Text translation using contextual information related to text objects in translated language

• US 9,424,597 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2013
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Chelly, Yan
• Primary Examiner(s): Opsasnick, Michael N
• Application Number:
  US14/079,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20150134319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 704/2, 704/270, 704/277
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/334 Query execution G06F16/335 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3344 using natural language analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/205 Parsing
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation

Abstract

In an example embodiment, text is received at an ecommerce service from a first user, the text in a first language and pertaining to a first listing on the ecommerce service. Contextual information about the first listing may be retrieved. The text may be translated to a second language. Then, a plurality of text objects, in the second language, similar to the translated text may be located in a database, each of the text objects corresponding to a listing. Then, the plurality of text objects similar to the translated text may be ranked based on a comparison of the contextual information about the first listing and contextual information stored in the database for the listings corresponding to the plurality of text objects similar to the translated text. At least one of the ranked plurality of text objects may then be translated to the first language.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a memory storing a database of text objects, each text object comprising textual information pertaining to at least one listing in an ecommerce service, the database further including contextual information about the listings;

a translation module executable by a processor and configured to translate text from a first user from a first language to a second language, the text pertaining to a first listing on the ecommerce service;

a context ranking module configured to locate, in the database, a plurality of text objects, in the second language, similar to the translated text, and to rank the plurality of text objects similar to the translated text based on a comparison of contextual information about the first listing and the contextual information stored in the database for the listings corresponding to the plurality of text objects similar to the translated text;

the translation module further configured to translate at least one of the ranked plurality of text objects to the first language;

a display module presenting a subset of the ranked plurality of text objects to the first user; and

a feedback module configured to receive feedback from the first user used to select one of the subset of the ranked plurality of text objects to be used in the ecommerce service.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feedback includes an explicit selection of one of the subset of the ranked plurality of text objects by the first user.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feedback includes scores assigned to a plurality of the ranked plurality of text objects.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the context ranking module is further configured to utilize the feedback in future rankings of text objects.

5. A method comprising:

receiving, at an ecommerce service, text from a first user, the text in a first language and pertaining to a first listing on the ecommerce service;

retrieving contextual information about the first listing;

translating the text to a second language;

locating, in a database, a plurality of text objects, in the second language, similar to the translated text, each text object comprising textual information pertaining to at least one listing;

ranking the plurality of text objects similar to the translated text based on a comparison of the contextual information about the first listing and contextual information stored in the database for the listings corresponding to the plurality of text objects similar to the translated text;

translating at least one of the ranked plurality of text objects to the first language;

presenting a subset of the ranked plurality of text objects to the first user;

receiving feedback from the first user;

selecting one of the subset of the ranked plurality of text objects based on the feedback; and

using the selected text object in the ecommerce service.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the text from the first user is a question to a seller of the first listing and the using includes sending the selected text object as a question to the seller of the first listing.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the text from the first user is a portion of an item description of the first listing and the using includes utilizing the selected text object as the portion of the item description of the first listing.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the contextual information stored in the database for the listings includes past sales information.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the contextual information stored in the database for the listings includes item description information.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the contextual information stored in the database for the listings includes item category information.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the contextual information stored in the database for the listings includes one or more item images.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the translating the text to a second language includes passing the text to an application program interface (API) for a text translation service.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the translating the text to a second language and the translating at least one of the ranked plurality of text objects to the first language both utilize a single translation module.

14. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having embodied thereon instructions executable by one or more machines to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at an ecommerce service, text from a first user, the text in a first language and pertaining to a first listing on the ecommerce service;

retrieving contextual information about the first listing;

translating the text to a second language;

locating, in a database, a plurality of text objects, in the second language, similar to the translated text, each text object comprising textual information pertaining to at least one listing;

ranking the plurality of text objects similar to the translated text based on a comparison of the contextual information about the first listing and contextual information stored in the database for the listings corresponding to the plurality of text objects similar to the translated text;

translating at least one of the ranked plurality of text objects to the first language;

presenting a subset of the ranked plurality of text objects to the first user;

receiving feedback from the first user;

selecting one of the subset of the ranked plurality of text objects based on the feedback; and

using the selected text object in the ecommerce service.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the text from the first user is a question to a seller of the first listing and the using includes sending the selected text object as a question to the seller of the first listing.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the text from the first user is a portion of an item description of the first listing and the using includes utilizing the selected text object as the portion of the item description of the first listing.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the contextual information stored in the database for the listings includes past sales information.