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# EUROTRA: an assessment of the current state of the EC's MT programme

**Authors:** [Doug Arnold](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/authors/doug-arnold/), [Louisa Sadler](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/authors/louisa-sadler/) · **Year:** 1991 · **Venue:** Translating and the Computer 13: The theory and practice of machine translation (Aslib) **Link:** [aclanthology.org/1991.tc-1.13](https://aclanthology.org/1991.tc-1.13/) · **Licence:** [CC BY-NC-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/) — summary only

[**1** citations](https://openalex.org/works?filter=cites:W2126485709) openalex · 2026-10-19[Proceedings of Translating and the Computer 13: The theory and practice of machine translation – a marriage of convenience?](https://aclanthology.org/volumes/1991.tc-1/)[licence](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/)

- [Publisher's page](https://aclanthology.org/1991.tc-1.13/)
- [PDF](https://aclanthology.org/1991.tc-1.13.pdf)
- [OpenAlex](https://openalex.org/W2126485709)

**Authors (2)**

1. [Doug Arnold](https://openalex.org/A5045067431) [ORCID](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3685-8450) · [Semantic Scholar](https://www.semanticscholar.org/author/144787038) · h 16 · 1098 citations · 82 works
2. [Louisa Sadler](https://openalex.org/A5080202311) [ORCID](https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9107-9014) · [Semantic Scholar](https://www.semanticscholar.org/author/1828759) · h 26 · 2752 citations · 139 works

Citations and author metrics from openalex (2026-10-19); authors with the same name are not always told apart.

## What it is about

The paper is an insider's assessment of EUROTRA, the European Community machine translation programme begun in 1982. Its stated aim was a pre-industrial prototype for the official Community languages, covering one restricted text type and domain, with a secondary aim of building research infrastructure in computational linguistics across the member states. It describes the organisation: language groups at about seventeen university institutes, and a central team of ten to twenty researchers who designed the software, the formalism and the common linguistic representations. The programme ran longer than planned because of the accession of Spain and Portugal. The authors argue that the programme is best seen as a family of related projects rather than one goal, that it left a sound base in linguistics, software and people, and that the current transition phase is mostly beneficial. The transition phase that followed moved the work into smaller, related projects and an improved formalism. The paper contains no evaluation figures for translation quality.

## Ideas

Ideas: none for Mova. The paper is about programme organisation and funding, not about a method, a representation or a measure that Mova could test. The one general point, that a shared formalism needs a central team, gives no test to run.

## For Mova

Nothing to take into `tools/translate`, `tools/roundtrip` or `prag` from this paper. It is useful background for the history of the isomorphic and transfer approaches, which the Maegaard and Rosetta papers cover.

Topics: [Machine translation](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/topics/machine-translation/)

## Cite

The paper itself, not this card. BibTeX from the library's record of the work.

```
@inproceedings{arnold1991eurotra,
  title = {{EUROTRA: an assessment of the current state of the EC's MT programme}},
  author = {Arnold, Doug and Sadler, Louisa},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of Translating and the Computer 13: The theory and practice of machine translation – a marriage of convenience?},
  year = {1991},
  url = {https://aclanthology.org/1991.tc-1.13/}
}
```

- [← previous 'Relaxed' compositionality in machine translation](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/arnold-1988-relaxed-compositionality-machine-translation/)
- [next → Abstract Meaning Representation for Sembanking](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/banarescu-2013-abstract-meaning-representation-sembanking/)
- [↑ back to Machine translation](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/mtrans/)

## References

18 references, 0 of them with a card of ours. ↗ leads to the work, «find» searches for one we have no id for yet.

1. D.J. Arnold and L. Sadler, "The Theoretical Basis of MiMo," Machine Translation, vol. 5, pp. 195-222, 1990. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=D%2EJ%2E+Arnold+and+L%2E+Sadler%2C+%22The+Theoretical+Basis+of+MiMo%2C%22+Machine+Translation%2C+vol%2E+5%2C+pp%2E+195%2D222%2C+1990%2E)
2. Sergio Balari, Louis Damas, Nelma Moreira, and Giovanni Varile, "CLG(n): Constraint Logic Grammars," COL1NG-90, vol. 3, pp. 7-12, Helsinki, 1990. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Sergio+Balari%2C+Louis+Damas%2C+Nelma+Moreira%2C+and+Giovanni+Varile%2C+%22CLG%28n%29%3A+Constraint+Logic+Grammars%2C%22+COL1NG%2D90%2C+vol%2E+3%2C+pp%2E+7%2D12%2C+Helsinki%2C+1990%2E)
3. Commission of the European Communities, EC Research Funding: a guide for applicants, DG XII, Brussels, 2nd edition, May 1990. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Commission+of+the+European+Communities%2C+EC+Research+Funding%3A+a+guide+for+applicants%2C+DG+XII%2C+Brussels%2C+2nd+edition%2C+May+1990%2E)
4. Commission of the European Communities, "Call for proposals for the Specific Programme of research and technology development in the field of Telematic Systems of General Interest (91/C 218/04)," Official Journal of the European Communities, 21 Sept, 1991. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Commission+of+the+European+Communities%2C+%22Call+for+proposals+for+the+Specific+Programme+of+research+and+technology+development+in+the+field+of+Telematic+Systems+of+General+Interest+%2891%2FC+218%2F04%29%2C%22+Offi)
5. C. Copeland, J. Durand, S. Krauwer, and B. Maegaard, eds., The Eurotra Linguistic Specifications, Studies in Machine Translation and Natural Language Processing; 1, Office for Publications of the CEC, Luxembourg, 1991. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=C%2E+Copeland%2C+J%2E+Durand%2C+S%2E+Krauwer%2C+and+B%2E+Maegaard%2C+eds%2E%2C+The+Eurotra+Linguistic+Specifications%2C+Studies+in+Machine+Translation+and+Natural+Language+Processing%3B+1%2C+Office+for+Publications+of+the+CEC%2C)
6. A. Danzin, Eurotra Programme Assessment Report, DG XIII, CEC, Luxembourg, March 1990. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=A%2E+Danzin%2C+Eurotra+Programme+Assessment+Report%2C+DG+XIII%2C+CEC%2C+Luxembourg%2C+March+1990%2E)
7. Eurotra Reference Manual, 7.0, DG XIII, CEC, Luxembourg, 1991. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Eurotra+Reference+Manual%2C+7%2E0%2C+DG+XIII%2C+CEC%2C+Luxembourg%2C+1991%2E)
8. Ulrich Heid and John McNaught, eds., Eurotra-7 Study: feasibility and project definitions study on the reusability of lexical and technological resources in computerized applications, DG XIII, Luxembourg, August 1991. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Ulrich+Heid+and+John+McNaught%2C+eds%2E%2C+Eurotra%2D7+Study%3A+feasibility+and+project+definitions+study+on+the+reusability+of+lexical+and+technological+resources+in+computerized+applications%2C+DG+XIII%2C+Luxembo)
9. LRE Programme, "Technical Background Document," Call For Proposals 1991, DG XIII, Luxembourg, 1991. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=LRE+Programme%2C+%22Technical+Background+Document%2C%22+Call+For+Proposals+1991%2C+DG+XIII%2C+Luxembourg%2C+1991%2E)
10. Jörg Schütz, ed., Feasibility study for a Eurotra-II system: a feasibility study on the software environment with the framework of the Eurotra programme, DG XIII, Luxembourg, 1991. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=J%C3%B6rg+Sch%C3%BCtz%2C+ed%2E%2C+Feasibility+study+for+a+Eurotra%2DII+system%3A+a+feasibility+study+on+the+software+environment+with+the+framework+of+the+Eurotra+programme%2C+DG+XIII%2C+Luxembourg%2C+1991%2E)
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12. Jeanette Pugh, "1991-1992: The Eurotra Transition Programme," Proceedings of a Workshop on Machine Translation, UMIST, Manchester, 2-3 July, 1990, DTI/Speech and Language Technology Club. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Jeanette+Pugh%2C+%221991%2D1992%3A+The+Eurotra+Transition+Programme%2C%22+Proceedings+of+a+Workshop+on+Machine+Translation%2C+UMIST%2C+Manchester%2C+2%2D3+July%2C+1990%2C+DTI%2FSpeech+and+Language+Technology+Club%2E)
13. S. G. Pulman, ed., H. Alshawi, D.J. Arnold, R. Backofen, D.M. Carter, J. Lindop, K. Netter, J-I. Tsujii, and H. Uskoreit, ET6/1: Rule Formalism and Virtual Machine Design Study, SRI International, Cambridge, 1991. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=S%2E+G%2E+Pulman%2C+ed%2E%2C+H%2E+Alshawi%2C+D%2EJ%2E+Arnold%2C+R%2E+Backofen%2C+D%2EM%2E+Carter%2C+J%2E+Lindop%2C+K%2E+Netter%2C+J%2DI%2E+Tsujii%2C+and+H%2E+Uskoreit%2C+ET6%2F1%3A+Rule+Formalism+and+Virtual+Machine+Design+Study%2C+SRI+International%2C+Cam)
14. A. Raw, B. Vandecapelle, and F. Van Eynde, "Eurotra: An Overview," Interface: Journal of Applied Linguistics, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 5-32, Vlaamse Economische Hogeschool, Brussels, 1988. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=A%2E+Raw%2C+B%2E+Vandecapelle%2C+and+F%2E+Van+Eynde%2C+%22Eurotra%3A+An+Overview%2C%22+Interface%3A+Journal+of+Applied+Linguistics%2C+vol%2E+3%2C+no%2E+1%2C+pp%2E+5%2D32%2C+Vlaamse+Economische+Hogeschool%2C+Brussels%2C+1988%2E)
15. Randall Sharp, "CAT2 – an Experimental Eurotra Alternative," Machine Translation (Special Issue on Eurotra (II)), vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 215-228, 1991. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Randall+Sharp%2C+%22CAT2+%E2%80%93+an+Experimental+Eurotra+Alternative%2C%22+Machine+Translation+%28Special+Issue+on+Eurotra+%28II%29%29%2C+vol%2E+6%2C+no%2E+3%2C+pp%2E+215%2D228%2C+1991%2E)
16. Valerio Allegranza, Steven Krauwer and Erich Steiner, eds., "Special Issue on Eurotra (I)," Machine Translation, vol. 6, no. 2, 1991. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Valerio+Allegranza%2C+Steven+Krauwer+and+Erich+Steiner%2C+eds%2E%2C+%22Special+Issue+on+Eurotra+%28I%29%2C%22+Machine+Translation%2C+vol%2E+6%2C+no%2E+2%2C+1991%2E)
17. Erich Steiner, ed., "Special Issue on Eurotra (II)," Machine Translation, vol. 6, no. 3, 1991. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Erich+Steiner%2C+ed%2E%2C+%22Special+Issue+on+Eurotra+%28II%29%2C%22+Machine+Translation%2C+vol%2E+6%2C+no%2E+3%2C+1991%2E)
18. Gertjan van Noord, Joke Dorrepaal, Pim van der Eijk, Maria Florenza, Herbert Ruessink, and Louis des Tombe, "An Overview of MiMo2," Machine Translation, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 210-214, 1991. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Gertjan+van+Noord%2C+Joke+Dorrepaal%2C+Pim+van+der+Eijk%2C+Maria+Florenza%2C+Herbert+Ruessink%2C+and+Louis+des+Tombe%2C+%22An+Overview+of+MiMo2%2C%22+Machine+Translation%2C+vol%2E+6%2C+no%2E+3%2C+pp%2E+210%2D214%2C+1991%2E)