Machine translation of indirect speech

• US 8,768,687 B1
• Filed: 04/29/2013
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tickner, Simon, Quasthoff, Matthias
• Primary Examiner(s): COLUCCI, MICHAEL C
• Application Number:
  US13/872,583
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 704/257, 704/9, 704/239, 704/235, 704/201, 705/26.1, 715/705, 715/202, 709/203, 379/142.14
• US Class Current: 704/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/40 Processing or translation of natural language natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/1822 Parsing for meaning understanding
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for generating direct speech messages based on voice commands that include indirect speech messages. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a voice input corresponding to an utterance. A determination is made whether a transcription of the utterance includes a command to initiate a communication to a user and a segment that is classified as indirect speech. In response to determining that the transcription of the utterance includes the command and the segment that is classified as indirect speech, the segment that is classified as indirect speech is provided as input to a machine translator. In response to providing the segment that is classified as indirect speech to the machine translator, a direct speech segment is received from the machine translator. A communication is initiated that includes the direct speech segment.

Claims

1. A method performed by data processing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving a voice input corresponding to an utterance;

determining that the transcription of the utterance includes a first segment comprising a command to initiate a communication to a user;

classifying a second segment of the transcription as indirect speech;

in response to determining that the transcription of the utterance includes the command and the second segment that is classified as indirect speech;

providing the second segment that is classified as indirect speech as input to a machine translator that is configured to convert the second segment that is classified as indirect speech into a direct speech segment by replacing at least one word of the second segment with a different word that communicates direct speech, such that at least a grammatical structure, a tense of one or more words, or both, of the second segment is changed;

in response to providing the second segment that is classified as indirect speech to the machine translator, receiving the direct speech segment from the machine translator; and

initiating a communication that includes the direct speech segment.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the transcription includes a third segment that is classified as direct speech; and

in response to determining that the transcription includes the third segment that is classified as direct speech, initiating a communication that includes the segment that is classified as direct speech.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the machine translator:

determines a semantic meaning of the second segment that is classified as indirect speech; and

generates the direct speech segment to include a meaning that matches the semantic meaning of the second segment that is classified as indirect speech.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the machine translator applies a set of grammar rules to the second segment that is classified as indirect speech to convert the second segment that is classified as indirect speech to the direct speech segment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein classifying the second segment of the transcription as indirect speech comprises:

identifying a transitional word disposed between the command and the second segment of the transcription; and

determining whether the second segment of the transcription includes an indirect speech segment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein classifying the second segment of the transcription as indirect speech comprises:

identifying a portion of the transcription as a candidate indirect speech segment;

determining a confidence score for the candidate indirect speech segment, the confidence score specifying a measure of confidence that the candidate indirect speech segment is an indirect speech segment;

determining that the confidence score satisfies a confidence threshold; and

classifying the candidate indirect speech segment as indirect speech in response to the confidence score satisfying the confidence threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the machine translator converts the second segment that is classified as indirect speech to the direct speech segment by adjusting an order of words in the segment that is classified as indirect speech to generate the direct speech segment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the machine translator converts the second segment that is classified as indirect speech to the direct speech segment by replacing a word of the second segment that is classified as indirect speech with another word different than the word to generate the direct speech segment.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the communication including the direct speech segment for confirmation prior to sending the communication;

receiving confirmation data indicating that the communication has been confirmed; and

sending the communication in response to receiving the confirmation data.

10. A system, comprising:

a processing apparatus;

a memory storage apparatus in data communication with the data processing apparatus, the memory storage apparatus storing instructions executable by the data processing apparatus and that upon such execution cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising;

receiving a voice input corresponding to an utterance;

determining that the transcription of the utterance includes a first segment comprising a command to initiate a communication to a user;

classifying a second segment of the transcription as indirect speech;

in response to determining that the transcription of the utterance includes the command and the second segment that is classified as indirect speech;

providing the second segment that is classified as indirect speech as input to a machine translator that is configured to convert the second segment that is classified as indirect speech into a direct speech segment by replacing at least one word of the second segment with a different word that communicates direct speech, such that at least a grammatical structure, a tense of one or more words, or both, of the second segment is changed;

in response to providing the second segment that is classified as indirect speech to the machine translator, receiving the direct speech segment from the machine translator; and

initiating a communication that includes the direct speech segment.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions upon execution cause the data processing apparatus to perform further operations comprising:

determining that the transcription includes a third segment that is classified as direct speech; and

in response to determining that the transcription includes the third segment that is classified as direct speech, initiating a communication that includes the segment that is classified as direct speech.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the machine translator:

determines a semantic meaning of the second segment that is classified as indirect speech; and

generates the direct speech segment to include a meaning that matches the semantic meaning of the second segment that is classified as indirect speech.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the machine translator applies a set of grammar rules to the second segment that is classified as indirect speech to convert the second segment that is classified as indirect speech to the direct speech segment.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein classifying the second segment of the transcription as indirect speech comprises:

identifying a transitional word disposed between the command and the second segment of the transcription; and

determining whether the second segment of the transcription includes an indirect speech segment.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein classifying the second segment of the transcription as indirect speech comprises:

identifying a portion of the transcription as a candidate indirect speech segment;

determining a confidence score for the candidate indirect speech segment, the confidence score specifying a measure of confidence that the candidate indirect speech segment is an indirect speech segment;

determining that the confidence score satisfies a confidence threshold; and

classifying the candidate indirect speech segment as indirect speech in response to the confidence score satisfying the confidence threshold.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions upon execution cause the data processing apparatus to perform further operations comprising:

providing the communication including the direct speech segment for confirmation prior to sending the communication;

receiving confirmation data indicating that the communication has been confirmed; and

sending the communication in response to receiving the confirmation data.

17. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by a data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving a voice input corresponding to an utterance;

determining that the transcription of the utterance includes a first segment comprising a command to initiate a communication to a user;

classifying a second segment of the transcription as indirect speech;

in response to determining that the transcription of the utterance includes the command and the second segment that is classified as indirect speech;

providing the second segment that is classified as indirect speech as input to a machine translator that is configured to convert the second segment that is classified as indirect speech into a direct speech segment by replacing at least one word of the second segment with a different word that communicates direct speech, such that at least a grammatical structure, a tense of one or more words, or both, of the second segment is changed;

in response to providing the second segment that is classified as indirect speech to the machine translator, receiving the direct speech segment from the machine translator; and

initiating a communication that includes the direct speech segment.

18. The computer storage medium of claim 17, wherein classifying the second segment of the transcription as indirect speech comprises:

identifying a portion of the transcription as a candidate indirect speech segment;

determining a confidence score for the candidate indirect speech segment, the confidence score specifying a measure of confidence that the candidate indirect speech segment is an indirect speech segment;

determining that the confidence score satisfies a confidence threshold; and

classifying the candidate indirect speech segment as indirect speech in response to the confidence score satisfying the confidence threshold.