Teaching Language Through Interactive Translation

• US 20110207095A1
• Filed: 03/15/2011
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: University of Southern California
• Original Assignee: University of Southern California
• Inventors: Narayanan, Shrikanth, Georgiou, Panayiotis
• Application Number:
  US13/048,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20110207095A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/157
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/06 Foreign languages with audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied

Abstract

An application (computer program, an embodiment can be a game) which requires translation as one of its metrics is used to help the user can learn a language while operating the system (in a game embodiment, playing the game). The interaction is carried out only in a foreign language, but the application also includes translation capability. A virtual buddy can be used to translate between the native language and the foreign language so that the user can translate information and eventually learn information about the language by the process of interacting with the system (in an embodiment playing the game).

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of assisting a conversation involving two languages, the method comprising:

receiving from a user, at a machine translation system comprising a user interface and a processor, a speech input spoken in a first language requesting to interact with a machine agent, wherein the speech input comprises a request to the machine agent to provide at least a speech output in a second language that is equivalent to a phrase spoken by the user in the first language;

responsive to the received speech input, providing the requested speech output in the second language that is equivalent to the phrase spoken by the user in the first language;

receiving from the user a reply speech input mimicking the speech output in the second language;

judging a correctness of pronunciation of the reply speech input in the second language; and

responding to the reply speech in the second language only when the pronunciation of the reply speech is judged to be correct in the second language.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the reply speech input is directed at a game character different from the machine agent.

5. A computer-implemented method of assisting a conversation involving two languages, the method comprising:

receiving from a user, at a machine translation system comprising a user interface and a processor, a speech input spoken in a first language requesting to interact with a machine agent, wherein the speech input comprises a request to the machine agent to communicate to a virtual character on behalf of the user in a second language that is equivalent to a phrase spoken by the user in the first language; and

responsive to the received speech input, communicating to the virtual character in the second language that is equivalent to the phrase spoken by the user in the first language

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, wherein the conversation is a part of a game.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the virtual character is different from the machine agent.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, further comprising responsive to the received speech input, providing a text output that is equivalent to the phrase spoken by the user in the first language.

9. A computer-implemented method of assisting a conversation involving two languages, the method comprising:

providing, at a machine translation system comprising a user interface and a processor, a machine agent in a game configured to assist a user to converse with a game character in a second language different from a first language spoken by the user, wherein the machine agent is configured to provide one of the following responsive to a speech input from a user;

provide a speech output in the second language that is equivalent to a phrase spoken by the user in the first language, wherein the user can mimic the speech output in the second language to converse with the game character, and

communicate directly to the game character in the second language on behalf of the user speaking in the first language;

receiving from a user, the speech input spoken in the first language requesting to interact with the machine agent; and

responsive to the received speech input, providing the requested speech output in the second language that is equivalent to the phrase spoken by the user in the first language or communicate directly to the game character in the second language on behalf of the user speaking in the first language.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, further comprising:

when providing the requested speech output in the second language that is equivalent to the phrase spoken by the user in the first language,

waiting to receive from the user a reply speech input mimicking the speech output in the second language;

judging a correctness of pronunciation of the reply speech input in the second language; and

responding to the reply speech in the second language only when the pronunciation of the reply speech is judged to be correct in the second language.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 25, further comprising responsive to the received speech input, providing a text output that is equivalent to the phrase spoken by the user in the first language.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, wherein the virtual character is different from the machine agent.

13. A machine translation system for assisting a conversation involving two languages, the system comprising:

a user interface, including at least a microphone to receive a speech input from a user spoken in a first language; and

a processor executing instructions to perform speech recognition on the received speech input to provide a speech output in a second language,

wherein

the speech input comprises a request to a machine agent to provide at least a speech output in a second language that is equivalent to a phrase spoken by the user in the first language,

responsive to the received speech input, the processor is configured to instruct the machine agent to provide the requested speech output in the second language that is equivalent to the phrase spoken by the user in the first language,

the user interface is configured to recive from the user a reply speech input mimicking the speech output in the second language, and

the processor is configured to judge the correctness of pronunciation of the reply speech input in the second language, and instruct the machine agent to respond to the reply speech in the second language only when the pronunciation of the reply speech is judged to be correct in the second language.

14. The machine translation system of claim 28, wherein the system is configured to assist the conversation as a part of a game.

15. The machine translation system of claim 29, wherein the reply speech input is directed at a game character different from the machine agent.

16. The machine translation system of claim 28, wherein the processor is further configured to provide a text output that is equivalent to the phrase spoken by the user in the first language responsive to the received speech input.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the conversation is a part of a game.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further comprising responsive to the received speech input, providing a text output that is equivalent to the phrase spoken by the user in the first language.