A web-based translation service at the UOC based on Apertium

Abstract

In this paper, we describe the adaptation process of Apertium, a free/open-source rule-based machine translation platform which is operating in a number of different real-life contexts, to the linguistic needs of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Open University of Catalonia, UOC), a private elearning university based in Barcelona where linguistic and cultural diversity is a crucial factor. This paper describes the main features of the Apertium platform and the practical developments required to fully adapt it to UOC’s linguistic needs. The settting up of a translation service at UOC based on Apertium shows the growing interest of large institutions with translation needs for open-source solutions in which their investment is oriented toward adding value to the available features to offer the best possible adapted service to their user community.