Communication support apparatus and computer program product for supporting communication by performing translation between languages

• US 20060224378A1
• Filed: 03/10/2006
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kamatani, Satoshi, Chino, Tetsuro, Kuroda, Yuka
• Application Number:
  US11/372,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20060224378A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/55 Rule-based translation

Abstract

A communication support apparatus includes an analyzing unit that analyzes an source language sentence to be translated into a target language, and outputs at least one source language interpretation candidate which is a candidate for interpretation of the source language sentence; a detecting unit that, when there are a plurality of the source language interpretation candidates, detects an ambiguous part which is a different part between the respective candidates in the plurality of source language interpretation candidates; a translation unit that translates the source language interpretation candidate except the ambiguous part into the target language.

Claims

1. A communication support apparatus comprising:

an analyzing unit that analyzes an source language sentence to be translated into a target language, and outputs at least one source language interpretation candidate which is a candidate for interpretation of the source language sentence;

a detecting unit that, when there are a plurality of the source language interpretation candidates, detects an ambiguous part which is a different part between the respective candidates in the plurality of source language interpretation candidates;

a translation unit that translates the source language interpretation candidate except the ambiguous part into the target language.

2. The communication support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a concept hierarchy storing unit that stores a hierarchy relation of a semantic content of a word;

a replacing unit that retrieves from the concept hierarchy storing unit a superordinate concept which is the semantic content in a superordinate tier common to semantic contents indicated by the ambiguous part of the respective candidates, and when the superordinate concept is retrieved, replaces the ambiguous part by the retrieved superordinate concept; and

a deleting unit that deletes the ambiguous part, when the replacing unit does not replace the ambiguous part by the superordinate concept.

3. The communication support apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a generating unit that generates a target language sentence which is a sentence described in the target language, based on a target language interpretation candidate which is a candidate for the interpretation of a semantic content in the target language, and outputs at least one target language sentence candidate which is a candidate for the target language sentence,

wherein the analyzing unit outputs interpretation correspondence information which is information of correspondence between the source language sentence and the source language interpretation candidate,

the translation unit outputs translation correspondence information which is information of correspondence between the source language interpretation candidate and the target language interpretation candidate,

the generating unit outputs generation correspondence information which is information of correspondence between the target language interpretation candidate and the target language sentence candidate, and

a presenting unit that presents, in the source language, a string of a part corresponding to the target language sentence in the source language sentence, based on the interpretation correspondence information, the translation correspondence information and the generation correspondence information is further provided.

4. The communication support apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a speech recognizing unit into which a speech in the source language is input and that recognizes the input speech and outputs at least one source language sentence candidate which is a sentence described in the source language,

wherein, when there are a plurality of the source language sentence candidates, the source language interpretation candidates, the target language interpretation candidates, or the target language sentence candidates, the detecting unit detects the ambiguous part which is a different part between the respective candidates in the plurality of source language sentence candidates, between the respective candidates in the plurality of source language interpretation candidates, or between the respective candidates in the plurality of target language interpretation candidates or between the respective candidates in the plurality of target language sentence candidates.

5. A communication support apparatus comprising:

an analyzing unit that analyzes of a source language sentence to be translated into a target language, and outputs at least one source language interpretation candidate which is a candidate for interpretation of the source language sentence;

a translation unit that translates the source language interpretation candidate into a target language, and outputs at least one target language interpretation candidate which is a candidate for the interpretation in the target language;

a detecting unit that, when there are a plurality of the target language interpretation candidates, detects an ambiguous part which is a different part between the respective candidates in the plurality of target language interpretation candidates; and

a generating unit that generates a target language sentence which is a sentence described in the target language, based on the target language interpretation candidate except the ambiguous part, and outputs at least one target language sentence candidate which is a candidate for the target language sentence.

6. The communication support apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a concept hierarchy storing unit that stores a hierarchy relation of a semantic content of a word;

a replacing unit that retrieves from the concept hierarchy storing unit a superordinate concept which is the semantic content in a superordinate tier common to semantic contents indicated by the ambiguous part of the respective candidates, and when the superordinate concept is retrieved, replaces the ambiguous part by the retrieved superordinate concept; and

a deleting unit that deletes the ambiguous part, when the replacing unit does not replace the ambiguous part by the superordinate concept.

7. The communication support apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the analyzing unit outputs interpretation correspondence information which is information of correspondence between the source language sentence and the source language interpretation candidate,

the translation unit outputs translation correspondence information which is information of correspondence between the source language interpretation candidate and the target language interpretation candidate,

the generating unit outputs generation correspondence information which is information of correspondence between the target language interpretation candidate and the target language sentence candidate, and

a presenting unit that presents, in the source language, a string of a part corresponding to the target language sentence in the source language sentence, based on the interpretation correspondence information, the translation correspondence information and the generation correspondence information is further provided.

8. The communication support apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a speech recognizing unit into which a speech in the source language is input and that recognizes the input speech and outputs at least one source language sentence candidate which is a sentence described in the source language,

wherein, when there are a plurality of the source language sentence candidates, the source language interpretation candidates, the target language interpretation candidates, or the target language sentence candidates, the detecting unit detects the ambiguous part which is a different part between the respective candidates in the plurality of source language sentence candidates, between the respective candidates in the plurality of source language interpretation candidates, or between the respective candidates in the plurality of target language interpretation candidates or between the respective candidates in the plurality of target language sentence candidates.

9. A communication support apparatus comprising:

an analyzing unit that analyzes a source language sentence to be translated into a target language, and outputs at least one source language interpretation candidate which is a candidate for interpretation of the source language sentence;

a translation unit that translates the source language interpretation candidate into a target language, and outputs at least one target language interpretation candidate which is a candidate for the interpretation in the target language;

a generating unit that generates a target language sentence which is a sentence described in the target language, based on the target language interpretation candidate, and outputs at least one target language sentence candidate which is a candidate for the target language sentence;

a detecting unit that, when there are a plurality of the target language sentence candidates, detects an ambiguous part which is a different part between the respective candidates in the plurality of target language sentence candidates; and

a deleting unit that deletes the ambiguous part.

10. The communication support apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a concept hierarchy storing unit that stores a hierarchy relation of a semantic content of a word; and

a replacing unit that retrieves from the concept hierarchy storing unit a superordinate concept which is the semantic content in a superordinate tier common to semantic contents indicated by the ambiguous part of the respective candidates, and when the superordinate concept is retrieved, replaces the ambiguous part by the retrieved superordinate concept,

wherein the deleting unit deletes the ambiguous part, when the replacing unit does not replace the ambiguous part by the superordinate concept.

11. The communication support apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the analyzing unit outputs interpretation correspondence information which is information of correspondence between the source language sentence and the source language interpretation candidate,

the translation unit outputs translation correspondence information which is information of correspondence between the source language interpretation candidate and the target language interpretation candidate,

the generating unit outputs generation correspondence information which is information of correspondence between the target language interpretation candidate and the target language sentence candidate, and

a presenting unit that presents, in the source language, a string of a part corresponding to the target language sentence in the source language sentence, based on the interpretation correspondence information, the translation correspondence information and the generation correspondence information is further provided.

12. The communication support apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a speech recognizing unit into which a speech in the source language is input and that recognizes the input speech and outputs at least one source language sentence candidate which is a sentence described in the source language,

wherein, when there are a plurality of the source language sentence candidates, the source language interpretation candidates, the target language interpretation candidates, or the target language sentence candidates, the detecting unit detects the ambiguous part which is a different part between the respective candidates in the plurality of source language sentence candidates, between the respective candidates in the plurality of source language interpretation candidates, or between the respective candidates in the plurality of target language interpretation candidates or between the respective candidates in the plurality of target language sentence candidates.

13. A communication support apparatus comprising:

an analyzing unit that analyzes a source language sentence to be translated into a target language, and outputs at least one source language interpretation candidate which is a candidate for interpretation of the source language sentence;

a detecting unit that, when there are a plurality of the source language interpretation candidates, detects an ambiguous part which is a different part between the respective candidates in the plurality of source language interpretation candidates;

a parallel translation pair storing unit that stores a parallel translation pair of the source language interpretation candidate and a target language sentence candidate semantically equivalent to each other; and

a selecting unit that selects the target language sentence candidate, based on the source language interpretation candidate except the ambiguous part and the parallel translation pair stored in the parallel translation storing unit.

14. The communication support apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a concept hierarchy storing unit that stores a hierarchy relation of a semantic content of a word;

a replacing unit that retrieves from the concept hierarchy storing unit a superordinate concept which is the semantic content in a superordinate tier common to semantic contents indicated by the ambiguous part of the respective candidates, and when the superordinate concept is retrieved, replaces the ambiguous part by the retrieved superordinate concept; and

a deleting unit that deletes the ambiguous part, when the replacing unit does not replace the ambiguous part by the superordinate concept.

15. The communication support apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the analyzing unit outputs interpretation correspondence information which is information of correspondence between the source language sentence and the source language interpretation candidate,

the translation unit outputs translation correspondence information which is information of correspondence between the source language interpretation candidate and the target language interpretation candidate,

the generating unit outputs generation correspondence information which is information of correspondence between the target language interpretation candidate and the target language sentence candidate, and

a presenting unit that presents, in the source language, a string of a part corresponding to the target language sentence in the source language sentence, based on the interpretation correspondence information, the translation correspondence information and the generation correspondence information is further provided.

16. The communication support apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a speech recognizing unit into which a speech in the source language is input and that recognizes the input speech and outputs at least one source language sentence candidate which is a sentence described in the source language,

wherein, when there are a plurality of the source language sentence candidates, the source language interpretation candidates, the target language interpretation candidates, or the target language sentence candidates, the detecting unit detects the ambiguous part which is a different part between the respective candidates in the plurality of source language sentence candidates, between the respective candidates in the plurality of source language interpretation candidates, or between the respective candidates in the plurality of target language interpretation candidates or between the respective candidates in the plurality of target language sentence candidates.

17. A communication support method comprising:

analyzing the a source language sentence to be translated into a target language;

outputting at least one source language interpretation candidate which is a candidate for interpretation of the source language sentence;

when there are a plurality of the source language interpretation candidates, detecting an ambiguous part which is a different part between the respective candidates in the plurality of source language interpretation candidates;

translating the source language interpretation candidate except the ambiguous part into the target language.

18. A communication support method comprising:

analyzing the a source language sentence to be translated into a target language;

outputting at least one source language interpretation candidate which is a candidate for interpretation of the source language sentence;

translating the source language interpretation candidate into a target language;

outputting at least one target language interpretation candidate which is a candidate for the interpretation in the target language;

when there are a plurality of the target language interpretation candidates, detecting an ambiguous part which is a different part between the respective candidates in the plurality of target language interpretation candidates;

generating a target language sentence which is a sentence described in the target language, based on the target language interpretation candidate except the ambiguous part; and

outputting at least one target language sentence candidate which is a candidate for the target language sentence.

19. A communication support method comprising:

analyzing the a source language sentence to be translated into a target language;

outputting at least one source language interpretation candidate which is a candidate for interpretation of the source language sentence;

translating the source language interpretation candidate into a target language;

outputting at least one target language interpretation candidate which is a candidate for the interpretation in the target language;

generating a target language sentence which is a sentence described in the target language, based on the target language interpretation candidate;

outputting at least one target language sentence candidate which is a candidate for the target language sentence;

when there are a plurality of the target language sentence candidates, detecting an ambiguous part which is a different part between the respective candidates in the plurality of target language sentence candidates; and

deleting the ambiguous part.

20. A computer program product having a computer readable medium including programmed instructions for performing a communication support processing, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform:

analyzing the a source language sentence to be translated into a target language;

outputting at least one source language interpretation candidate which is a candidate for interpretation of the source language sentence;

when there are a plurality of the source language interpretation candidates, detecting an ambiguous part which is a different part between the respective candidates in the plurality of source language interpretation candidates;

translating the source language interpretation candidate except the ambiguous part into the target language.

21. A computer program product having a computer readable medium including programmed instructions for performing a communication support processing, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform:

analyzing the a source language sentence to be translated into a target language;

outputting at least one source language interpretation candidate which is a candidate for interpretation of the source language sentence;

translating the source language interpretation candidate into a target language;

outputting at least one target language interpretation candidate which is a candidate for the interpretation in the target language;

when there are a plurality of the target language interpretation candidates, detecting an ambiguous part which is a different part between the respective candidates in the plurality of target language interpretation candidates; and

generating a target language sentence which is a sentence described in the target language, based on the target language interpretation candidate except the ambiguous part; and

outputting at least one target language sentence candidate which is a candidate for the target language sentence.

22. A computer program product having a computer readable medium including programmed instructions for performing a communication support processing, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform:

analyzing the a source language sentence to be translated into a target language;

outputting at least one source language interpretation candidate which is a candidate for interpretation of the source language sentence;

translating the source language interpretation candidate into a target language;

outputting at least one target language interpretation candidate which is a candidate for the interpretation in the target language;

generating a target language sentence which is a sentence described in the target language, based on the target language interpretation candidate;

outputting at least one target language sentence candidate which is a candidate for the target language sentence;

when there are a plurality of the target language sentence candidates, detecting an ambiguous part which is a different part between the respective candidates in the plurality of target language sentence candidates; and

deleting the ambiguous part.