Outstanding success
of the Intensive School in Machine Translation

Chelyabinsk, Russia, 16 - 20 May 2011

The Intensive School in Machine Translation (ISMT) co-sponsored by EAMT and South Ural State University has been successfully held in Chelyabinsk, Russia.

This unprecedented event that for the first time widened the borders of EAMT coverage up to the most Eastern part of Russia has successfully met the daunting challenge of broadly educating students, young researchers and translators in the front-end MT technologies while contributing a lot to the enlarging of EAMT community.

Though the school was planned for 80 participants from the Ural region the program committee, chaired by Svetlana Sheremetyeva, got 241 applications for participation not only from the Urals and Siberia but also from many well known central Russia universities, research and development centres from Moscow, St.Petersburg, Kazan, etc., as well as from abroad, - Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland, India, England and Spain. The extended financial support of the South Ural State University approved by its rector Alexander Shestakov and the commitment of the local organizing committee headed by Tamara Khomutova, dean of the SUSU department of linguistics, and Professor Svetlana Sheremetyeva allowed accepting 120 participants.

The scope and high standard of courses delivered by such internationally renowned researchers as Andy Way, Harold Somers, Robert Frederking and Svetlana Sheremetyeva on major MT technologies were highly appreciated by all the participants who acknowledged that ISMT provided them with a reference frame for defining critical MT problems and the most useful methods of MT solutions. The school has broadened the participants' appreciation for MT while also strengthening them technically. An extensive round table discussion demonstrated high interest in all kinds of MT issues. An ISMT diploma was issued upon completion of the course.

The ISMT experience in Chelyabinsk showed a great need for such events. In particular, the ISMT participants expressed hope that it was "the beginning of a beautiful friendship".