Socially cognizant translation by detecting and transforming elements of politeness and respect

• US 8,032,355 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2007
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Southern California
• Original Assignee: University of Southern California
• Inventors: Narayanan, Shrikanth, Georgiou, Panayiotis
• Primary Examiner(s): ALBERTALLI, BRIAN LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US11/752,227
• Publication Number:
  US 20070294077A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,596 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 704/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/284 Lexical analysis, e.g. tokenisation or collocates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/55 Rule-based translation

Abstract

A socially-cognizant translation system that takes social state between speaker and listener into account when making the translation. The translation may be more formal or less formal based on the social relationship between speaker and listener. Profanities in the source speech may be detected, and used to determine the social cognizance. Also, the source speech can be translated without the profanity in the target language, instead using the meaning of the profanity.

Claims

1. A method of translating, comprising:

receiving information in a source language to be translated to a target language;

determining information related to a social context within the information to be translated; and

using said information related to social context in translating said information to a target language information output;

wherein said information related to social context indicates a relative degree of familiarity between a speaker and a listener, and wherein said using said information related to social context comprises translating as a more familiar translation based on said relative degree of familiarity;

wherein said determining the relative degree of familiarity includes determining a profanity within the information to be translated, and translating said profanity as a less formal translation, based on said detecting said profanity; and

wherein said receiving, said determining and said using are performed by one or more computers programmed to perform said receiving, said determining and said using.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein said using comprises identifying a number of alternative translations, and selecting one of the translations based on said information indicative of social context.

3. A method as in claim 1, further comprising producing an audio output indicative of said information in said target language.

4. A method as in claim 1, further comprising producing a text based output indicative of said information in said target language.

5. A method of translating, comprising:

receiving information in a source language to be translated to a target language;

determining information related to a social context within the information to be translated;

using said information related to social context in translating said information to a target language; and

detecting a profanity within the information in the source language to be translated, determining a meaning of the profanity, and translating the information using said meaning, without using any translation of said profanity;

wherein detecting the profanity, determining the meaning and translating the information using said meaning are performed by one or more programmed computers.

6. A method as in claim 5, wherein said translating comprises changing an emphasis in the sentence based on a presence of the profanity.

7. A method, comprising:

analyzing information in a source language;

identifying a profanity in said source language;

determining a meaning associated with the profanity and said source language; and

translating to a target language without including said profanity within the translation;

wherein said analyzing, identifying, determining and translating are performed by one or more computers programmed to perform said analyzing, identifying, determining and translating.

8. A method as in claim 7, wherein said translating comprises using the profanity to add an emphasis within the target language.

9. A method as in claim 7, wherein said translating comprises using the profanity to adjust the level of familiarity within a translation into the target language.

10. A method as in claim 7, further comprising determining information related to social context, and using said information to determine how to translate.

11. A method as in claim 10, wherein said information related to social context is information that indicates a relative degree of familiarity between a speaker and a listener, and wherein said using said information related to social context comprises translating as a more familiar translation based on said relative degree of familiarity.

12. A method as in claim 11 wherein said using comprises translating said profanity as a more formal translation that does not include said profanity, or as a less formal translation.

13. A method as in claim 8, wherein said emphasis is an emphasis in an oral translation.

14. A method as in claim 8, wherein said emphasis is an emphasis in a written translation.

15. A translating system, comprising:

an input part, receiving information in a source language to be translated to a target language; and

a computer, receiving said information to be translated, and analyzing said information to be translated to determine information related to a social context within the information to be translated, and using said information related to social context in translating said information to a target language;

wherein said information related to social context determined by said computer, is information that indicates a relative degree of familiarity between a speaker and a listener, and wherein said computer carries out said translating as a more familiar translation when said information indicative of social context indicates more familiarity; and

wherein said computer identifies a profanity within the information in the source language to be translated as part of said relative degree of familiarity.

16. A system as in claim 15, wherein said computer translates as a less formal translation, based on said detecting said profanity.

17. A translating system, comprising:

an input part, receiving information in a source language to be translated to a target language; and

a computer, receiving said information to be translated, and analyzing said information to be translated to determine information related to a social context within the information to be translated, and using said information related to social context in translating said information to a target language;

wherein said computer also operates to detect a profanity within the information in the source language to be translated, determine a meaning of the profanity, and translate the information using said meaning, without using any translation of said profanity.

18. A system as in claim 17, wherein said computer changes an emphasis in the sentence based on a presence of the profanity.

19. A system as in claim 18, wherein said computer produces audio output indicative of the translated speech, with said emphasis therein.