Language translation apparatus and method using
context-based translation models
ISSUED: Apr. 23, 1996
FILED: Oct. 28, 1993
US PATENT NUMBER: 5510981
SERIAL NUMBER: 144913
INTL. CLASS (Ed. 6): G06F 17/28;
U.S. CLASS: 364-419.02; 364-419.08; 364-419.16; 381-043;
FIELD OF SEARCH: 364-419.02,419.08,419.16,200 MS File ; 381-43,51 ;
ABSTRACT: An apparatus for translating a series of source words in a first
language to a series of target words in a second language. For an input series
of source words, at least two target hypotheses, each including a series of
target words, are generated. Each target word has a context comprising at least
one other word in the target hypothesis. For each target hypothesis, a
language model match score including an estimate of the probability of
occurrence of the series of words in the target hypothesis. At least one
alignment connecting each source word with at least one target word in the
target hypothesis is identified. For each source word and each target
hypothesis, a word match score including an estimate of the conditional
probability of occurrence of the source word, given the target word in the
target hypothesis which is connected to the source word and given the context
in the target hypothesis of the target word which is connected to the source
word. For each target hypothesis, a translation match score including a
combination of the word match scores for the target hypothesis and the source
words in the input series of source words. A target hypothesis match score
including a combination of the language model match score for the target
hypothesis and the translation match score for the target hypothesis. The
target hypothesis having the best target hypothesis match score is output.