IPM launches Joint Machine Translation Laboratory

Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa presided over the opening ceremony of the Joint Machine Translation (MT) Laboratory and the launch of two Portuguese books at Macao Polytechnic Institute (IPM) Tuesday.
Costa reinforced the message of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s closing speech at the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries; emphasizing Macau’s status as a bridge between Chinese and Portuguese-speaking regions.
According to an IPM press release, the effectiveness of Portuguese teaching and learning in China is evidenced by the rise in Chinese universities with Portuguese programs. Currently, 33 universities offer these programs.
IPM president Lei Heong Iok noted that the establishment of the Joint Laboratory of Chinese/Portuguese/English Machine Translation heralded a new age in translation and that the Polytechnic Institute had set up a benchmark of Sino-Portuguese cooperation in production, learning and research.
The project is supported by Leiria Polytechnic Institute and University of Coimbra.
Alexis Tam, Secretary of Social and Cultural Affairs, who also presided over the ceremony, stated that the dual launch of the Joint MT Laboratory and the Portuguese textbooks embodied how academic findings and new technology can help facilitate inter-language communication.