Description:
This paper discusses the possibilities that the implementation of a Natural User Interface provides as a way to improve and further simplify the standard CAT tool interface paradigm by proposing several innovations. These are the result of a previous analysis of the GUIs of several CAT tools on which the purpose was to point out their flaws in terms of intuitiveness and complexity. To solve these learning curve problems, several multitouch, motion tracking and standard hardware arrays, used in combination with direct and spatial gestures, and/or speech recognition software, are proposed. Some arrays are applicable in the near future while others are partially restricted for different reasons. The hardware and software interactions are simulated using mock-ups. Some attainable NUI features, such as drag and drop, pinch to zoom, speech recognition and tapping are also studied for their use on mobile, multitouch hardware, such as an Apple iPad, as there is no mobile CAT tool available to date for these. The author thinks that implementing NUIs will help in the creation of scalable, simpler software for a broader range of hardware.Gonzalo Delgado was born in 1988 in Santiago, Chile. He is presently in the pursuit of a B.A. degree in Translation and Interpreting in Foreign Languages (English and German) at the University of Concepcion in Concepcion, Chile. His major field of specialty is Information Technology. In 2010 he presented some of his work on the simplification of CAT Tools’ GUIs during the X Translator Students Congress in Copiapo, Chile. Recently he started working as a freelance translator to enhance his studies. After completing his B.A. studies he plans to pursue a M.A. degree in Translation and Localization.