4.3 Evaluating What Can Be Done and What Works

You need to decide if it is possible and practical to use language technology for the purpose you've chosen. How much will it improve things? To find out whether a use is workable and will have the impact you hope for, you need to test it out without taking any risks. And you need to get data that will show that you need the use case. One way to do this is by developing proof of concepts (POC). You can then measure the performance of the POC, carry out a cost-benefit analysis, and identify and deal with any risks involved with the specific use cases. We’ll explain these now.

Conduct small-scale proof of concepts to see if the language technology solutions are workable for the use case you’ve chosen.

A proof of concept is like a trial run. It involves trying out small versions of your language technology solutions to see if they work as you expect. You can catch any problems or challenges early on, so you can make improvements before moving forward to a larger version.

Define key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of your technology. Performance indicators are like measuring sticks. They help you see how well your language technology solution is doing. By choosing certain measurements, you can track the progress and success of the use case. For example, how accurately it translates or how quickly it responds. User satisfaction is also important. It tells you if people find the technology helpful and easy to use.

Look at the cost of language technology and compare it with the expected benefits.

This means looking at how much money and resources you will need to bring in the technology for the use case you’ve chosen. You will also need to look at the benefits or positive results you expect to get. This analysis helps you to compare the costs and benefits and make smart decisions.

Identify the risks of the use case and develop strategies to deal with them.

Risks are things that could go wrong or cause problems when you use language technology. It's important to think about these ahead of time and come up with ways to handle them if they happen. These strategies are like backup plans that help you deal with the risks and minimize their impact. One potential risk might be problems with accuracy and quality. You can deal with this by asking human experts to regularly test and check the accuracy of language technology solutions. You can also set up quality assurance processes to catch and correct errors.

When you introduce language technology for low-resource languages, these concepts are very important. They help to make sure that your plans are practical and that your technology works well. They also make sure that you achieve what you want, that it’s worth the cost, and that you’re ready for any surprises along the way. Use a step-by-step approach so you can keep assessing and improving language technology solutions.

As you start to introduce use cases and collect data on their impact, you’ll need to review your priorities regularly and identify areas for improvement. The needs of the organization or the end user may change. New opportunities may come up, and new technology may emerge. All these things can affect your decision-making about language technology. If you review your plans regularly, you can adapt your strategy when needed and make sure it is effective over time. You can also deliver added value to the target user groups and the wider organization.