Software of the Month Club 1996 December

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Text File | 1996-06-22 | 30.8 KB | 646 lines

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS COPYRIGHT (C) 1996 BY ALEXANDER GROSS DATE: April 28, 1996 [This information is also found in the file VENDINFO.DIZ.] *********************** * PLEASE NOTE!!! * *********************** This File Contains the following sections: 1. Official Disclaimer 2. Nature of License 3. What Is "Truth About Translation?" (And What Is "Truth About Translation Enhanced?") (AND HOW TO ORDER THESE PROGRAMS) 4. List of Most Important Files 5. How to Run and/or Install TRUTRANS, the Animated Slide-Show Program 6. How to Print Out the Text Files 7. Type of Support Offered 8. Other Information 9. Varieties of This Program 10. About the Author... 11. ASP Ombudsman Statement 12. What Is Shareware? _______ ____|__ | (R) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER 1. OFFICIAL DISCLAIMER: This program has been tested on many different computers, ranging from a slow 286 to the fastest Pentium. It has run perfectly well on all of them. This does not mean, however, that it will work perfectly on *your* computer. Neither the author nor the distributor of this free, educa- tional program is in any way responsible if it fails to work on any machine, nor are they responsible for any damages claimed to have been caused on existing hardware or software. The program is offered "as is," with no warranty of any kind. This disclaimer is stated in more formal terms in the file VENDINFO.DIZ. 2. NATURE OF LICENSE: You are entitled and encouraged to make as many copies of this free Shareware program as you wish and to distribute them to your friends. It is hoped that this free, abridged version of the program will encourage you to order the full version at the reasonable price of $12, which you can do by filling out the form in the file ORDER.DOC. Any exceptions to these terms are shown below and in the standard Shareware file VENDINFO.DIZ. Please feel free to place this abridged version of the program on local Bulletin Boards, in the Zipped form as you most probably received it--and to publicize it in any and all appropriate media. Sysops are especially encouraged to post it on their Boards, and publishers of CD-ROM's are welcome to include it on their disks. In fact, almost all ways and methods of distributing this program are most welcome, with three exceptions. 1. As stated at the beginning of the program itself, its contents remain the Copyrighted property of its sole author, Alexander Gross. 2. No one is authorized to charge any special fee for obtaining this program, aside from the usual nominal fee charged by legitimate originators and/or distributors of Shareware and CD-ROM disks. See the VENDINFO.DIZ file for details. 3. No changes to be are made to any part of the program, except as specifically provided for in the VENDINFO.DIZ statement, and all files belonging to the program are to be kept together as a single unit. 3. WHAT IS "TRUTH ABOUT TRANSLATION?" (AND WHAT IS "TRUTH ABOUT TRANSLATION ENHANCED?") ***(AND HOW TO ORDER THESE PROGRAMS)*** The following is the brief description of the abridged version of this program, which you have received. It is less than 450 bytes long and appears elsewhere on the disk as FILE_ID.DIZ and DESC450.TXT: Truth About Translation 1.0 animated text show gives much info, removes many myths about translating/interpreting/computers. Humorously dissects complex language issues, presents quotations about translation span- ning 2,500 years plus HILARIOUS "Translation Bloopers" by man and machine PLUS humorous and insightful ideas about how both language & translation actually work. Both animated & printable. ASP Shareware, Full version $12. Further summations of the program in 250, 750, and 1500 bytes appear in the files named DESC250.TXT, DESC750. TXT, and DESC1500.TXT respectively. Here is a more detailed discussion of this software: ================================================= (if you want to know how to install the program, either jump to Section 5 or read the file INSTALL.DOC) "Truth About Translation" is a three-part program that clears up many misunderstandings about translation and interpreting. It is directed towards the general public and especially those who work with computers. A great many people mistakenly suppose that there is nothing more to translation and interpreting than substituting one word for another in a second language. But translation often requires a considerably higher level of perception and skills in a number of different areas. Learning a second vocabulary correctly is often only the first of many steps. Other fields that must be mastered are writing and editing (or for interpreters, skills in public speaking, acting, and quick thinking), mastery in both languages of the subject matter being translated, and crystal-clear understanding of grammar and usage in both languages. Perhaps the most important requirement is the slow and gradual cultivation of a form of bilingual seeing, hearing, and understanding, which will make it possible to tell when two entities or situations as expressed in two different languages or cultures are truly simmilar and when they are truly different. Pliny the Younger expressed this quality rather precisely almost 2,000 years ago when he observed: At the same time, what they may miss in reading, they cannot avoid in translating. From this process intelligence and judgment are acquired. This is another way of saying that the translator must always be on the alert to avoid errors. Just as no human being can understand every book written in his or her native language, there is certainly no way a translator can accomplish such a feat with two languages. Thus, specialists are absolutely crucial--just as in law or medicine--to ensure adequate results. While a few principles are shared by all forms of translation and interpreting, there is usually no such thing as "generic translation." ******************************************************* * Projects linking computers and * * translation--so-called "machine translation" * * methods--have repeatedly failed altogether or * * fallen demonstrably short because their authors * * have not been able to accept or to understand * * the basic ideas outlined above. * ******************************************************* The three parts of "Truth About Translation" demonstrate these ideas in different ways. The first section ("Translation and Translators: Quotations Through the Ages") gathers over 2,500 years of observations about translation and interpreting and shows how complex these arts have remained from the Ancient Sumerians right down to the latest translations of texts on Molecular Biology. Ultimately, no truly faithful translation can be created unless the minds of translators can come extremely close to approaching the knowledge and skills of the authors they are translating. This can become painfully true even where truly "simple" texts are concerned. The second section ("Famous Translation Bloopers By Man and Computer") presents hilarious real-life illustrations of what happens when the translator's mind fails to capture the mind of the author and/or the meaning of the text. Many of these ridiculous and outrageous translations were produced by poorly trained translators or simply by NON-translators who imagined the task was easy. But the examples of computer translation shown in this same section easily outdo these human amateurs in the number and unpredictability of their errors. The last major section ("Spray It Again, Sam") uses a semi-humorous history of language and translation to explain why so many of us have so many problems with languages, including our own. Its major thesis is rooted in evolution and biological processes and suggests an alternative to the widely held Chomskian view of language, since these widely held trans- formational/generative theories of linguistics may be inadequate to describe practical problems of translation. Far from satisfying such highly intellectualized preconceptions as "universal grammar" or "deep structure," the origin and use of language may spring from far more basic human and animal habits. A brief quiz on the history of translation and inter- preting provides an addendum rounding out the program. Fully one-half of the quotations contained in the first section do not appear in any work on translation history, and only a small fraction appears in any one such work. They are also notably absent from works on cultural history, anthropology, and linguistics. Perhaps most ironically, many of these quotations have never before been translated into English. The full text of the program is presented in two forms: 1) an executable, animated slide-show (TT.BAT); 2) a printable text file (ALLTEXT.ASC). A Paper about this program that was published by the American Translators Association is provided in the file TRANTRIP.TXT. In addition, a few other articles on computers and translation by the author of this program are included in the file ARTICLES.ZIP, which can easily be unarchived. The unabridged and fully licensed Shareware version of this program is entitled "Truth About Translation Enhanced" and presents several additional features. First of all, both the Quotations and Bloopers sections of the program are considerably longer (providing twice as many quotations and three times as many bloopers). There is also an additional section: a 14-question Quiz on the history of Translating and Interpreting. An additional program showing some of the problems of "machine translation has also been provided. Perhaps most important, a complete "scholarly apparatus" is available in the unabridged version, making it possible for anyone to locate the precise source of any quotation. Fully one-half of the quotations contained in this program do not appear in any work on translation history, and only a small fraction appears in any one such work. As is made clear in the program itself, this material is also not found in works on linguistics, cultural anthropology, history, or literature. Perhaps most ironically, many of these quotations have never before been translated into English. ***HOW TO ORDER THE FULL, REGISTERED VERSION*** The unabridged version of the program can be acquired for $12 by completing the form appearing in the file ORDER.DOC or by placing credit card orders on CompuServe's SWREG Forum (GO SWREG) and on a New York area BBS. Reduced prices for multiple copying can be found in the file VENDINFO.DIZ. CLASSROOM USE BY COLLEGES OR OTHER INSTITUTIONS: ************************************************ Colleges and other institutions intending to use the program for educational purposes are requested to order the complete program for the price of $30, which includes the right to make three copies for institutional purposes. FURTHER INSTITUTIONAL COPIES: If three copies for institutional use are not enough for you, you can obtain a License to make further copies at the following greatly reduced rates: 4 to 10 copies $ 8 each 11 to 20 copies $ 7 each 21 to 30 copies $ 6 each 31 to 50 copies $ 5 each Over 50 copies by arrangement Please contact the author, either electronically or at the mail address given below, to obtain such a License in writing. Please note that no disks will be sent--the License covers the right for you to make the specified number of copies for your own institutional use. 4. LIST OF MOST IMPORTANT FILES: README.1ST This file--you are reading it now. TT.BAT Executing file for the animated text slide-show. ALLTEXT.ASC Printable text file for the entire contents of the animated slide-show. XX.BAT Further batch files for running various sections of this program individually. See the following section for details. XX.TXT text files about various aspects of or XX.DOC this program 5. HOW TO RUN THIS PROGRAM AND/OR INSTALL IT ON YOUR HARD DISK: If you have received this program in zipped form from a BBS or a CD-ROM disk, simply unzip it using the widely available PKUNZIP.EXE program. Some Dos Shell programs such as XTREE have their own built-in UNZIP programs. Place the unzipped files in a directory of its own (possible names: TT, TRUTRANS, TRANSLAT, etc.). Then go to that directory and simply type: tt <Enter> The program will then begin. It lasts about 45 minutes. *** IF YOU WISH TO STOP IT AT ANY TIME, press ANY KEY *** If you receive this program on a disk containing the file SETUP.BAT, simply go to your C: prompt and type: a:setup If your 3 1/2 inch drive is called B: , then type: b:setup This will automatically install all the files onto your hard disk and launch the program. The program will also run from a 3 1/2 inch floppy disk, but you will have to unzip it onto your hard disk and then recopy the files to another high density floppy in order to do this. Running it from the hard disk is recommended, as it will be slower and less smooth on a floppy. You can also install this program via Windows 3.1 or Windows95 and set up an icon for running it. See your Windows documentation for full instructions. RUNNING VARIOUS SECTIONS INDIVIDUALLY: You can also run separate sections of this program individually by using the various batch files that come with this program. From your directory holding all the files of this program), simply type the following commands to see the sections indicated. INTRO introductory section before quotations QUOTEALL view all the quotation sections QUOTE1 view quotations from Sumeria to 1600 QUOTE2 view quotations from 1600 to 1900 QUOTE3 view quotations from 1900 to 1950 QUOTE4 view quotations from 1950 to 1995 BLOOPERS view "Bloopers" section SPRAY view "Spray It Again, Sam" REMOVING THIS PROGRAM FROM YOUR HARD DISK: ****************************************** It is very easy to remove this program from your Hard Disk. Simply delete all its files from the directory where you have placed them, and then delete the directory itself. See your DOS or Windows docs if you need any further information about this. 6. HOW TO PRINT OUT THE TEXT FILES: You can print out either ALLTEXT.ASC or any text file (such as this one) by simply copying it to your word processor and printing it in the usual way. Depending on the typeface and margins you choose, you will need approximately 25 pages to print ALLTEXT.ASC. 7. TYPE OF SUPPORT OFFERED: Both "Truth About Translation" and the full registered version are very easy programs to run and have encountered no insoluable problems during the testing phase. They are furthermore based on an extremely successful Shareware program called Automessage (see below), which has itself gone through three successive versions and been thoroughly tested over a three-year period. The only problem one user has encountered so far has involved running this program with certain kinds of "screen savers" or "screen blankers" automatically loaded into memory when their computer goes on. The solution here is simply to disable such screen savers or screen blankers (see the manuals that came with them for details) before running this program. In some cases, it may become necessary to remove a line from your AUTOEXEC.BAT file in order to do this. See your DOS manual (or ask a computer-wise friend) for details. All of this is a friendly way of saying that we do not expect you to run into any problems with this program--or at least no problems that you cannot solve for yourself. IMPORTANT: No shareware support and no handholding is in fact available for the free version of this program, though this is a feature of the fully licensed version. If you REALLY run into a TRULY UNIQUE problem, please let the author know at either of the two e-mail addresses below: alex.gross@consultant.com Compuserve: 71071,1520 In such exceptional cases the author will, based on his estimate of the problem and his time commitments, make an attempt to provide some advice. 8. OTHER INFORMATION: "Truth About Translation" has been extensively scanned for viruses at all stages of its development. This does NOT mean that you shouldn't also run it through your own virus scanner, especially if you have obtained the program through a third party. As noted above, "Truth About Translation" is based on the Automessage program by Russell Holloway. You can obtain more information about Automessage (but **NOT** about translation or "Truth About Translation") by phoning (800) 815-6578. At the present time, both "Truth About Translation" and its registered counterpart are available only in DOS format, and there are no plans to create versions for other platforms. 9. VARIETIES OF THIS PROGRAM AND ORDER FORM: So far, this program exists in two separate forms: "TRUTH ABOUT TRANSLATION" about half as long as the (this one!) full-length version, available FREE OF CHARGE FREE OF CHARGE from Compuserve "TRUTH ABOUT TRANSLATION ENHANCED" see the file ORDER.DOC If the reception to this program is reasonably positive, new, enlarged, and improved versions will be offered at appropriate intervals. 10. ABOUT THE AUTHOR... Alex Gross has contributed many papers and articles about translation, computers, and linguistics to scholarly and professional publications. Some of these are reproduced in the file ARTICLES.ZIP. He has served as PR Committee Chair for the American Trans- lators Association and was one of the co-founders of the New York Circle of Translators. A produced playwright, his translation specialties are stage plays and poetry, though he has also translated diplomatic and business texts and has even done work on Chinese herbal medical theory. 11. IMPORTANT NOTE: OFFICIAL ASP OMBUDSMAN STATEMENT ************************************************ Alex Gross is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442-9427 USA, FAX 616-788-2765 or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. 12. WHAT IS SHAREWARE? Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to register. Individual programs differ on details--some request registration while others require it, some specify a maximum trial period. With registration, you get anything from the simple right to continue using the software to an updated program with printed manual. Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software, and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of distribution. The author specifically grants the right to copy and distribute the software, either to all and sundry or to a specific group. For example, some authors require written permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy their Shareware. Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy. And because the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the product, you don't pay for it. DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT Users of "Truth About Translation" must accept this disclaimer of warranty: "Truth About Translation" is supplied as is. The author disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential, which may result from the use of "Truth About Translation." "Truth About Translation" is a "shareware program" and is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation. Feel free to share it with your friends, but please do not give it away altered or as part of another system. The essence of "user-supported" software is to provide personal computer users with quality software without high prices, and yet to provide incentive for programmers to continue to develop new products. If you find this program useful and find that you are enjoying "Truth About Translation" and continue to consult "Truth About Translation" after a reasonable trial period, you may wish to make a payment of $12.00 to Cross-Cultural Research Projects. In return for your $12.00 registration fee you will receive a copy of the Full Registered Program, entitled "Truth About Translation Enhanced." You may use either program only on one computer at any one time. You must treat this software just like a book. An example is that this software may be used by any number of people and may be freely moved from one computer location to another, so long as there is no possibility of it being used at one location while it's being used at another. Just as a book cannot be read by two different persons at the same time. Those who wish to use "Truth About Translation" in the class room are asked to register and pay for their copy of the fully registered version at the institutional price of $30. This will entitle them to make three copies of the program for institutional purposes. The registered version contains twice as many quotations and three times as many "bloopers" as the Shareware version. It also has a special quiz feature and an extra program about "machine translation" as well as a complete bibliography and scholarly apparatus. Thus, there is nothing in "Truth About Translation" that is not also in the full version, but the full program contains much information that is not in the Shareware one. Information on making more than three copies can be found in the file VENDINFO.DIZ. Anyone who requires a Site-License arrangement should contact Cross-Cultural Research Projects directly. Anyone distributing "Truth About Translation" for any kind of remuneration must first contact Cross-Cultural Research Projects at the address below for authorization, except as provided for in the VENDINFO. DIZ file. Such authorization will be automatically granted to distributors recognized by the (ASP) as adhering to its guidelines for Shareware distributors, and such distributors may begin offering "Truth About Translation" immediately. (However Cross-Cultural Research Projects must still be advised so that the distributor can be kept up-to-date with the latest version of "Truth About Translation".). You are encouraged to pass a copy of "Truth About Translation" along to your friends for evaluation. Please encourage them to register their copy if they find that they can use it. All registered users will receive a copy of the full version of this program. ADDRESSES Cross-Cultural Research Projects P.O. Box 660 Cooper Station New York, NY 10276 CompuServe: 71071,1520 Internet: alex.gross@consultant.com 71071.1520@compuserve.com