Patent ID: 6304841
Filing Date: 2001-10-16
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A computer-implemented method for translating source words using a language translation process, the language translation process using an adjustable model, the method comprising the steps of:choosing an initial model for the language translation process;generating, responsive to the source words, an output corresponding to at least one target hypothesis using the language translation process and the initial model;adjusting the initial model to generate an adjusted model, including the following steps (a)-(j):(a) providing a set of candidate features exhibited in the output of the language translation process;(b) providing a sample of data representing the output of the language translation process being modeled;(c) generating an intermediate model from the initial model of the language translation process;(d) initializing an active set S of features contained in the intermediate model;(e) computing scores representing the benefit of adding features to the intermediate model;(f) selecting one or more features having scores higher than a first given value;(g) if none of the scores is higher than a second given value, stop;(h) adding selected features to the set S of active features;(i) computing a model Ps containing the features in S to be the intermediate model; and(j) repeating steps (e)-(i) until the stop condition of step (g) is satisfied to determine from the intermediate model an adjusted model; andtranslating the source words with the language translation process operating using the adjusted model.