As early as the 1960s, computers made it possible to dream about automatic translation, and early age translators happily began compiling electronic glossaries. It was soon realized, however, that simply creating electronic wordlists and then expecting computers to do the rest was extremely naïve. It was then that computer aided translation (CAT) systems made their debuts. For example, Weidner (ALPS), based in Utah, made a system available to translation companies, which requested the translator to provide information about word classes or to make choices from a variety of possible word translations before offering a first-pass translation. This system, however, was wieldy, and often required operators to make high level decisions that even trained linguists would hesitate to answer.
Further developments in language processing technology made it possible to improve the situation somewhat. Translation memory systems were developed which remember sections of text that have already been translated. These have become invaluable aids to translation companies and professionals in large companies who must deal with a large volume of company-specific text. However, such systems are not useful or affordable for companies that need only a few lines of text translated.
In general, four patterns of human-machine interaction with respect to translation can be defined: human alone, machine-enhanced human translation, human-enhanced machine translation, and machine alone (see Fig X). Up until the electronic age, the first option was the only one. Translation was a painstaking process involving paper dictionaries, if they were available, and a great amount of both brainwork and footwork in cases where they were not, for example in the case of minority languages or company-specific jargon. Good professional translators were few and far between, and large translation companies set up clear guidelines and practices (such as target-language translators coupled with source-language editors who checked for consistency and accuracy, etc.) to provide quality error-free work.
FIG X. from 2012 autotranslation from proceedings