active in several research groups that deal with the application of linguistic theory in translation and direct communication, in particular with the help of standards and terminology database development. Other topics include language training through the use of video and testing the efficiency of translations through the use of technology and standards.

Theoretical basis of his research

In the 1970s, Melby believed in the existence of a universal set of language-independent concepts (superficial ambiguity) underlying all human languages. Due to an intellectual crisis in the 1980s, he rejected this theory. His current approach to language denies the existence of an absolute inventory of language-independent concepts, but does not support the concept of radical relativism. His theory of language includes two distinctions: general versus subject-specific and dynamic versus static. Universal concepts can only be simulated within the defined terms of a subject. Outside of the specifically definable subject areas, meaning depends on the context and can even be created dynamically. This philosophy of language supports a flexible theory of the quality of translations (quality means adhering to agreed specifications instead of sticking to a particular translation style). This philosophy asserts that language learning is insufficient without a pragmatic context and confirms the effectiveness of video in language learning. In his book (The Possibility of Language, John Benjamin), published in 1995, he writes about technical language and the possibilities of its machine translation. He and his co-author come to unusual conclusions about the nature of language. Since 2000, his research has focused on the practical application of his linguistic theories, with a special focus on structured specifications for translation projects.

Awards

In 2007 Melby received the Eugen Wüster Prize for his life's work in the field of terminology (awarded by Infoterm, the international information center for terminology)

Active groups and projects

Translation

  • TBX project (supports the exchange of terminological data between different software applications)
  • Participation in the development of quality standards at ASTM and ISO
  • Linport project (development of standard containers for translation projects and tasks)
  • GEvTerm initiative (supports direct communication between two people with different mother tongues)

education

  • ERA project (facilitates the use of video material in language learning)
  • VAD project (standardization of the description of video material in the EFR project and other individual video projects)

Testing

  • Participated in a project to gain accreditation for the American Translators Association certification program
  • Development of a theory-based concept for proficiency testing of translations as part of the CTT (Computerized Translation Testing) project

Memberships

Publications (selection)

  • Together with Arle Lommel (ed.): LACUS Forum XXVI - The Lexicon. Lacus Fullerton, California 2000
  • Multilingual Solutions. SMP, Geneva 2000
  • Together with Ruth Brend and Arle Lommel (eds.): LACUS Forum XXVII - Speaking and Comprehending LACUS Fullerton, California 2001
  • With Douglas Coleman, William Sullivan, Arle Lommel (Eds.): Listening Comprehension, Laws, and Video. LACUS Forum XXIX - Linguistics and the Real World. LACUS, Houston 2003
  • Together with Terry Warner: The Possibility of Language. A discussion of the nature of language, with implications for human and machine translation. Benjamin's Translation Library, Amsterdam 1995

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Archive link ( Memento from October 12, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (accessed on September 15, 2013)
  2. ↑ Melby's résumé , accessed September 17, 2013.
  3. ↑ cf. http://www.ttt.org/akm-cv.html "My research agenda can be summarized as Translation, Training / education, and Testing (TTT) with an emphasis on standards." (accessed September 15, 2013)
  4. ^ Website of the International Information Center for Terminology
  5. ^ American Translators Association website , accessed September 18, 2013
personal data
SURNAME Melby, Alan K.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Melby, Alan Kenneth (full name); Melby, Alan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American linguist and translation scholar
DATE OF BIRTH March 25, 1948
PLACE OF BIRTH Utah