In the data translation arena, there is considerable speculation about the relative merits of the pairwise model of data translation versus the intermediate-form model. If translation is desired between some number of specific encoding schemes, the pairwise model of translation requires that translators be written between every combination of the encoding schemes, taken two at a time. The intermediate-form model requires that a new, generic encoding scheme be used as an intermediate vehicle. Then, for each encoding scheme, two translators need to be written, one to and one from the intermediate encoding scheme. These can then be composed to form a translation bridge between any two specific encoding schemes. This project proposes two experiments to evaluate these models of data translation. The first experiment is designed to compare the quality of the translators in each case. The second experiment is designed to compare the effort required to generate the translators in each case. The ultimate goal of the work is to provide general, definitive guidelines for choosing a model of data translation. These guidelines will allow the myriad practitioners who do data translation to optimize their efforts by choosing the model that best supports their individual translation environment.
