Criteria for selecting MT systems

It was with considerable trepidation that I accepted the invitation to prepare a paper for this conference, especially when following such personalities in the field of CAT as Professor Sager and Mr Zirkle. However, I feel that, in the assessment of the current status of machine translation, some mention should be made of the endeavours to integrate computerised translation into a small business environment. The processes involved in the introduction of computer technology into a small business are very different to those encountered in large organisations from the point of view of the availability of both human and financial resources. Yet it is precisely the application of state-of-the-art technology which is so vital to the survival of the smaller enterprise in its quest to enter a market segment which is already well served by others bigger and more powerful than itself: it has been the search for these additional benefits to offer our customers, and our desire to tune in more closely to their needs, which has led COMTEC along the road of computerised translation.