Translation of an initially-unknown message
First Claim
1. A method of translating a native-language message into a corresponding foreign-language message, comprising the steps of:
- matching the native-language message that includes values of a plurality of variables against a plurality of native-language prototype messages to identify a corresponding native-language prototype message that includes the plurality of the variables;
using the identification to obtain a corresponding foreign-language prototype message that includes the plurality of the variables, the identified native-language prototype message and the corresponding foreign-language prototype message each including the plurality of the variables each identified in both said prototype messages by a corresponding unique identifier, the plurality of the variables and their identifiers having a first ordering in the identified native-language prototype message and a second ordering in the corresponding foreign-language prototype message;
using the first ordering and the second ordering of the identifiers of the variables to determine a placement of the values of the variables into the obtained foreign-language prototype message; and
substituting the values of the variables for the variables in the obtained foreign-language prototype message according to the determined placement to yield a foreign-language message corresponding to the native-language message.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Translation of an initially-unknown message (101) from one language to another is effected by a translator (102) that uses prototype messages (300-303) that are independent of message variables (% n), whereby a prototype message represents all messages of an individual type that vary from each other in the values of their variables. A multi-tiered multi-node translation tree (104) is constructed from native-language prototype messages (106) that represent all native-language messages that require translation. Strings (e.g., words and numerals) which make up a native-language message (101) are matched in the order in which they appear in the message against the nodes (521-536) of corresponding tiers (501-516) of the tree to reach a node which represents the last string in the message and contains the message identifier (MSG.ID) of the corresponding prototype message. This identifier is used to retrieve the corresponding one of a plurality of foreign-language prototype messages (107). Variables have a first ordering in the identified native-language prototype message and a second ordering in the corresponding foreign-language prototype message. The two orderings are used to determine placement of the variable values, obtained from the native-language message being translated, into the foreign-language prototype message to yield a foreign-language message (108) which is a translation of the native-language message.
90 Citations
9 Claims
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1. A method of translating a native-language message into a corresponding foreign-language message, comprising the steps of:
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matching the native-language message that includes values of a plurality of variables against a plurality of native-language prototype messages to identify a corresponding native-language prototype message that includes the plurality of the variables; using the identification to obtain a corresponding foreign-language prototype message that includes the plurality of the variables, the identified native-language prototype message and the corresponding foreign-language prototype message each including the plurality of the variables each identified in both said prototype messages by a corresponding unique identifier, the plurality of the variables and their identifiers having a first ordering in the identified native-language prototype message and a second ordering in the corresponding foreign-language prototype message; using the first ordering and the second ordering of the identifiers of the variables to determine a placement of the values of the variables into the obtained foreign-language prototype message; and substituting the values of the variables for the variables in the obtained foreign-language prototype message according to the determined placement to yield a foreign-language message corresponding to the native-language message. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9)
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6. An apparatus for translating a native-language message into a corresponding foreign-language message, comprising:
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means for matching the native-language message that includes values of a plurality of variables against a plurality of native-language prototype messages to identify a corresponding native-language prototype message that includes the plurality of the variables; means cooperative with the matching means, for using the identification to obtain a corresponding foreign-language prototype message that includes the plurality of the variables, the identified native-language prototype message and the corresponding foreign-language prototype message each including the plurality of the variables each identified in both said prototype messages by a corresponding unique identifier, the plurality of the variables and their identifiers having a first ordering in the identified native-language prototype message and a second ordering in the corresponding foreign-language prototype message; means, cooperative with the using means, for using the first ordering and the second ordering of the identifiers of the variables to determine a placement of the values of the variables into the obtained foreign-language prototype message; and means cooperative with the determining means, for substituting the values of the variables for the variables in the obtained foreign-language prototype message according to the determined placement to yield a foreign-language message corresponding to the native-language message.
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7. An apparatus for translating a native-language message into a corresponding foreign-language message, comprising:
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an effector of matching the native-language message that includes values of a plurality of variables against a plurality of native-language prototype messages to identify a corresponding native-language prototype message that includes the plurality of the variables; an effector of obtaining a corresponding foreign-language prototype message that includes the the plurality of the variables, by using the identification, the identified native-language prototype message and the corresponding foreign-language prototype message each including the plurality of the variables each identified in both said prototype messages by a corresponding unique identifier, the plurality of the variables and their identifiers having a first ordering in the identified native-language prototype message and a second ordering in the corresponding foreign-language prototype message; an effector of using the first ordering and the second ordering of the identifiers of the variables to determine a placement of the values of the variables into the obtained foreign-language prototype message; and an effector of substituting the values of the variables for the variables in the obtained foreign-language prototype message according to the determined placement to yield a foreign-language message corresponding to the native-language message.
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Specification