System for the facilitation of supporting multiple concurrent languages through the use of semantic knowledge representation

• US 6,532,442 B1
• Filed: 07/31/2000
• Issued: 03/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schumacher, John F., Weida, Robert Anthony, Humphrey, Richard Bruce, Magome, Tomi, Fohn, Steffen Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): EDOUARD, PATRICK NESTOR
• Application Number:
  US09/629,263
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 704/2-7, 704/8, 707/536, 707/103, 717/1, 717/8
• US Class Current: 704/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/35 Discourse or dialogue representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/55 Rule-based translation

Abstract

A hierarchial knowledge representation is used in order to more efficiently support the translation and management of multiple localities. Utilizing this type of knowledge representation provides several key advantages. The first is a greater ability to differentiate semantically different symbols within the system. The second, is the ability to reutilize the translation of these symbols once translated a single time; and concurrent locale support.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating the translating from a single base source language to multiple target languages comprising the steps of:

a) utilizing a hierarchical knowledge representation of the terms and rules for both the source and target languages;

b) linking corresponding concepts containing presentation symbols in the single base source language and the multiple target languages by a single machine readable manipulation symbol in the single base source language which manipulation symbol is not a presentation symbol;

c) providing child concepts containing only semantically different user readable presentation symbols not found in parent or ancestor concepts;

d) using inheritance of presentation symbols from the parent or ancestor concepts for the non-included symbols in the child concepts in translating from the source to target language;

e) having at least one sublanguage within a hierarchial knowledge representation of concepts of one language which sublanguage is represented as child concepts inheriting presentation symbols from parent language concepts which are concepts of the one language; and

f) providing hierarchial knowledge representations of translations of terms and rules of multiple languages made from the single base source language.

2. The method of claim 1, including the step of providing for a default language other than the base language to be used in presentations to a user when no other language is indicated for presentation.

3. The method of claim 2, including the step of providing multiple meanings of a single term as child concepts of a parent concept representing the term.

4. The method of claim 2, including software for providing notification to expand a concept in a source language when a term in a target language is expanded to include subconcepts representing multiple meanings of the term.

5. The method of claim 2, including the step of using the steps of said method to translate software and data produced by said software.

7. The product of claim 1, including software for providing for a default language in the system other than the base language to be used automatically in presentations to a user when no other language is indicated for presentation.

8. The product of claim 7, software for providing multiple meanings of a single term as child concepts of a parent concept representing the term.

9. The system of claim 8, including software for notification to expand a concept in a source language when a term in a target language is expanded to include subconcepts representing multiple meanings of the term.

10. The system of claim 9, including software for using said system to translate software and data produced by said software.

6. A computer implemented software product for use in translating from a single base source language to multiple target languages comprising:

a) software for utilizing a hierarchical knowledge representation of the terms and rules for both the source and target languages;

b) software for linking corresponding concepts containing presentation symbols in the single base source language and the multiple target languages by a single machine readable manipulation symbol in the single base source language which manipulation symbol is riot a presentation symbol;

c) software for providing child concepts containing only semantically different user readable presentation symbols not found in parent or ancestor concepts;

d) software for using inheritance of presentation symbols from the parent or ancestor concepts for the non-included symbols in the child concepts in translating from the source to target language;

e) software for having at least one sublanguage within a hierarchial knowledge representation of concepts of one language which sublanguage is represented as child concepts inheriting presentation symbols from parent language concepts which are concepts of the one language; and

f) software for providing hierarchial knowledge representations of translations of terms and rules of multiple languages made from the single base source language.

11. A computer implemented software product providing a method for use in translating from a single base source language to at least one target language, said method comprising the steps of

a) utilizing a hierarchical knowledge representation of the terms and rules for both the source and target languages;

b) linking corresponding concepts containing presentation symbols in the single base source language and the multiple target languages by a single machine readable manipulation symbol in the single base source language which manipulation symbol is not a presentation symbol;

c) providing child concepts containing only semantically different user readable presentation symbols not found in parent or ancestor concepts;

d) using inheritance of presentation symbols from the parent or ancestor concepts for the non-included symbols in the child concepts in translating from the source to target language;

e) having at least one sublanguage within a hierarchial knowledge representation of concepts of one language said sublanguage is represented as child concepts inheriting presentation symbols from parent language concepts which are concepts of the one language; and

f) providing hierarchial knowledge representations of translations of terms and rules of multiple languages made from the single base source language.

12. The method of claim 11, including the step of providing for a default language other than the base language to be automatically used in presentations to a user when no other language is indicated for presentation.

13. The method of claim 12, including the step of providing multiple meanings of a single term as child concepts of a parent concept representing the term.

14. The method of claim 13, including the step of providing for expansion of a concept in a source language when a term in a target language is expanded to include subconcepts representing multiple meanings of the term.

15. The method of claim 14, including the step of using the steps of said method to translate software and data produced by said software.