LINGUIST List 22.5032 Tue Dec 13 2011 Diss: Translation: Asare: 'An Ethnographic Study of the Use of ...' Editor for this issue: Xiyan Wang <xiyanlinguistlist.org> To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.cfm. Directory         1.     Edmund Asare , An Ethnographic Study of the Use of Translation Tools in a Translation Agency: Implications for translation tool design Message 1: An Ethnographic Study of the Use of Translation Tools in a Translation Agency: Implications for translation tool design Date: 10-Dec-2011 From: Edmund Asare <eddieasaregmail.com> Subject: An Ethnographic Study of the Use of Translation Tools in a Translation Agency: Implications for translation tool design E-mail this message to a friend Institution: Kent State University Program: Translation Studies Dissertation Status: Completed Degree Date: 2011 Author: Edmund K Asare Dissertation Title: An Ethnographic Study of the Use of Translation Tools in a Translation Agency: Implications for translation tool design Linguistic Field(s): Translation Dissertation Director: Gregory M. Shreve Dissertation Abstract: There is often a significant disjunction between how software designers envision the use of their application programs and how the software is actually understood, perceived, and employed by end users. When this disjunction occurs, software tools and technology fail to meet user needs or expectations and do not fulfill business objectives. This study investigates this disjunction in a translation agency. Some researchers have argued that many software system designs fail because insufficient attention is paid during the design phase to the social and cultural context of how and why people actually work with software applications in their organizational settings. These researchers argue that the development of usable and useful software thus depends on receiving organizationally meaningful and actionable information from end users both during the design process and during the refinement and upgrade cycles of the software. Regrettably, this information, which is essentially ethnographic in nature, is not easy to obtain using the normal methods of requirement specification. This dissertation argues that ethnography can make a significant contribution to the success of the design process and serve as a valuable requirement specification method. The research focuses on an ethnographic description of the tool-using behavior of translation professionals at the agency. The study uses a form of ethnographic description to document the movement of translation objects (texts, data objects) through the organization and between participants by documenting the workflows, processes, and tasks that must be performed with the translation tools and technologies in the organization. The study also uses ethnographic microanalysis to investigate the use of specific features of translation tools and makes recommendations for translation tool design. There is some evidence in the literature to suggest that many software tool designers find it difficult to translate ethnographic research findings into software design decisions .We propose a model for analyzing ethnographic findings for the purpose of translation software design. Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue Page Updated: 13-Dec-2011       About LINGUIST    |   Contact Us       While the LINGUIST List makes every effort to ensure the linguistic relevance of sites listed on its pages, it cannot vouch for their contents.