Language translation system and method
First Claim
1. A language translation system comprising:
- input means for accepting an input phrase consisting of a plurality of words;
at least one store holding a first collection of phrases in a first language and a second collection of phrases in a second language which correspond to the first collection of phrases;
characterization means connected to the input means and to the at least one store for determining which phrase of at least one of said first and second collections is associated with the input phrase, the characterization means including means coupled to the at least one store for identifying among the words of the input phrase, the presence of at least one keyword of a predetermined set of keywords, the characterization means being operative in response to the identification of a given keyword or given combination of keywords to select a phrase from said at least one of said first and second collections of phrases; and
output means responsive to the characterization means for outputting the selected phrase as a confirmatory audio message;
the system thereafter producing a further output in dependence upon the identity of the selected phrase.
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Abstract
A language translation system for translating phrases from a first language into a second language comprises a store holding a collection of phrases in the second language. Phrases input in the first language are each characterized on the basis of one or more keywords, and the corresponding phrase in the second language is output. Such a phrasebook approach enables what is effectively rapid and accurate translation, even from speech. Since the phrases in the second language are prepared in advance and held in store, there need be no problems of poor translation or ungrammatical construction. The output may be in text, or, using speech synthesis, in voiced form. With appropriate choice of keywords it is possible to characterize a large number of relatively long and complex phrases with just a few keywords.
203 Citations
11 Claims
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1. A language translation system comprising:
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input means for accepting an input phrase consisting of a plurality of words; at least one store holding a first collection of phrases in a first language and a second collection of phrases in a second language which correspond to the first collection of phrases; characterization means connected to the input means and to the at least one store for determining which phrase of at least one of said first and second collections is associated with the input phrase, the characterization means including means coupled to the at least one store for identifying among the words of the input phrase, the presence of at least one keyword of a predetermined set of keywords, the characterization means being operative in response to the identification of a given keyword or given combination of keywords to select a phrase from said at least one of said first and second collections of phrases; and output means responsive to the characterization means for outputting the selected phrase as a confirmatory audio message; the system thereafter producing a further output in dependence upon the identity of the selected phrase. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of translating multi-word phrases, the method comprising:
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accepting an input phrase consisting of a plurality of words; identifying among the words of the input phrase the presence of at least one keyword of a predetermined set of keywords; in response to the identification of a given keyword or given combination of keywords in a second language, selecting a phrase from a first collection of phrases in a first language and a second collection of phrases, which correspond to the first collection of phrases; outputting the selected phrase as a confirmatory audio message; and thereafter producing a further output in dependence upon the identity of the selected phrase.
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Specification