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At the turn of the 19th century, a small publication called µþ¾±²ú±ô¾±´Ç³Ù³óè±ç³Ü±ð britannique was quietly shaping the intellectual landscape of Europe. A Geneva-based journal founded in 1796, it brought groundbreaking British research and literature to the Continent, breaking cultural and political barriers during a time when exchange of ideas and goods was tightly controlled or even banned. Yet, despite its historical significance, much of this publication’s wealth of knowledge remains difficult to access. But that’s about to change, thanks to the power of digital technology and a team of passionate researchers from a variety of fields.

So why should you care about a centuries-old French translation of British works? Here are three reasons why you might want to engage with this project:

1. Bringing Forgotten History to Life: µþ¾±²ú±ô¾±´Ç³Ù³óè±ç³Ü±ð britannique contains over 70,000 pages of material, including the first French translations of works by iconic authors like Jane Austen and Walter Scott. The project aims to make this content more accessible and to enrich our understanding of European intellectual history.

2. Cutting-Edge Tech for Humanities: This project is at the intersection of digital humanities and artificial intelligence. By using advanced AI tools and large language models (LLMs), it opens up new possibilities for research and knowledge sharing, making it easier for scholars, educators, and even the general public to explore our shared intellectual history in a modern way.

3. Relevance to Today’s World: µþ¾±²ú±ô¾±´Ç³Ù³óè±ç³Ü±ð britannique wasn’t just a literary journal—it played a key role in shaping political, economic, and social discussions, much like the role of media and publications today. It helped promote scientific ideas, education for women and the middle class, and even shared revolutionary concepts like vaccination or climate science. Its lessons can inform our ongoing debates about nationalism, education, and knowledge accessibility.

This project is a collaboration between Dr. Karine Zbinden (MLTC), Professor Adam Piette (School of English), and Mr Edwin Brown (Computer Science), at the º£½ÇÉçÇø of Sheffield, with funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). By combining cutting-edge AI techniques with historical scholarship, the project will develop a tool to make this vast resource accessible to a wide range of users—from scholars to audiences in the GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) sector.

In a time of rapid changes, it’s exciting to think that we can use technology to revisit history and learn from it in fresh, interactive ways. What we’re building here isn’t just a tool for academics, it’s a bridge between the past and the present—a way for anyone, anywhere, to dive into a critical moment in European history. 

How can you be involved?

We will be running a public evaluation of the demonstrator tool  of this groundbreaking initiative in the coming weeks. If you’re interested in taking part, please contact the project director, Karine Zbinden or fill in this .

The Team

Project leaders:

Dr Karine Zbinden  (MLTC), PI

(School of English) and

Mr Edwin Brown (Computer Science) / Co-investigators

Public consultations/evaluations run by Chris Walker and Katie Blake from 

Mr Robert Chisholm (Computer Science) / Computer Scientist

Mr Ian Gerry / Research Assistant 

Jonathan Bradley (Knowledge Exchange)

The Tool

We used a technique called Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to build an app that lets users easily explore and interact with the periodical µþ¾±²ú±ô¾±´Ç³Ù³óè±ç³Ü±ð britannique. Instead of training a system to memorize the entire book, RAG helps the app find and pull up the most relevant parts of the text in response to a user’s question. For example, if someone asks about a scientific idea or historical event mentioned in the book, the app searches through the text, selects the most useful excerpts, and then uses a language model to generate a clear and helpful answer based on those excerpts. This makes it feel like you're having a conversation with the book itself.One of the key advantages of this approach is that a citation can be provided when answering a question, allowing for a more transparent tool. 

Funding

Impact Accelerator Award from the EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) 

Collaboration

If this project speaks to you and you are interested in collaborating with us at a later stage of the project or in the sharing of knowledge, please feel free to contact the project director, Karine Zbinden (k.zbinden@shef.ac.uk).