Machine translation in my life by Shelley

Machine translation in my life by Shelley - May 2023 Scholarship Essay

In college I plan on majoring in Computer Science because it has such a positive impact on my life. Most notably was the use of machine translation while studying abroad. As I roamed the streets of Seoul I was fascinated by all the stunning cafes, street fashion, and active lifestyle. However, my novice Korean-level skills made it difficult for me to communicate with Korean people and hindered me from experiencing Korean life fully. During this time, translation apps like Papago became a necessity, and the phrase “just Papago it” soon became my solution to all the language barrier problems I experienced.

Despite my Korean skills improving, the application was still helpful in checking my homework. However, not everyone will get the 9 months in Korea to learn Korean as I did. People including my family who visited me during my study abroad will have to rely on machine translation. That’s why I think that today's computer science will help improve the lives of people by helping them overcome the language barrier and allowing them to connect with others more effectively. Not only can computer translation save both energy and time, it allows people from all over the country to talk to each other with ease and at a low cost. I also thought that this would be useful for the members of my community who either cannot learn a new language or don't have the resources to do so. With machine translation, anyone can have access to easy translation and share their ideas with each other.

For this reason, I want to learn the algorithms skills necessary to help improve these translation apps. First, I would earn a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Wellesley College. Here, I will meet other women who are also passionate about computer science and form connections where I could meet people who will become my future colleagues and employers. Then I will gain experience through internships which will give me real-world experience in computer science. I believe that not everything can be learned in the classroom, therefore gaining experience in internships will give me a chance to apply my learnings in real-life scenarios. Lastly, with the knowledge that I have gained and the connections that I've made, I will gain a job in a company that uses computer science to improve machine translation.