Multi-Lingual Telephonic Service
First Claim
1. A method for translating speech during a wireless communications session, comprising:
- (a) receiving a received uplink speech signal from a wireless device, the received uplink speech signal being transported over a uplink wireless channel, the wireless device being served by a serving base transmitter station;
(b) translating the received uplink speech from a first language to a second language to form a translated uplink speech signal; and
(c) sending the translated uplink speech signal to a telephonic device.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatuses for translating speech from one language to another language during telephonic communications. Speech is converted from a first language to a second language as a user speaks with another user. If the translation operation is symmetric, speech is converted from the second language to the first language in the opposite communications direction. A received speech signal is processed to determine a symbolic representation containing phonetic symbols of the source language and to insert prosodic symbols into the symbolic representation. A translator translates a digital audio stream into a translated speech signal in the target language. Furthermore, a language-independent speaker parameter may be identified so that the characteristic of the speaker parameter is preserved with the translated speech signal. Regional characteristics of the speaker may be utilized so that colloquialisms may be converted to standardized expressions of the source language before translation.
253 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for translating speech during a wireless communications session, comprising:
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(a) receiving a received uplink speech signal from a wireless device, the received uplink speech signal being transported over a uplink wireless channel, the wireless device being served by a serving base transmitter station; (b) translating the received uplink speech from a first language to a second language to form a translated uplink speech signal; and (c) sending the translated uplink speech signal to a telephonic device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An apparatus for translating a speech signal during a communications session between a first person and a second person, comprising:
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a speech recognizer configured to perform the steps comprising; obtaining translation configuration data that specifies a first language and a second language; receiving a first received speech signal from a communications interface; and converting the first speech signal to a first symbolic representation, the first symbolic representation containing a first plurality of phonetic symbols, each phonetic symbol representing a sound associated with the first language; a parameter extractor configured to perform the steps comprising; determining at least one speaker parameter that is independent of an associated language; a text-to-speech synthesizer configured to perform the steps comprising; inserting a first plurality of prosodic symbols within the first symbolic representation; and synthesizing a first digital audio stream from the first symbolic representation; and a speech translator configured to perform the steps comprising; translating the first digital audio stream to the second language; and generating a first translated speech signal in the second language. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. A method for translating speech during a communications session, comprising:
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(a) receiving a received speech signal from a communications device; (b) translating the received speech from a first language to a second language to form a translated speech signal by; (b)(i) recognizing a first language speech content in the received speech signal, the first language speech content corresponding to the first language; (b)(ii) in response to (b)(i), forming a converted text representation of the first language speech content having a plurality of phonetic symbols; (b)(iii) converting the converted text representation to a synthesized symbolic representation, the synthesized symbolic having the plurality of phonetic symbols and a plurality of prosodic symbols; (b)(iv) forming the translated speech signal from the synthesized symbolic representation; (b)(v) identifying a speaker parameter that is associated with the received speech signal, the speaker parameter being independent of the first language and the second language; and (b)(vi) preserving the speaker parameter when forming the translated speech signal; and (c) sending the translated speech signal to another communications device.
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Specification