LINGUIST List 8.1074

Mon Jul 21 1997

Confs: Functional Grammar, Machine Translation

Editor for this issue: Ann Dizdar <annlinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. mackenzilet.vu.nl> (J.L. Mackenzie), 8TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR
2. Laurie Gerber, Machine Translation Summit VI

EIGHTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR, JULY 6TH-9TH,
1998


The biennial series on conferences on Functional Grammar will be
continued in 1998 at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands),
where a four-day conference will be held from 6th to 9th July
1998. The conference will be held on the campus of the Vrije
Universiteit and will comprise a number of plenary lectures, parallel
sessions, poster sessions and workshops, as well as a range of social
activities.

All the papers at the conference will address issues arising within
the theory of Functional Grammar, as presented in Simon C. Dik, *The
Theory of Functional Grammar* (2 parts), which is to be published
(posthumously) by Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin in the autumn of 1997. A
thematically based selection of the papers will, it is hoped, be
prepared for publication in book form.

The first call for papers will be sent out in August 1997. Those not
already on the Functional Grammar mailing list and interested in
receiving the first call or other information regarding the
conference, should contact:

Prof. J.L. Mackenzie
Department of English
Faculty of Letters
Vrije Universiteit
De Boelelaan 1105
1081 HV Amsterdam
The Netherlands
e-mail: mackenzilet.vu.nl
fax: +31-20-444 6500

 MT Summit VI:
 "Machine Translation: Past, Present, Future"
 Catamaran Resort Hotel
 San Diego, 29 October-1 November 1997

 http://www.isi.edu/natural-language/mtsummit.html

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity:
No serious MT-ite can afford to miss MT Summit VI in San Diego
next October. Hosted by the Association for Machine Translation
in the Americas (AMTA) on behalf of the International Association
for Machine Translation (IAMT), this year's Summit coincides with
the 50th anniversary of machine translation. The celebration will
be truly memorable. AMTA and its cooperating host institution,
the Information Sciences Institute/University of Southern
California, take great pleasure in inviting you to join us in
commemorating this event.

Schedule:
The following schedule gives an overview of the events that have
been planned:
Tuesday, 28 October: 12-hour excursion to Ensenada;
 all-day workshops on Interlinguas/Standards
Wednesday, 29 October: 3-hour tutorials in morning and afternoon;
 registration; 
 opening of exhibits/reception, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, 30 October: Plenary and parallel sessions, 9:00 a.m.-5:30
p.m.;
 exhibits, 10:30-5:30 p.m.; 
 boat cruise, 6:00-7:30 p.m.; 
 beach luau, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, 31 October: Plenary and parallel sessions, 9:00 a.m.-5:30
p.m.;
 exhibits, 10:30-5:30 p.m.; 
 banquet, boat leaves at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, 1 November: Plenary and parallel sessions, 9:00a.m.-5:30
p.m.;
 exhibits, 10:30-3:00 p.m.

The Program:
A rich menu of invited talks, submitted papers, and theater-style
system presentations, together with a panel that will reunite
early MT pioneers, will give special meaning to the conference's
theme, "Machine Translation: Past, Present, and Future." In a
format combining both plenary and parallel sessions, the three-
day program, including all day Saturday, covers the trajectory of
MT across the decades from the perspective of researchers,
developers, and users. The session topics, to be addressed by
experts from around the world, include:
 Early MT history
 Current state of MT
 MT R&D around the world
 The shape of commercial MT systems
 Production MT
 The market perspective
 What do users need?
 Whither MT?
Parallel to these main topics will be a second track of sessions
that will include submitted papers and live system presentations
in a theater-style setting. All sessions will be audiotaped, and
copies of the tapes will be available for purchase on-site
shortly after each session ends.

Tutorials and Workshops
On Wednesday, 29 October, participants are offered a selection of
four 3-hour tutorials:
Morning, 9-12 a.m.
 "A Gentle Introduction to MT: Theory and Current
 Practice"-Eduard Hovy
 "Making MT Work for You"-Marjorie Leo'n
Afternoon, 2-5 p.m.
 "MT Evaluation: Old, New, and Recycled"-John White
 "Postediting MT: Strategies and Methods"-Karin Spalink

In addition, two workshops-one on the subject of interlinguas and
the other on standardization-are being offered on Tuesday, 28
October, outside the framework of the conference for attendees
who wish to come a day earlier. There will be a nominal charge.
Those interested should contact the organizers directly. Steve
Helmreich (shelmreicrl.nmsu.edu) is coordinating the workshop on
interlinguas, and Alan Melby (melbyabyu.edu) is responsible for
the one on standards.

Exhibits:
In addition to the theater-style system presentations in the
regular program, throughout the conference MT developers will
also be showcasing their latest breakthroughs in the Exhibit
Hall. Exhibits Coordinator Kim Belvin (kbelvinucsd.edu) has put
out a call for exhibitors and is expecting a record-breaking
array of products and systems. This will be "one-stop shopping"
at its best for all MT-ites, whether their interest is in
purchasing or licensing MT systems or in viewing, understanding,
and comparing them. There will also be tabletop exhibit space,
available at a lower fee, for publishers and nonprofit research
groups. Anyone interested in exhibiting should contact Kim at the
e-mail address above as soon as possible because booths will be
assigned on a first-come, first-served basis and there may not be
enough room for all who want to exhibit.

Related Events:
Because of the celebratory nature of this year's Summit, a number
of other exciting activities will be rounding out the rest of the
conference schedule.
 An all-day excursion to Ensenada, a major Mexican seaport and
tourist center, is planned for Tuesday, 28 October. This
spectacular 50-mile ride down the Baja California coast will
include a stop at Rosarito Beach; a typical Mexican lunch at a
restaurant with breathtaking views; a tour of Ensenada followed
by time for shopping, wine-tasting, museum-going, or strolling;
and an elegant gourmet dinner by the ocean at sunset-all this for
US$ 65.00.
 Tutorials and registration will take place all day Wednesday,
29 October, and the conference proper will open with the 50th
Anniversary Reception at 6:30 p.m. in the exhibit area. The
reception is complimentary, sponsored in part by Logos
Corporation.
 Box lunches will be available during the three days of the
conference. Tickets for the three lunches may be purchased for a
total of US$ 18.00.
 On the morning of Thursday, 30 October, there will be a welcome
breakfast for participants' spouses or other traveling
companions, at which time they will be given suggestions of
various things to do in the San Diego area.
 Thursday evening will be a double-header. At 6:00 p.m. the
hotel's magnificently detailed triple-deck sternwheeler, the "Wm.
D. Evans," will take participants and their companions on a
complimentary cruise of Mission Bay, sponsored in part by Systran
Software. During the cruise the entertainment will include
drawings for our exciting MT-oriented raffle (see separate
story), to be emceed by Bill Fry. On disembarkation at 7:30 p.m.
there will be a Hawaiian luau on the beach (US$ 20.00 per
person).
 Finally, the banquet (US$ 50.00 per person) will be held on
Friday, 31 October, on the top floor of the Bahia Hotel, a sister
property of the Catamaran, also on Mission Bay. This site was
chosen for its spectacular nighttime views stretching to Mexico
in the south and La Jolla in the north. Transportation will be
provided on the "Bahia Belle," the hotel's smaller sternwheeler.
Later in the evening the "Bahia Belle" opens to the public with a
live band and dancing; those returning from the banquet may
choose to remain on board at no extra cost and continue to cruise
around the Bay.

Site and Accommodations:
The Catamaran Resort Hotel is a tropical paradise wedged between
its own beach on Mission Bay and the public boardwalk and Pacific
Ocean just a few steps away. Its conference center is perfect for
MT Summit VI, with bright airy rooms open to terraces, gardens,
patios, and the beach on the Bay.
 The hotel has a pool, jacuzzi, fitness center, and business
center. Bicycles, skates, and various types of boats are
available for rent.
 The immediate vicinity offers many shops and restaurants as
well as grocery stores and carry-outs.
 Hotel parking passes are available at a special conference rate
of US$ 10 for three nights.
 The guest rooms are luxuriously appointed, all with doors
opening onto either a terrace or a balcony. The special
conference rates are US$ 99.00 for an interior garden view and
US$ 109.00 for a view of the bay or ocean. Rooms in the Tower
have kitchenettes and sweeping views.
 Participants should make their reservations directly with the
Catamaran-in the U.S.: +1 800/288-0770; from Canada: 800/233-
8172; from elsewhere: +1 619/488-1081; fax: +1 619/488-1619.
Neither space nor rates can be guaranteed after 28 September, so
make your reservation early!

Get There for Less!
Conventions in America, the Summit's official travel agency,
offers discounts on American Airlines and Alamo Rent A Car and
lowest available fares on any airline. Call +1 800/929-4242 in
the United States and Canada or +1 619/453-3686 from elsewhere;
fax +1 619/453-7976; or e-mail flyciascitravel.com. Be sure to
mention Group #547.

Additional Information:
Complete registration packets were mailed at the beginning of
June to members of AAMT, AMTA, and EAMT, including the
preliminary program flier, hotel registration form, and assorted
other fliers. If you are not a member of one of the regional
associations, you may obtain this packet by contacting the MT
Summit VI Registrar: phone/fax: +1 703/716-0912; e-mail:
AMTAclark.net. You may also register on-line at this Website.

Coordinates:
General Chair
Muriel Vasconcellos
President, IAMT
Phone: +1 619/272-3360
Fax: +1 619/272-3361
E-mail: MurielVasconcellos
compuserve.com

Program Chair
Winfield Scott Bennett
Logos Corporation
Phone: +1 201/398-8710 x 104
Fax: +1 201/398-6102
E-mail: wsbenibm.net

Local Arrangements Chair
Laurie Gerber
Systran Software
Phone: +1 619/459-6700 x 119
Fax: +1 619/459-8487
E-mail: lgerbersystransoft.com

Exhibits Coordinator
Kim Belvin
Phone: +1 619/481-8446
Fax: +1 619/350-8613
E-mail: kbelvinucsd.edu

Registrar
Deborah Becker
AMTA/IAMT Focal Point
Phone/fax: +703/716-0912
E-mail: AMTAclark.net