Method for performing multilingual translation through a communication network and a communication system and information recording medium for the same method

• US 7,139,696 B2
• Filed: 07/04/2001
• Issued: 11/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Publicis Incorporated (Publicis Groupe SA)
• Original Assignee: Publicis Incorporated (Publicis Groupe SA)
• Inventors: Mori, Koji, Tokieda, Hidemasa, Mikami, Tadao
• Primary Examiner(s): Dorvil, Richemond
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shortledge, Thomas E.
• Application Number:
  US10/070,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20020152063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,966 Days
• Field of Search: 704/1, 704/2, 704/3, 704/5, 704/7, 704/8, 704/9, 704/4, 709/203
• US Class Current: 704/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation

Abstract

The invention realizes a quick and inexpensive translation service in many languages by means of a single Web site (firmware) on a communication network.

In order to perform a quick translation in many languages requested through a communication network, the invention has been composed so that a multilingual translation Web site apparatus 2 functioning as a Web site (firmware) consisting of one apparatus and one translation processing system receives language data of a subject of translation from a translation requester apparatus 4.

The multilingual translation Web site apparatus 2 changes its processing form adaptively to the language of the subject of translation received, and automatically selects language data for translation. A translator apparatus 3 performs translation of the language data received from the multilingual translation Web site apparatus 2. The multilingual translation Web site apparatus 2 receives and enters the translated data from the translator apparatus 3 into the multilingual processing database, and automatically changes its processing form of translation adaptively to the language after translation, and enables the translation requester apparatus 4 to receive the translated data.

Claims

1. A method for performing multilingual translation through a communication network, performing and providing a translation in many languages requested, said method comprising:

a step of receiving language data of a subject of translation,

a step of changing its processing form adaptively to a language of the subject of translation requested,

a step of automatically selecting language data for translation,

a step of performing translation,

a step of entering the translated data into a multilingual processing database,

a step of automatically changing the processing form of translation adaptively to a language after translation, and

a step of enabling a requester side to receive the translated data,

wherein said step of automatically selecting language data for translation generates language data, and image data being non language data, in master contents by means of a template, and

wherein said language data contained in said image data is converted from a text form into a binary form for replacing the text-form data with the binary-form data.

2. A method for performing multilingual translation through a communication network according to claim 1, wherein said step of performing translation is at least one of an automatic machine translation and a manual input translation.

3. A method for performing multilingual translation through a communication network according to claim 1, wherein a page source language record and a text source language record as contents information for processing each page are given in said multilingual processing database.

4. A method for performing multilingual translation through a communication network according to claim 3, wherein said page source language record comprises:

a page ID;

a symbol number being unique to each page,

a language ID;

a symbol number defined for each language,

a page address;

URL of a home page,

a date of generation;

a date at which the page was generated,

a generator ID;

a symbol number of a person who newly generated the page,

a date of update;

a date at which the page was updated last,

an updater ID;

a symbol number of a person who updated the page last,

a customer ID;

a symbol number assigned to each customer,

a received order ID;

a symbol number determined on reception of an order, and

HTML;

a page source text in the form of HTML.

5. A method for performing multilingual translation through a communication network according to claim 3, wherein said text source language record comprises:

a text ID;

a symbol number which is unique to each text and is the same in any language,

a language ID;

a symbol number defined for each language,

maximum number of characters;

maximum number of characters capable of being displayed,

number of characters;

number of characters actually displayed,

a character string;

a character string in itself, and

a translator ID;

a symbol number determined for each translator.

6. A method for performing multilingual translation through a communication network according to claim 5, further comprising a step of obtaining the number of characters in a language after translation on the basis of a table storing in advance a ratio of change in number of characters in a language before translation and in a language after translation.

7. A method for performing multilingual translation through a communication network according to claim 5, further comprising steps of setting a storage area adaptively to said maximum number of characters, judging whether or not characters of a language after translation can be accommodated in the storage area of the maximum number of characters in comparison with the number of characters of the language before translation through computing the number of characters after translation and, in case that the maximum number of characters after translation can be accommodated in the storage area, performing the translation, and in case that the maximum number of characters cannot be accommodated in the storage area, reducing the number of characters of the language before translation so as not to change the meaning.

8. A method for performing multilingual translation through a communication network according to claim 3, further comprising steps of determining in advance a ratio of number of smallest legible font characters to number of characters being displayed on a screen for each language, and associating maximum number of characters of a text data record with a symbol number defined for each language by means of this ratio.

9. A method for performing multilingual translation through a communication network according to claim 1, wherein:

said Web site comprising one apparatus and one translation processing system performs a multilingual translation process and its maintenance process and as said multilingual translation process, generates master contents by means of a template,

next translates language data of the master contents,

repeats these generation and translation processes,

stores the language data together with control information into a multilingual processing database,

further converts the language data into HTML data and writes them into the master contents on request, and

as said maintenance process, monitors change of the master contents,

automatically selects a language data file needing to be translated,

translates the language data,

repeats these monitor, automatic selection and translation processes for necessary languages, and

reenters the translated language data into the multilingual processing database.

10. An information recording medium storing a program for enabling a substantial computer to control:

a process of receiving language data of a subject of translation through a communication network,

a process of changing its processing form adaptively to a language of the subject of translation requested,

a process of automatically selecting language data for translation,

a process of performing a translation transferred through the communication network,

a process of entering the translated data into a multilingual processing database,

a process of automatically changing its translation processing form adaptively to the language after translation, and

a process of enabling a requester side to receive the translated data through the communication network,

said medium further storing a program for enabling a substantial computer to control at least one of;

a process of generating language data, and image data being non-language data, by means of a template,

a process of converting language data contained in image data from a text form into a binary form and replacing the text-form data with the binary-form data,

a process of giving a page record and a text record as contents information for processing each page in a multilingual processing database, and

a process of judging whether or not characters to be obtained after translation can be accommodated in a storage area of the maximum number of characters through computing the number of characters after translation relative to the number of characters of a language before translation.

11. A multilingual translation system for receiving a translation request of a subject written in one language into other multiple languages and for providing translations of the subject via a communication network (1), comprising

a translation requester apparatus (4) for transmitting the translation request via the communication network (1), a multilingual translation Web site apparatus (2) for receiving the translation request and intermediate for the translation, and a plurality of translator apparatuses (3) for translating the subject into the other languages,

wherein the multilingual translation Web site apparatus (2) comprises:

means for converting the subject into an HTML data format ahd for storing the HTML data together with page source language records and text source language records assigned to the subject as master contents in a database (17);

means for extracting automatically plural parts of text to be translated and excepting non-language parts in the master contents of the subject stored in the database (17);

means for transmitting the plural parts of the text together with the page source language records and text source language records to a plurality of the translator apparatuses (3);

means for receiving translated text of the subject from a plurality of the translator apparatuses (3) and for assembling the translated text of the subject into translation results for each language and storing them as multilingual contents in the data base (17) according to the page source language records and text source language records assigned to the subject; and

means for providing the multilingual contents to the translation requester apparatus (4),

wherein the page source language record comprises at least;

a page ID;

a unique code number to each page of the text,

a language ID;

a unique code number defined for each language,

a page address;

URL of a home page,

a date of translation request;

the date of the text generated,

a translation requester ID;

a unique code number assigned to each requester,

a received order ID;

a unique code number determined on reception of an order, and

HTML data;

a page source text in the HTML form.

12. A multilingual translation system according to claim 11, wherein the text source language record comprises at least:

a text ID;

a unique code number assigned to each text,

a language ID;

a symbol number defined for each language,

a maximum number of characters;

the maximum number of characters capable of being displayed,

a number of characters;

number of actual characters,

a string of characters;

a character string in itself, and

a translator ID;

a unique code number assigned to each translator.

13. A multilingual translation system according to claim 12, wherein the means for extracting automatically plural parts of text includes template means for selecting image data containing language data, image data containing no language data, and text data, respectively.

14. A multilingual translation system according to claim 13, wherein the multilingual translation Web site apparatus (2) further includes means for machine-translating un-translated parts extracted from the multilingual contents stored in the data base (17).

15. A multilingual translation system according to claim 12, wherein the means for extracting automatically plural parts of text determines in advance a ratio of the number of smallest legible font characters to be displayed on a screen of the multilingual translation Web site, and associates a maximum number of characters of the text data in accordance with the ratio for each language.

16. A multilingual translation system according to claim 12, wherein the multilingual translation Web site apparatus (2) provides the multilingual contents to the translation requester apparatus (4) by means of an electronic mail or the Web site accessibly open to the translation requester apparatus (4) via the communication network (1).

17. A multilingual translation system according to claim 16, wherein the multilingual translation Web site apparatus (2) permits an access to the Web site from the translation requester apparatus (4) by checking an ID code and a password of the translation requester apparatus (4).

18. A multilingual translation system according to claim 11, wherein the multilingual translation Web site apparatus (2) further includes a net-bank apparatus (5) to perform a settlement of translation fees between the multilingual translation Web site apparatus (2) and the translation requester apparatus (4).

19. A multilingual translation system according to claim 11, wherein the communication network (1) is selected from the group consisting of a public wire communication network, a public radio communication network, a non-public wire communication network, and a non-public radio communication network under a TCP/IP environment.