Performing machine translation using a unified language model and translation model

• US 7,239,998 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2005
• Issued: 07/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Xun, En-Dong
• Primary Examiner(s): ABEBE, DANIEL DEMELASH
• Application Number:
  US11/247,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20060031061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 704/9, 704/2
• US Class Current: 704/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/44 Statistical methods, e.g. probability models

Abstract

The present invention is a method and apparatus for processing a phrase in a first language for translation to a second language. A plurality of possible linguistic patterns are identified in the second language, that correspond to the phrase in the first language. For each of the patterns identified, a probability for the pattern is calculated, based on a combination of the language model probability for the pattern and a translation model probability for the pattern. In one embodiment, an output is also provided which is indicative of a translation of the phrase in the first language to the second language based upon the translation probabilities calculated for the patterns.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium storing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of processing a phrase in a first language for translation to a second language, the method comprising:

receiving the phrase in the first language;

identifying a plurality of possible linguistic patterns in the second language associated with the phrase in the first language, wherein each of the plurality of possible linguistic patterns represents a grouping of components relative to the phrase; and

for each pattern, calculating a translation probability for the pattern based on a combination of a language model probability for the pattern and a translation model probability for the pattern.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises:

identifying a highest translation probability calculated; and

identifying a linguistic pattern, for which the highest translation probability was calculated, as indicative of a likely phrase translation of the phrase in the first language.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 2 wherein the method further comprises:

providing an output as a translation of the phrase in the first language to the second language based on the linguistic pattern identified.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein identifying a plurality of possible linguistic patterns, comprises:

accessing a bilingual data store that includes linguistic patterns in the second language associated with phrases in the first language.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein calculating a translation probability further comprises:

calculating a pattern probability for the pattern.

6. A computer readable medium storing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of processing multi-word phrase in a first language for translation to a second language, the method comprising:

receiving the multi-word phrase in the first language;

identifying a plurality of possible linguistic patterns in the second language that correspond to the phrase in the first language, wherein each of the plurality of possible linguistic patterns represents a grouping of translation components relative to the phrase; and

calculating a translation probability for translation of the multi-word phrase in the first language to one of the plurality of linguistic patterns in the second language.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 6 wherein calculating a translation probability comprises:

for each of the linguistic patterns identified, calculating the translation probability as a combination of a language model probability for the pattern in the second language and as a translation model probability for the phrase in the first language, given the linguistic pattern in the second language.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 7 wherein calculating a translation probability further comprises:

calculating the translation probability based on a pattern probability for the linguistic pattern.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 7 wherein the method further comprises:

identifying a highest translation probability calculated; and

identifying a linguistic pattern, for which the highest translation probability was calculated, as indicative of a likely phrase translation of the phrase in the first language.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9 wherein the method further comprises:

providing an output as a translation of the phrase in the first language to the second language based on the linguistic pattern identified.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 7 wherein identifying a plurality of possible linguistic patterns, comprises:

accessing a bilingual data store that includes linguistic patterns in the second language associated with phrases in the first language.