Assessing the Capacity of the Machine Interpreting Technologies: The Russian Experience

The role and efficacy of various machine interpreting technologies are widely discussed nowadays. These technologies are viewed from both theoretical and practical angles. Technical characteristics, the potential and prospects of their development are considered in research papers. As far as the practical application is concerned, the study of machine interpreting technologies and their use is integrated in the curriculum of higher education institutions. Interpreters-to-be are trained to use machine interpreting technologies in their professional activity. The output of machine interpreters is compared to the output of human interpreters. The specific features of machine interpreters; the ways of their use in practice are the subject of professional analysis of interpreters-to-be. The current paper provides the findings of the research held by the Department of Foreign Languages of Law Institute, RUDN University (Peoples' Friendship University of Russia). The research had the following purposes: first, to examine the fidelity of the samples interpreted from a foreign language into Russian made with the help of machine interpreting technologies and second, to present some aspects of training interpretersto-be in legal setting. The paper shows the results of the practical experiment.