Automatic translator and computer-readable storage medium having automatic translation program recorded thereon

• US 7,346,488 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2001
• Issued: 03/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kodama, Syuuzi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hudspeth; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALBERTALLI, BRIAN LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US09/813,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20020035466A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,554 Days
• Field of Search: 704 2- 7, 704/9, 704/8
• US Class Current: 704/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/268 Morphological analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/55 Rule-based translation

Abstract

An original inputted to an original inputting unit is divided to morphemes. A sequence of the divided morphemes is converted to conceptual categories. A typical sentence verifying unit verifies whether or not a string of predetermined conceptual categories exists in the sequence of the converted conceptual categories. When the string of predetermined conceptual categories exists in the sequence of the converted conceptual categories, a replacing unit generates a pattern of a predetermined translated sentence corresponding to the string of the conceptual categories and replaces the pattern of the predetermined translated sentence with translated words corresponding to the original morphemes of the conceptual categories constituting the pattern of the translated sentence.

Claims

1. An automatic translator, comprising:

original inputting means for inputting an original character string to be translated;

morphological analyzing means for dividing a sequence of morphemes from the original character string inputted by the original inputting means;

converting means for converting the morphemes to conceptual categories to be output;

typical sentence verifying means for verifying whether a string of predetermined typical conceptual categories exists in a sequence of the conceptual categories outputted from the converting means; and

replacing means for generating a pattern of a predetermined translated sentence corresponding to the string of the conceptual categories to replace the pattern of the predetermined translated sentence with translated words corresponding to original morphemes of the conceptual categories constituting the pattern of the translated sentence when the string of predetermined typical conceptual categories is determined to exist in the sequence of the conceptual categories by the typical sentence verifying means,

wherein the converting means has a vocabulary information file that defines a relationship between the conceptual categories and the morphemes contained therein, the typical sentence verifying means has a first table that stores a pair of the string of the predetermined conceptual categories and the pattern of the predetermined translated sentence corresponding to the string, and the replacing means has a second table that stores a pair of the morpheme constituting the pattern of the translated sentence and the predetermined translated word corresponding to the morpheme.

2. The automatic translator according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the vocabulary information file, first table and second table is defined or set by a user.

3. A computer-readable storage medium having an automatic translation program recorded thereon, the automatic translation program causing a computer to execute operations, comprising:

inputting an original to be translated;

dividing a sequence of morphemes from the original inputted using a morphological analysis;

converting the morphemes divided by the morphological analysis to conceptual categories and outputting the conceptual categories;

verifying whether a string of predetermined typical conceptual categories exists in a sequence of the conceptual categories outputted; and

generating a pattern of a predetermined translated sentence corresponding to the string of the conceptual categories to replace the pattern of the predetermined translated sentence with translated words corresponding to the original morphemes of the conceptual categories constituting the pattern of the translated sentence when the string of predetermined typical conceptual categories is determined to exist in the sequence of the conceptual categories,

wherein the operations are executed in accordance with a vocabulary information file defining a relationship between the conceptual categories and the morphemes contained therein, a first table storing a pair of the string of the predetermined conceptual categories and the pattern of the predetermined translated sentence corresponding to the string is used for the verifying, and a second table storing a pair of the morpheme constituting the pattern of the translated sentence and the predetermined translated word corresponding to the morpheme.

4. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the vocabulary information file, first table and second table is defined or set by a user.

5. A method of automatically translating an original text, comprising:

linking a string of predetermined conceptual categories with morphemes contained therein and a pattern of predetermined translated sentences corresponding to the string;

converting a sequence of morphemes of the original text to conceptual categories and determining whether the string of the predetermined conceptual categories exists in the converted conceptual categories; and

generating a pattern of a translated sentence for a string of the conceptual categories and replacing the pattern of the translated sentence with translated words corresponding to the sequence of morphemes of the translated sentence in accordance with the linkage upon determining that the string of the predetermined typical conceptual categories exists in the converted conceptual categories.