Using
controlled language
Controlled natural languages (CNLs) are subsets of natural languages that are obtained by restricting the grammar and vocabulary in order to reduce or eliminate ambiguity and complexity. Traditionally, controlled languages fall into two major types ...
in
machine translation
Machine translation is use of computational techniques to translate text or speech from one language to another, including the contextual, idiomatic and pragmatic nuances of both languages.
Early approaches were mostly rule-based or statisti ...
poses several problems.
In an automated translation, the first step in order to understand the controlled language is to know what it is and to distinguish between
natural language
A natural language or ordinary language is a language that occurs naturally in a human community by a process of use, repetition, and change. It can take different forms, typically either a spoken language or a sign language. Natural languages ...
and
controlled language
Controlled natural languages (CNLs) are subsets of natural languages that are obtained by restricting the grammar and vocabulary in order to reduce or eliminate ambiguity and complexity. Traditionally, controlled languages fall into two major types ...
.
The main problem in
machine translation
Machine translation is use of computational techniques to translate text or speech from one language to another, including the contextual, idiomatic and pragmatic nuances of both languages.
Early approaches were mostly rule-based or statisti ...
is a linguistic problem. Language is ambiguous and the system tries to model a
language
Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...
on lexical and grammatical way. In order to solve this problem there are a lot of alternatives, e.g. a
glossary
A glossary (from , ''glossa''; language, speech, wording), also known as a vocabulary or clavis, is an alphabetical list of Term (language), terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms. Traditionally, a gloss ...
related with the text’s topic can be used.
Benefits of using a controlled language
It is enabling to produce texts easier to read, more comprehensible and easier to retain, as well as with better vocabulary and style. Reasons for introducing a controlled language include:
*Documents that are more readable and comprehensible improve the usability of a product.
*Controlled-language guarantees giving objective and structured support in a typically rather subjective and unstructured environment.
*Tools-driven controlled language environments enable the automation of many editing tasks and provide objective quality metrics for the authoring process.
*More restrictive and controlled language, more uniform and standardized resulting source document and higher the match rate in a translation memory system, and the translation cost is cheaper.
*A controlled language designed for machine translation will significantly improve the quality of machine-generated translation proposals and it will reduce the time and cost of human translators editing.
Controlled language and translation
One of the biggest challenges facing organizations that wish to reduce the cost and time involved in their translations is the fact that even in environments that combine content management systems with translation memory technology, the percentage of un-translated segments per new document remains fairly high. While it is certainly possible to manage content on the sentence/segment level, the current best practice seems to be to chunk at the topic level. Which means that reuse occurs at a fairly high level of granularity.
References
{{Reflist
Sources
*AMORES CARREDANO, Jose Javier. Automatic translation systems
n line N Line may refer to:
* N Line (RTD), a commuter rail line in Denver
* N Line, a commuter rail line serving Seattle, Washington, United States
*N (New York City Subway service), a subway line in New York City
*Transilien Line N, a suburban rail sec ...
Available in: http://quark.prbb.org/19/019046.htm
ate of view: 29 May 2011*AECMA: ''AECMA Simplified English: A Guide for the Preparation of Aircraft Maintenance Documentation in the International Aerospace Maintenance Language'', Bruselas, 1995.
*Grimaila, A.; Chandioux, J.: "Made to measure solutions". In: John Newton, ed.: ''Computers in Translation: A Practical Appraisal'', Londres, Routledge, 1992: 33-45.
*Hartley, A.F.; Paris, C.L.: «Multi-lingual document production: from support for translating to support for authoring», Machine Translation (Special Issue on new tools for human translators) 1997; 12 (12): 109-129.
*Ide, I; Véronis, J.
«Introduction to the Special Issue on Word Sense Disambiguation: The State of the Art» Computational Linguistics 1998; 24 (1): 1-40.
*Lehrberger, L.; Bourbeau, L.: Machine Translation: Linguistic Characteristics of
machine translation
Machine translation is use of computational techniques to translate text or speech from one language to another, including the contextual, idiomatic and pragmatic nuances of both languages.
Early approaches were mostly rule-based or statisti ...
Systems and General Methodology of Evaluation, Amsterdam/Filadelfia, John Benjamins, 1988.
External links
Machine Translation controlled language and translation standards
Translation Directory
Constructed languages
Translation
Controlled natural languages