Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR LOCAL,
COMPUTER-AIDED TRANSLATION INCORPORATING TRANSLATOR
REVISIONS TO REMOTELY-GENERATED TRANSLATION PREDICTIONS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to methods and systems for providing computer-
aided translation. In particular, the present invention relates to methods and
systems for
local, computer-aided translation using remotely-generated translation
predictions.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In conventional systems for computer-aided translation, a translation-memory
application receives a document in one language (referred to as a source
document) for
translation into a second, target, language. In these systems, the application
typically
includes a translation memory that stores an enumeration of phrases, terms,
sentences, or
other segments of text in the source language with a corresponding translation
into the
target language for each of the enumerated segments of text. Translation-
memory
applications may analyze text according to stored rules or algorithms to
identify the
segments of text in the source document for which the translation memory
stores a
corresponding translation into the target language.
In some systems, a translation-memory application may provide a client
application, executing on a machine used by a translator, and a remote
translation
memory, residing on a remote server. Typical translation memories may store
thousands
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of translations and require a significant amount of time to identify an
appropriate
translation for a portion of a source document. The perceptible amounts of
time required
to process and transmit a translation over a network to a translator creates
an
inconvenience for typical users. However, insufficient network bandwidth or
storage
capacity on the machine used by the translator may prevent the translation-
memory
application from transmitting the translation memory directly to the machine
used by the
translator.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect, a method for local, computer-aided translation using remotely-
generated translation predictions includes the step of receiving, by a remote
translation
memory, at least one portion of a document in a source language for
translation into a
target language. The remote translation memory determines, prior to receiving
from a
translator a request for a translation of a second portion of the document,
that a
translation of the at least one portion of the document is useful in
translating the second
portion of the document. A local machine receives the translation of the first
portion of
the document and an identification of the utility of the translation of the
first portion of
the document to the translation of the second portion of the document. The
local machine
generates a translation of the second portion of the document through reuse of
the
translation of the first portion of the document, responsive to the received
identification
of the utility of the translation of the first portion of the document to the
second portion
of the document.
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In one embodiment, the remote translation receives the at least one portion of
the
document from a translation agent on the local machine. In another embodiment,
the
local machine receives an updated version of a translation replacing a
previously-
received translation.
In another aspect, a system for local, computer-aided translation using
remotely-
generated translation predictions includes a remote translation memory
comprising a first
receiver, a remote translation engine, and a transmitter, and a local machine
comprising a
second receiver and a translation agent. The first receiver receives at least
one portion of
a document in a source language for translating into a target language. The
remote
translation engine determines, prior to receiving from a translator a request
for a
translation of a second portion of the document, that a translation of the at
least one
portion of the document is useful in translating the second portion of the
document. The
transmitter transmits the translation of the at least one portion of the
document and an
identification of the utility of the translation of the first portion of the
document to the
translation of the second portion of the document.
The second receiver, on the local machine, receives the translation of the
first
portion of the document and the identification of the utility of the
translation of the first
portion of the document to the translation of the second portion of the
document. The
translation agent generates a translation of the second portion of the
document,
responsive to the received identification of the utility of the translation of
the first portion
of the document to the second portion of the document.
In one embodiment, the first receiver receives, from the translation agent, at
least
one portion of a document in a source language for translation into a target
language. In
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another embodiment, the remote translation memory resides on a remote
translation
server. In still another embodiment, the remote translation engine includes a
cache
storing one or more translations. In yet another embodiment, the remote
translation
engine includes a transceiver providing the functionality of a transmitter and
a receiver.
In still another aspect, a method for local, computer-aided translation using
remotely-generated translation predictions includes the step of receiving, by
a remote
translation memory, at least one portion of a first document in a source
language for
translation into a target language. The remote translation memory determines,
prior to
receiving from a translator a request for a translation of the at least one
portion of the first
document, that a translation of at least one portion of a second document is
useful in
translating the at least one portion of the first document. A local machine
receives an
identification of the utility of the translation of the at least one portion
of the second
document to the translation of the at least one portion of the first document.
The local
machine generates a translation of the at least one portion of the first
document through
reuse of the translation of the at least one portion of the second document,
responsive to
the received identification of the utility of the translation of the at least
one portion of the
second document to the translation of the at least one portion of the first
document.
In one embodiment, the remote translation memory receives, from the local
machine, the at least one portion of the first document in the source language
for
translation into the target language. In another embodiment, the remote
translation
memory receives, from the translation agent on the local machine, the at least
one portion
of the first document in the source language for translation into the target
language. In
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still another embodiment, the local machine stores the received translation in
a local
cache.
In yet another aspect, a system for local, computer-aided translation using
remotely-generated translation predictions includes a remote translation
memory
comprising a first receiver, a remote translation engine, and a transmitter.
The first
receiver receives at least one portion of a first document in a source
language for
translation into a target language. The remote translation engine determines,
prior to
receiving from a translator a request for a translation of the at least one
portion of the first
document, that a translation of at least one portion of a second document is
useful in
translating the at least one portion of the first document. The transmitter
transmits the
translation of the at least one portion of the first document and an
identification of the
utility of the translation of the at least one portion of the first document
to the translation
of the at least one portion of the second document. The system also includes a
local
machine comprising a second receiver and a translation agent. The second
receiver
receives the translation of the at least one portion of the first document and
the
identification of the utility of the translation of the at least one portion
of the second
document to the translation of the at least one portion of the first document.
The
translation agent generates a translation of the at least one portion of the
first document
through reuse of the translation of the at least one portion of the second
document,
responsive to the received identification of the utility of the translation of
the at least one
portion of the second document to the translation of the at least one portion
of the first
document.
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In one embodiment, the remote translation memory further comprises a plurality
of stored translations. In another embodiment, a plurality of translation
agents accesses
the remote translation memory. In still another embodiment, the first receiver
receives,
from the translation agent, the at least one portion of the first document in
the source
language for translation into the target language.
In one aspect, a method for local, computer-aided translation using remotely-
generated translation predictions includes the step of determining that a
translation stored
in a remote translation memory is useful in translating a first portion of a
local document.
A local machine receives the translation. The local machine stores, in a local
cache, an
alternate version of the translation. The alternate version of the translation
is identified as
useful in translating a second portion of the document. The local machine
generates a
translation of the second portion of the document through reuse of the
alternate version of
the translation, responsive to the identification of the utility of the
alternate version of the
translation in the translation of the second portion of the document.
In one embodiment, a determination is made as to whether an updated version of
the translation makes the received translation obsolete. In another
embodiment, the
remote translation memory receives a request for an updated version of the
translation.
In still another embodiment, a translator modifies the received translation.
In yet another
embodiment, the local machine transmits the alternate version of the
translation to the
remote translation memory.
In another aspect, a system for local, computer-aided translation using
remotely-
generated translation predictions includes a remote translation server and a
local machine.
The remote translation server includes a remote translation memory, a remote
translation
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engine, and a transmitter. The local machine comprises a receiver, a local
cache, a user
interface, and a translation agent. The remote translation memory provides
access to a
stored translation. The remote translation engine determines that the stored
translation is
useful in translating a first portion of a document. The transmitter transmits
the
translation. The receiver receives the translation of the first portion of the
document.
The local cache stores the translation of the first portion in a cache. The
user interface
receives from a translator an alternate version of the translation of the
first portion of the
document. The translation agent identifies the alternate version of the
translation of the
first portion of the document as useful in the translation of a second portion
of the
document and generates a translation of the second portion of the document
through
reuse of the alternate version of the translation of the first portion of the
document,
responsive to the identification of the utility of the alternate version
translation of the first
portion of the document in the translation of the second portion of the
document.
In one embodiment, the remote translation memory stores a plurality of
translations. In another embodiment, the translation agent further comprises
means for
determining whether an updated version of the translation makes the received
translation
obsolete. In still another embodiment, the receiver receives, from a
translator, a
modification to the received translation. In yet another embodiment, the local
machine
further comprises a transmitter sending, to the remote translation server, the
alternate
version of the translation.
In still another aspect, a method for local, computer-aided translation using
remotely-generated translation predictions includes the step of determining
that a
translation stored in a remote translation memory is useful in translating a
first portion of
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a local document. A local machine receives the translation. A determination is
made,
prior to receiving from a translator a request for the translation, that the
remote
translation memory stores an updated version of the translation. The updated
version of
the translation is identified as useful in translating a second portion of the
document. The
local machine generates a translation of the second portion of the document
through reuse
of the updated version of the translation, responsive to the identification of
the utility of
the updated version of the translation in translating the second portion of
the document.
In one embodiment, a determination is made that the updated version of the
translation makes the received translation obsolete. In another embodiment,
the remote
translation memory transmits an indication that the remote translation memory
stores an
updated version of the translation. In still another embodiment, the remote
translation
memory receives a request for the updated version of the translation. In yet
another
embodiment, a translator modifies the updated version of the translation.
In yet another aspect, a system for local, computer-aided translation using
remotely-generated translation prediction includes a remote translation server
and a local
machine. The remote translation server includes a remote translation memory, a
remote
translation engine, and a transmitter. The remote translation memory provides
access to a
stored translation. The remote translation engine determines that a
translation stored in a
remote translation memory is useful in translating a first portion of the
document. The
transmitter transmits the stored translation. The local machine includes a
receiver and a
translation agent. The receiver receives the translation of the first portion
of the
document. The translation agent determines, prior to receiving from a
translator a request
for the translation, that the remote translation memory stores an updated
version of the
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translation, identifies the updated version of the translation as useful in
translating a
second portion of the document, and generates a translation of the second
portion of the
document through reuse of the updated version of the translation, responsive
to the
identification of the utility of the updated version of the translation of the
first portion of
the document in translating the second portion of the document.
In one embodiment, the remote translation memory stores a plurality of
translations. In another embodiment, the remote translation server further
comprises a
receiver for receiving from a local machine a modification to a translation
stored in a
remote translation memory on the remote translation server. In still another
embodiment,
the local machine further comprises means for determining that the updated
version of
the translation makes the received translation obsolete. In some embodiments,
the
receiver on the local machine receives from a translator, a modification to
the received
translation. In one of these embodiments, the local machine further comprises
a
transmitter sending, to the remote translation server, the alternate version
of the
translation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other objects, aspects, features, and advantages of the
invention will become more apparent and better understood by referring to the
following
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. lA is a block diagram depicting an embodiment of a network environment
comprising client machines in communication with remote machines;
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FIG. 1B is a block diagram depicting an embodiment of a computer useful in
connection with the methods and systems described herein;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting one embodiment of a system for local,
computer-aided translation using remotely-generated translation predictions;
FIG. 3 is a flow diagram depicting one embodiment of the steps taken in a
method
for local, computer-aided translation using remotely-generated translation
predictions;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting another embodiment of a system for reusing
remotely-generated translations across a plurality of documents;
FIG. 5 is a flow diagram depicting another embodiment of the steps taken in a
method for reusing remotely-generated translations across a plurality of
documents;
FIG. 6 is a block diagram depicting one embodiment of a system for local,
computer-aided translation incorporating translator revisions to remotely-
generated
translation predictions;
FIG. 7 is a flow diagram depicting one embodiment of the steps taken in a
method
for local, computer-aided translation incorporating translator revisions to
remotely-
generated translation predictions;
FIG. 8 is a block diagram depicting another embodiment of a system for
maintaining and updating remotely-generated translation predictions; and
FIG. 9 is a flow diagram depicting another embodiment of the steps taken in a
method for maintaining and updating remotely-generated translation
predictions.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to Figure 1A, an embodiment of a network environment is
depicted. In brief overview, the network environment comprises one or more
clients
102a-102n (also generally referred to as local machine(s) 102, or client(s)
102) in
communication with one or more servers 106a-106n (also generally referred to
as
server(s) 106, or remote machine(s) 106) via one or more networks 104.
The network 104 can be a local-area network (LAN), such as a company Intranet,
a metropolitan area network (MAN), or a wide area network (WAN), such as the
Internet
or the World Wide Web. In some embodiments, there are multiple networks 104
between the clients 102 and the servers 106. In one of these embodiments, a
network
104' may be a private network and a network 104 may be a public network. In
another of
these embodiments, a network 104 may be a private network and a network 104' a
public
network. In still another embodiment, networks 104 and 104' may both be
private
networks.
The network 104 may be any type and/or form of network and may include any of
the following: a point to point network, a broadcast network, a wide area
network, a local
area network, a telecommunications network, a data communication network, a
computer
network, an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) network, a SONET (Synchronous
Optical Network) network, a SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) network, a
wireless
network and a wireline network. In some embodiments, the network 104 may
comprise a
wireless link, such as an infrared channel or satellite band. The topology of
the network
104 may be a bus, star, or ring network topology. The network 104 and network
topology may be of any such network or network topology as known to those
ordinarily
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skilled in the art capable of supporting the operations described herein. The
network may
comprise mobile telephone networks utilizing any protocol or protocols used to
communicate among mobile devices, including AMPS, TDMA, CDMA, GSM, GPRS or
UMTS. In some embodiments, different types of data may be transmitted via
different
protocols. In other embodiments, the same types of data may be transmitted via
different
protocols.
In some embodiments, the servers 106 may be geographically dispersed from
each other or from the clients 102. The servers 106 and the clients 102 may be
heterogeneous. One or more of the servers 106 or clients 102 can operate
according to
one type of operating system platform (e.g., WINDOWS XP, manufactured by
Microsoft
Corp. of Redmond, Washington), while one or more of the other servers 106 or
clients
102 can operate on according to another type of operating system platform
(e.g., Unix or
Linux). The clients 102 and the servers 106 may be interconnected using a wide-
area
network (WAN) connection or a metropolitan-area network (MAN) connection. Data
transmission speeds between servers 106 and clients 102 can be increased if
the servers
106 and the clients 102 are connected using a local-area network (LAN)
connection or
some form of direct connection.
A server 106 may be referred to as a file server, application server, web
server,
proxy server, or gateway server. In some embodiments, a server 106 may have
the
capacity to function as either an application server or as a master
application server. In
one embodiment, a server 106 may include an Active Directory. The clients 102
may
also be referred to as client nodes, client machines, endpoint nodes, or
endpoints. In
some embodiments, a client 102 has the capacity to function as both a client
node seeking
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access to resources provided by a server and as a server providing access to
hosted
resources for other clients 102a-102n.
In some embodiments, a client 102 communicates with a server 106. In one
embodiment, the client 102 communicates directly with one of the servers 106.
In
another embodiment, the client 102 communicates with a server 106 through a
network
104. Over the network 104, the client 102 can, for example, request access to
resources
hosted by the servers 106a-106n. In other embodiments, a client 102a
communicates
with a client 102b. In one of these embodiments, the client 102a communicates
directly
with one of the clients 102. In another of these embodiments, the client 102a
communicates with the client 102b through a network 104.
In one embodiment, the server 106 provides functionality of a web or Internet
server, or a desktop sharing server, or a collaboration server. In another
embodiment, the
server 106a receives requests from the client 102 and responds to the
requests. In still
another embodiment, the server 106a receives requests from the client 102,
forwards the
requests to a second server 106b and responds to the request by the client 102
with a
response to the request from the server 106b.
A client 102 may execute, operate or otherwise provide an application, which
can
be any type and/or form of software, program, or executable instructions such
as any type
and/or form of web browser, web-based client, client-server application, an
ActiveX
control, or a Java applet, or any other type and/or form of executable
instructions capable
of executing on client 102. The application can use any type of protocol and
it can be, for
example, an HTTP client, an FTP client, an Oscar client, or a Telnet client.
In one
embodiment, the application comprises any type of software related to voice
over internet
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protocol (VoIP) communications, such as a soft IP telephone. In another
embodiment,
the application comprises any application related to real-time data
communications, such
as applications for streaming video and/or audio.
The client 102 and server 106 may be deployed as and/or executed on any type
and form of computing device, such as a computer, network device or appliance
capable
of communicating on any type and form of network and performing the operations
described herein. FIG. 1B depicts a block diagram of a computing device 100
useful for
practicing an embodiment of the client 102 or a server 106. As shown in FIG.
1B, each
computing device 100 includes a central processing unit 121, and a main memory
unit
122. As shown in FIG. 1B, a computing device 100 may include a visual display
device
124, a keyboard 126 and/or a pointing device 127, such as a mouse.
The central processing unit 121 is any logic circuitry that responds to and
processes instructions fetched from the main memory unit 122. In many
embodiments,
the central processing unit is provided by a microprocessor unit, such as:
those
manufactured by Intel Corporation of Mountain View, California; those
manufactured by
Motorola Corporation of Schaumburg, Illinois; those manufactured by Transmeta
Corporation of Santa Clara, California; the RS/6000 processor, those
manufactured by
International Business Machines of White Plains, New York; or those
manufactured by
Advanced Micro Devices of Sunnyvale, California. The computing device 100 may
be
based on any of these processors, or any other processor capable of operating
as
described herein.
The computing device 100 may include a network interface 118 to interface to a
Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN) or the Internet through a
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variety of connections including, but not limited to, standard telephone
lines, LAN or
WAN links (e.g., 802.11, Ti, T3, 56kb, X.25), broadband connections (e.g.,
ISDN,
Frame Relay, ATM), wireless connections, or some combination of any or all of
the
above. The network interface 118 may comprise a built-in network adapter,
network
interface card, PCMCIA network card, card bus network adapter, wireless
network
adapter, USB network adapter, modem or any other device suitable for
interfacing the
computing device 100 to any type of network capable of communication and
performing
the operations described herein.
A wide variety of I/O devices 130a-130n may be present in the computing device
100. Input devices include keyboards, mice, trackpads, trackballs,
microphones, and
drawing tablets. Output devices include video displays, speakers, inkjet
printers, laser
printers, and dye-sublimation printers. The I/O devices may be controlled by
an I/O
controller 123 as shown in FIG. 1B. The I/O controller may control one or more
I/O
devices such as a keyboard 126 and a pointing device 127, e.g., a mouse or
optical pen.
Furthermore, an I/O device may also provide storage and/or an installation
medium 116
for the computing device 100. In still other embodiments, the computing device
100
may provide USB connections to receive handheld USB storage devices such as
the USB
Flash Drive line of devices manufactured by Twintech Industry, Inc. of Los
Alamitos,
California.
In some embodiments, the computing device 100 may comprise or be connected
to multiple display devices 124a-124n, which each may be of the same or
different type
and/or form. As such, any of the I/O devices 130a-130n and/or the I/O
controller 123
may comprise any type and/or form of suitable hardware, software, or
combination of
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hardware and software to support, enable or provide for the connection and use
of
multiple display devices 124a-124n by the computing device 100. For example,
the
computing device 100 may include any type and/or form of video adapter, video
card,
driver, and/or library to interface, communicate, connect or otherwise use the
display
devices 124a-124n. In one embodiment, a video adapter may comprise multiple
connectors to interface to multiple display devices 124a-124n. In other
embodiments, the
computing device 100 may include multiple video adapters, with each video
adapter
connected to one or more of the display devices 124a-124n. In some
embodiments, any
portion of the operating system of the computing device 100 may be configured
for using
multiple displays 124a-124n. In other embodiments, one or more of the display
devices
124a-124n may be provided by one or more other computing devices, such as
computing
devices 100a and 100b connected to the computing device 100, for example, via
a
network. These embodiments may include any type of software designed and
constructed to use another computer's display device as a second display
device 124a for
the computing device 100. One ordinarily skilled in the art will recognize and
appreciate
the various ways and embodiments that a computing device 100 may be configured
to
have multiple display devices 124a-124n.
In further embodiments, an I/O device 130 may be a bridge between the system
bus 150 and an external communication bus, such as a USB bus, an Apple Desktop
Bus,
an RS-232 serial connection, a SCSI bus, a FireWire bus, a FireWire 800 bus,
an Ethernet
bus, an AppleTalk bus, a Gigabit Ethernet bus, an Asynchronous Transfer Mode
bus, a
HIPPI bus, a Super HIPPI bus, a SerialPlus bus, a SCl/LAMP bus, a FibreChannel
bus, or
a Serial Attached small computer system interface bus.
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A computing device 100 of the sort depicted in FIG. 1B typically operates
under
the control of operating systems, which control scheduling of tasks and access
to system
resources. The computing device 100 can be running any operating system such
as any
of the versions of the MICROSOFT WINDOWS operating systems, the different
releases
of the Unix and Linux operating systems, any version of the MAC OS for
Macintosh
computers, any embedded operating system, any real-time operating system, any
open
source operating system, any proprietary operating system, any operating
systems for
mobile computing devices, or any other operating system capable of running on
the
computing device and performing the operations described herein. Typical
operating
systems include: WINDOWS 3.x, WINDOWS 95, WINDOWS 98, WINDOWS 2000,
WINDOWS NT 3.51, WINDOWS NT 4.0, WINDOWS CE, and WINDOWS XP, all of
which are manufactured by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Washington; MAC
OS,
manufactured by Apple Computer of Cupertino, California; OS/2, manufactured by
International Business Machines of Armonk, New York; and Linux, a freely-
available
operating system provided by Red Hat of Raleigh, North Carolina, or any type
and/or
form of a Unix operating system, among others.
In some embodiments, the computing device 100 may have different processors,
operating systems, and input devices consistent with the device. For example,
in one
embodiment the computing device 100 is a Treo 180, 270, 600, 650, 680, '700p
or 700w
smart phone manufactured by Palm, Inc. In some of these embodiments, the Treo
smart
phone is operated under the control of the PalmOS operating system and
includes a stylus
input device as well as a five-way navigator device.
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In other embodiments the computing device 100 is a mobile device, such as a
JAVA-enabled cellular telephone or personal digital assistant (PDA), such as
the i55sr,
i58sr, i85s, i88s, i90c, i95c1, or the im11000, all of which are manufactured
by Motorola
Corp. of Schaumburg, Illinois, the 6035 or the 7135, manufactured by Kyocera
of Kyoto,
Japan, or the i300 or i330, manufactured by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., of
Seoul,
Korea.
In still other embodiments, the computing device 100 is a Blackberry handheld
or
smart phone, such as the devices manufactured by Research In Motion Limited,
including
the Blackberry 7100 series, 8700 series, 7700 series, 7200 series, the
Blackberry 7520, or
the Blackberry Pearl 8100. In yet other embodiments, the computing device 100
is a
smart phone, Pocket PC, Pocket PC Phone, or other handheld mobile device
supporting
Microsoft Windows Mobile Software. Moreover, the computing device 100 can be
any
workstation, desktop computer, laptop or notebook computer, server, handheld
computer,
mobile telephone, any other computer, or other form of computing or
telecommunications device that is capable of communication and that has
sufficient
processor power and memory capacity to perform the operations described
herein.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram depicts one embodiment of a system
for
local, computer-aided translation using remotely-generated translation
predictions. The
system includes a remote translation server 106 and a local machine 102. In
brief
overview, a remote translation memory 250 on the remote translation server 106
receives
at least one portion 245a of a document 245 in a source language for
translation into a
target language. The remote translation memory 250 determines, prior to
receiving from
a translator a request for a translation of a second portion 245b of the
document 245, that
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a translation 260 of the at least one portion 245a of the document 245 is
useful in
translating the second portion 245b of the document 245. The local machine 102
receives the translation 260 of the first portion 245a of the document 245 and
receives an
identification of the utility of the translation 260 of the first portion 245a
of the document
245 to the translation of the second portion 245b of the document 245. The
local
machine 102 generates a translation 290b of the second portion 245b of the
document
245 through reuse of the translation 260 of the first portion 245a of the
document 245,
responsive to the received identification of the utility of the translation
260 of the first
portion 245a of the document 245 to the second portion 245b of the document
245.
Referring now to FIG. 2A, and in greater detail, the remote translation memory
250 provides access to a stored translation 260. In one embodiment, the remote
translation server 106 is a server 106 as described above in connection with
FIG. lA and
FIG. 1B. In another embodiment, the remote translation memory 250 resides on
the
remote translation server 106. In still another embodiment, the remote
translation
memory 250 is in communication with the remote translation server 106.
In one embodiment, the remote translation memory 250 stores a plurality of
stored translations. In another embodiment, the remote translation memory 250
further
comprises a local cache storing a translation. In still another embodiment,
the remote
translation memory 250 is in communication with a cache storing a translation.
In some embodiments, a plurality of local machines accesses the remote
translation memory 250. In one of the embodiments, the plurality of local
machines
accesses the remote translation memory 250 to request a translation of a
portion of a
document. In another of these embodiments, the plurality of local machines
accesses the
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remote translation memory 250 to modify a stored translation on the remote
translation
memory 250. In still another of these embodiments, the plurality of local
machines
access the remote translation memory 250 to add a translation to the remote
translation
memory 250.
The remote translation memory 250 comprises a first receiver 280. The receiver
280 receives at least one portion 245a of a document 245 in a source language
for
translation into a target language. In one embodiment, the receiver 280
receives the
request from the local machine 102. In another embodiment, the receiver 280
receives
the request from a translation agent 215 on the local machine 102.
In one embodiment, the receiver 280 receives a request for the translation
260. In
still another embodiment, the receiver 280 receives a request, from a local
machine 102,
for a translation of a first portion 245a of a local document 245. In still
another
embodiment, the receiver 280 receives requests for the translation 260 or for
a translation
of a portion of a local document 245 from one or more local machines 102.
The remote translation memory 250 comprises a remote translation engine 254.
The remote translation engine 254 determines, prior to receiving from a
translator a
request for a translation of a second portion 245b of the document 245, that a
translation
260 of the at least one portion 245a of the document 245 is useful in
translation the
second portion 245b of the document 245. In some embodiments, the remote
translation
memory 250 receives at least one portion of a first document prior to
receiving from a
translator a request for a translation of the at least one portion of the
first document. In
other embodiments, the remote translation memory 250 receives a first portion
of a first
document and completes a process of identifying a translation for the first
portion before
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receiving a request for a translation of a second portion of the first
document. In still
other embodiments, the remote translation memory 250 receives a portion of a
first
document and a portion of a second document. In one of these embodiments, the
remote
translation memory 250 completes a process of identifying a translation for
the portion of
the first document and of identifying the utility of the translation of the
portion of the first
document to a translation of the portion of the second document prior to
receiving from a
translator a request for a translation of the portion of the second document.
In one embodiment, the remote translation engine 254 makes the determination
upon receiving a request for the translation from the translation agent 215.
In another
embodiment, the translation agent 215 makes the request for the translation
prior to
receiving a request for the translation from a translator. In still another
embodiment, the
translation agent 215 monitors a translator translating a first portion 245a
of the
document 245. In yet another embodiment, the translation agent 215 identifies
the
second portion 245b and makes a request to the remote translation memory 250
for a
translation of the section 245b while the translator translates, or edits a
translation of, the
first portion 245a of the document 245.
In one embodiment, the receiver 280 receives, from the local machine 102, a
modification to a translation 260 stored in the remote translation memory 250.
In another
embodiment, the receiver 280 receives, from the local machine, an updated
version of a
translation 260 stored in the remote translation memory 250. In still another
embodiment, the remote translation engine 254 comprises means for determining
that the
updated version of the translation 260 of the at least one portion 245a of the
document
245 is useful in translating the second portion 245b of the document 245.
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The remote translation memory 250 comprises a transmitter 270. The transmitter
270 transmits the translation 260 of the first portion 245a of the document
245 and
transmits an identification of the utility of the translation 260 of the at
least one portion
245a of the document 245 to the translation of the second portion 245b of the
document
245. In one embodiment, the transmitter 270 accesses the remote translation
memory
250 to send the translation 260 to the local machine 102. In another
embodiment, the
transmitter 270 receives, from the remote translation engine 254, an
identification of the
translation 260 to transmit to the local machine 102. In still another
embodiment the
transmitter 270 resides in the remote translation memory 250.
The local machine 102 comprises a second receiver 230. The second receiver 230
receives the translation 260 of the first portion 245a of the document 245 and
the
identification of the utility of the translation 260 of the first portion 245a
of the document
245 to the translation of the second portion 245b of the document 245.
In one embodiment, the local machine 102 further comprises a local cache 210
storing the translation 260 as received translation 220. In another
embodiment, the local
machine 102 is in communication with a cache storing the translation 260 as
received
translation 220.
In one embodiment, the local machine 102 further comprises a receiver 230
receiving a revision to a received translation 220. In another embodiment, the
receiver
230 receives the revision from the remote translation server 106. In still
another
embodiment, the receiver 230 receives the revision from a user of the local
machine 102,
such as a translator.
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In one embodiment, the local machine 102 further comprises a transmitter 240
transmitting a portion 245a to the remote translation server 106 for
translation from a
source language to a target language. In another embodiment, the transmitter
240
transmits a portion 245a to the remote translation memory 250 for translation
from a
source language to a target language. In still another embodiment, the
transmitter 240
transmits a request for a translation 260. In yet another embodiment, the
transmitter 240
transmits a modified version of a received translation 220 to the remote
translation server
250. In some embodiments, the local machine 102 comprises a transceiver
combining
the functionality of the receiver 230 and the transmitter 240.
The local machine 102 comprises a translation agent 215. The translation agent
215 generates a translation 290b of the second portion 245b of the document
245 through
reuse of the translation 260 of the first portion 245a of the document 245,
responsive to
the received identification of the utility of the translation 260 of the first
portion 245a of
the document 245 to the second portion 245b of the document 245. In some
embodiments, the translation agent 215 comprises a client-side software
application
program. In other embodiments, the translation agent 215 is embedded into, or
associated with, an application program on the local machine. In one of these
embodiments, the translation agent 215 is provided as a dynamically linked
library. In
another of these embodiments, the translation agent 215 is provided as a plug-
in
component of an application program executing on the local machine.
In some embodiments, the translation agent 215 is in communication with the
remote translation memory 250. In one of these embodiments, the translation
agent 215
identifies one or more portions ¨ such as sentences, words, or phrases ¨ in a
document in
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a source language for translation into a target language. In another of these
embodiments, the translation agent 215 transmits a request to the remote
translation
memory 250 for a translation of a portion of a document. In still another of
these
embodiments, the translation agent 215 transmits the request to the remote
translation
memory 250 while a translator views, edits or completes a translation of a
second portion
of the document. In yet another of these embodiments, the translation agent
215 displays
the received translation to the translator.
Referring now to FIG. 3, a flow diagram depicts one embodiment of the steps
taken in a method for local, computer-aided translation using remotely-
generated
translation predictions. In brief overview, a remote translation memory
receives at least
one portion of a document in a source language for translation into a target
language (step
302). The remote translation memory determines, prior to receiving from a
translator a
request for a translation of a second portion of the document, that a
translation of the at
least one portion of the document is useful in translating the second portion
of the
document (step 304). A local machine receives the translation of the first
portion of the
document and an identification of the utility of the translation of the first
portion of the
document to a translation of the second portion of the document (step 306).
The local
machine generates a translation of the second portion of the document through
reuse of
the translation of the first portion of the document, responsive to the
received
identification of the utility of the translation of the first portion of the
document to the
second portion of the document (step 308).
In some embodiments, the document 245 comprises a plurality of portions 245a ¨
245n. In one of these embodiments, a portion of a document comprises a word, a
phrase,
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a term, a portion of a sentence, an entire sentence, a portion of a paragraph,
or an entire
paragraph. In another of these embodiments, a user, such as a translator,
requests a
translation of the document 245, which may be referred to as a source
document. In still
another of these embodiments, the translator identifies a target language into
which the
translator requests translation of the source document 245.
In some embodiments, a translator requests, from a local machine 102, a
translation of an entire document. In one of these embodiments, the local
machine 102
begins translating portions of the document. In another of these embodiments,
the local
machine 102 translates a first portion of the document using a translation 220
stored in
the local cache and previously received from the remote translation server 106
as
translation 260. In still another of these embodiments, the local machine 102
requests a
translation 260 from the remote translation server 106 when the local machine
102
determines that the local cache does not store a translation 260 useful for
translating a
portion of the source document 245.
In these embodiments, the use of a locally stored translation 220 by the local
machine 102 decreases a lag time, or delay, experienced by the translator
between a time
at which the translator requests a translation and the time at which the
translator receives
the translation. In one embodiment, the use of a locally stored translation
220 enables the
translator to translate portions of documents regardless of whether the
translator has
access to the remote translation memory 250 at the time of the translation.
Furthermore,
since the stored translation 220 has applicability to at least one portion of
the document
for which the translator requests translation, in one embodiment, the local
cache 210
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stores translations likely to have utility to the translation of the
documents, and portions
of documents, on which the translator works.
Referring now to FIG. 3, and in greater detail, a remote translation memory
receives at least one portion of a document in a source language for
translation into a
target language (step 302). In one embodiment, the remote translation memory
250
receives, from the local machine 102, at least one portion of a document in a
source
language for translation into a target language. In another embodiment, the
remote
translation memory 250 receives, from a translation agent on the local machine
102, at
least one portion of a document in a source language for translation into a
target
language. In still another embodiment, the remote translation memory 250
receives, from
the local machine 102, an updated version of a translation replaced a stored
translation
260. In yet another embodiment, the remote translation memory 250 determines
that the
updated version of the translation of the at least one portion of the document
is useful in
translating a second portion of the document.
The remote translation memory determines, prior to receiving from a translator
a
request for a translation of a second portion of the document, that a
translation of the at
least one portion of the document is useful in translating the second portion
of the
document (step 304). In some embodiments, the remote translation memory 250
includes
means for determining that a translation 260 is useful in translating a first
portion of a
document 245. In one of these embodiments, the means for determining the
utility of a
translation 260 comprises a database. In another of these embodiments, the
means for
determining the utility of a translation 260 comprises a table.
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In one embodiment, the means for determining the utility of a translation 260
includes an enumeration of the translation 260 and a phrase associated with
the
translation 260. In another embodiment, the means for determining the utility
of a
translation 260 determines that the document 245 includes the phrase
associated with the
translation 260. In still another embodiment, the means for determining the
utility of a
translation 260 determines that the local machine 102 may use the translation
260 to
translate the identified phrase associated with the translation 260 responsive
to the
determination the document 245 includes the identified phrase.
In some embodiments, the remote translation memory 250 performs a search for a
portion of a document 245 in a database, such as a translation memory. In one
of these
embodiments, the remote translation memory 250 performs a fuzzy search for a
portion
of a document 245 in a database, such as a translation memory. In another of
these
embodiments, the remote translation memory 250 performs an exact search for a
portion
of a document 245 in a database, such as a translation memory. In still
another of these
embodiments, the portion of the document is a segment, such as a sentence or
part of
speech. In yet another of these embodiments, the remote translation memory 250
finds
the portion of the document in the translation memory database and identifies
one or
more translations associated with the portion of the document in the database.
In other
embodiments, the remote translation memory 250 transmits an enumeration of
identified,
associated translations. In one of these embodiments, the remote translation
memory 250
transmits the one or more translations 260. In another of these embodiments,
the
enumeration of associated translations includes a ranking by relevance of the
translation
to the translator, ranked by relevance. In still another of these embodiments,
the ranking
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is based on a type of match made between the translation and the portion of
the
document. In yet another of these embodiments, types of matching include, but
are not
limited to, exact matching, fuzzy matching, and a similarity between new text
and text
already translated in the translation memory.
A local machine receives the translation of the first portion of the document
and
an identification of the utility of the translation of the first portion of
the document to a
translation of the second portion of the document (step 306). In one
embodiment, the
local machine 102 stores the received translation. In another embodiment, the
local
machine 102, stores the received translation in a local cache 210. In still
another
embodiment, the local machine 102 receives a revision to a received
translation 220. In
some embodiments, and as described in greater detail below in connection with
FIG. 8
and FIG. 9, the local machine 102 determines whether the remote translation
memory
250 stores an updated version of the received translation 220. In one of these
embodiments, the local machine 102 uses the updated version of the received
translation.
The local machine generates a translation of the second portion of the
document
through reuse of the translation of the first portion of the document,
responsive to the
received identification of the utility of the translation of the first portion
of the document
to the second portion of the document (step 308). In one embodiment, the local
machine
102 includes an application program that receives the translation 260, stores
the
translation 260 in the local cache as received translation 220, and generates
a translation
290 of at least one portion 245a of the document 245 using the received
translation 220.
In some embodiments, the local machine 102 generates a translation of the
second
portion 245b of the document 245 by replacing the second portion 245b of the
document
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245 with the received translation 220. In one of these embodiments, the
translation agent
215 on the local machine 102 generates the translation. In other embodiments,
the
translation agent 215 displays the translation to a translator. In one of
these
embodiments, the translation agent 215 displays, via a user interface, the
translation to
the translator. In another of these embodiments, the translation agent 215
displays, via an
application program on the local machine 102, the translation of the second
portion of the
document 645. In still other embodiments, the translator approves, rejects, or
modifies
the translation.
In one embodiment, the local machine 102 displays the translation of the
second
portion of the document 245 to a translator. In another embodiment, and as
discussed in
greater detail below in connection with FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the local machine
102 receives
alternate versions of the translation 220 from the translator responsive to a
review of the
translation of the second portion of the document 245. In some embodiments,
the local
machine 102 generates a translation of a third portion 245c of the document
245 through
reuse of the alternate version of the translation 220.
Referring now to FIG. 4, a block diagram depicts one embodiment of a system
for
reusing remotely-generated translations across a plurality of documents. In
brief
overview, the remote translation memory comprises a first receiver 280, a
remote
translation engine 254, and a transmitter 270. The first receiver 280 receives
at least one
portion 445a of a first document 445 in a source language for translation into
a target
language. The remote translation engine 254 determines, prior to receiving
from a
translator a request for a translation of the at least one portion 445a of the
first document
445, that a translation 425 of at least one portion 415a of a second document
415 is useful
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in translating the at least one portion 445a of the first document 445. The
transmitter
transmits a translation 425 of the at least one portion 415a of the second
document 415
and transmits an identification of the utility of the translation 425 of the
at least one
portion 415a of the second document 415 to the translation of the at least one
portion of
445a of the first document 445. A local machine 102 comprises a second
receiver 230
and a translation agent 215. The second receiver 230 receives the translation
425 of the
at least one portion 415a of the first document 415 and the identification of
the utility of
the translation 425 to the translation of the at least one portion 445a of the
first document
445. The translation agent 215 generates a translation 490 of the at least one
portion
445a of the first document 445 through reuse of the translation 425 of the at
least one
portion 415a of the second document 415, responsive to the received
identification of the
utility of the translation 425 to the translation of the at least one portion
445a of the first
document 445.
Referring now to FIG. 4, and in greater detail, in some embodiments, the
remote
translation server 106 and the local machine 102 include the components and
provide the
functionality of the remote translation server 106 and the local machine 102
described in
connection with FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. The receiver 280 receives at least one
portion 445a
of a first document 445 in a source language for translation into a target
language. In one
embodiment, the receiver 280 receives the at least one portion 445a of the
first document
445 from the local machine 102. In another embodiment, the receiver 280
receives the at
least one portion 445a of the first document 445 from a transmitter 240 on the
local
machine 102. In still another embodiment, the receiver 280 receives the at
least one
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portion 445a of the first document 445 from the translation agent 215 on the
local
machine.
In one embodiment, the receiver 280 receives, from the local machine 102, a
modification to a translation 425 stored by the remote translation memory 250.
In
another embodiment, the receiver 280 receives an updated version of a
translation 425
stored by the remote translation memory 250. In still another embodiment, the
receiver
280 receives a new translation to store in the remote translation memory 250.
In yet
another embodiment, the remote translation engine 254 includes means for
determining
that a new, updated, or modified version of a translation 425 received from
the local
machine 102 is useful in translating at least one portion of the document 445.
In one embodiment, the remote translation memory 250 resides on a remote
translation server 106. In another embodiment, the remote translation memory
250 is in
communication with a remote translation server 106. In still another
embodiment, the
remote translation memory 250 further comprises a location cache storing
translations
425. In yet another embodiment, the remote translation memory 250 is in
communication with a local cache storing a translation 425.
In one embodiment, the remote translation memory 250 stores a plurality of
translations. In another embodiment, a plurality of local machines 102
accesses the
remote translation memory 250. In still another embodiment, the receiver 280
receives,
from one or more local machines 102, requests for a translation of at least
one portion of
a local document 445.
The remote translation engine 254 determines, prior to receiving from a
translator
a request for a translation of the at least one portion 445a of the first
document 445, that a
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translation of at least one portion 415a of a second document 415 is useful in
translating
the at least one portion 445a of the first document 445. In some embodiments,
the remote
translation memory stores the at least one portion 415a of the second document
415. In
other embodiments, and as depicted in FIG. 4, the remote translation server
stores the
second document 415. In still other embodiments, a second remote translation
memory
250 on the remote translation server 106 stores the at least one portion 415a.
In one of
these embodiments, the second remote translation memory 250 on the remote
translation
server 106 stores the second document 415. In even still other embodiments, a
second
remote translation server 106b stores the at least one portion 415a. In one of
these
embodiments, the second remote translation server 106b stores the second
document 415.
In another of these embodiments, a second remote translation memory 250' on
the second
remote translation server 106b stores the at least one portion 415a. In still
another of
these embodiments, a second remote translation memory 250' on the second
remote
translation server 106b stores the second document 415.
The transmitter transmits a translation 425 of the at least one portion 415a
of the
second document 415 and transmits an identification of the utility of the
translation 425
of the at least one portion 415a of the second document 415 to the translation
of the at
least one portion of 445a of the first document 445. In some embodiments, the
transmitter receives an identification of a translation 425 to transmit from
the remote
translation engine 254. In other embodiments, the transmitter receives the
identification
of the utility of the translation 425 of the at least one portion 415a of the
second
document 415 to the translation of the at least one portion of 445a of the
first document
445 from the remote translation engine 254.
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In some embodiments, the remote translation memory 250 includes a transceiver
combining the functionality of the receiver 280 and the transmitter 270. In
other
embodiments, the remote translation engine 254 includes a transceiver
combining the
functionality of the receiver 280 and the transmitter 270. In still other
embodiments, a
remote translation server 106 includes a transceiver combining the
functionality of the
receiver 280 and the transmitter 270.
A local machine 102 comprises a second receiver 230 and a translation agent
215.
In some embodiments, the local machine 102 includes a receiver 230 receiving a
revision
to a received translation 425. In other embodiments, the local machine 102
includes a
transmitter 240 sending, to the remote translation memory 250, a modified
version of a
received translation. In still other embodiments, the translation agent 215 on
the local
machine 102 comprises the receiver 230 and the transmitter 240.
The second receiver 230 receives the translation 425 of the at least one
portion
415a of the first document 415 and the identification of the utility of the
translation 425
to the translation of the at least one portion 445a of the first document 445.
The
translation agent 215 generates a translation 490 of the at least one portion
445a of the
first document 445 through reuse of the translation 425 of the at least one
portion 415a of
the second document 415, responsive to the received identification of the
utility of the
translation 425 to the translation of the at least one portion 445a of the
first document
445.
Referring now to FIG. 5, a flow diagram depicts one embodiment of the steps
taken in a method for local, computer-aided translation incorporating
translator revisions
to remotely-generated translation predictions. A remote translation memory
receives at
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least one portion of a first document in a source language for translation
into a target
language (step 502). The remote translation memory determines, prior to
receiving from
a translator a request for a translation of the at least one portion of the
first document, that
a translation of at least one portion of a second document is useful in
translating the at
least one portion of the first document (steps 504). A local machine receives
an
identification of the utility of the translation of the at least one portion
of the second
document to the translation of the at least one portion of the first document
(step 506).
The local machine generates a translation of the at least one portion of the
first document
through reuse of the translation of the at least one portion of the second
document,
responsive to the received identification of the utility of the translation of
the at least one
portion of the second document to the translation of the at least one portion
of the first
document (step 508).
Referring now to FIG. 5 and in greater detail, a remote translation memory
receives at least one portion of a first document in a source language for
translation into a
target language (step 502). In one embodiment, the remote translation memory
250
receives, from a local machine 102, the at least one portion 445a of the first
document
445 in the source language, for translation into the target language. In
another
embodiment, the remote translation memory 250 receives, from a translation
agent 215
on the local machine 102, the at least one portion 445a of the first document
445 in the
source language, for translation into the target language.
In one embodiment, the remote translation memory 250 receives, from a local
machine 102, an updated version of a translation replacing a translation 425
stored by the
remote translation memory 250. In another embodiment, the remote translation
memory
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250 receives, from a local machine 102, a modification to a translation 425
stored by the
remote translation memory 250. In still another embodiment, the remote
translation
memory 250 receives, from a local machine 102, an additional translation 425'
to store.
In yet another embodiment, the remote translation memory 250 determines that
an
updated version of the translation 425 is useful translating the at least one
portion 445a of
the first document 445. In some embodiments, the remote translation engine 254
determines that a modified translation, revised replacement translation, or
additional
translation is useful in the translation of at least one portion of a
document.
The remote translation memory determines, prior to receiving from a translator
a
request for a translation of the at least one portion of the first document,
that a translation
of at least one portion of a second document is useful in translating the at
least one
portion of the first document (steps 504). In some embodiments, the remote
translation
memory 250 receives at least one portion of a first document prior to
receiving from a
translator a request for a translation of the at least one portion of the
first document. In
other embodiments, the remote translation memory 250 receives a first portion
of a first
document and completes a process of identifying a translation for the first
portion before
receiving a request for a translation of a second portion of the first
document. In still
other embodiments, the remote translation memory 250 receives a portion of a
first
document and a portion of a second document. In one of these embodiments, the
remote
translation memory 250 completes a process of identifying a translation for
the portion of
the first document and of identifying the utility of the translation of the
portion of the first
document to a translation of the portion of the second document prior to
receiving from a
translator a request for a translation of the portion of the second document.
In yet other
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embodiments, the translation agent 215 transmits a request for a translation
of a portion
of the first document while a translator using the local machine 102 modifies,
edits, or
completes a translation of a second, previous portion of the first document.
A local machine receives an identification of the utility of the translation
of the at
least one portion of the second document to the translation of the at least
one portion of
the first document (step 506). In one embodiment, the local machine 102
receives a
revision to a received translation 220. In another embodiment, the local
machine 102
stores the revision to the received translation 220 without replacing the
received
translation 220. In still another embodiment, the local machine 102 replaces
the received
translation 220 with the revision to the received translation 220. In yet
another
embodiment, the local machine stores received translations in a local cache.
The local machine generates a translation of the at least one portion of the
first
document through reuse of the translation of the at least one portion of the
second
document, responsive to the received identification of the utility of the
translation of the
at least one portion of the second document to the translation of the at least
one portion of
the first document (step 508). In one embodiment, the translation agent 215
generates the
translation.
In some embodiments, as described above in connection with FIG. 2 and FIG. 3,
a
translation of a portion of a document may be reused to translate a second
portion within
the same document. In one of these embodiments, a translation of a portion of
a first
document may also have utility in translating a portion of a second document.
Additionally, in some embodiments, even if a translation of a portion of a
first document
has no utility in translating other portions of the first document, the
translation of the
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portion of the first document may have utility in translating portions of
other documents.
As described in connection with FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, in some embodiments, the
remote
translation memory 250 is not limited to a single document when identifying
portions of
documents for which an existing translation may be useful. In one of these
embodiments,
the ability to reuse translations across documents provides increased
functionality to a
user of the system. For example, and in some embodiments, thousands of
translators
worldwide may provide portions of documents to a translation memory, which
generates
translations for each portion and provides other translators access to those
translations for
use in their own documents, and for incorporation into their local translation
memories,
as described above in connection with FIG. 2 and 3.
Referring now to FIG. 6, a block diagram depicts one embodiment of a system
for
local, computer-aided translation incorporating translator revisions to
remotely-generated
translation predictions. The system includes a remote translation server 106
and a local
machine 102. In brief overview, the remote translation server 106 comprises a
remote
translation memory 250 providing access to a stored translation 660, a remote
translation
engine 254 determining that the stored translation 660 is useful in
translating a first
portion of a document 645, and a transmitter 270 transmitting the stored
translation 660.
The local machine 102 comprises a receiver 240, a local cache 210, a user
interface 605,
and a translation agent 215. The receiver 240 receives the translation 660 of
the first
portion of the document 645. The local cache 210 stores the translation 660 of
the first
portion of the document 645. The user interface 605 receives from a translator
an
alternate version 625 of the translation 660 of the first portion of the
document 645. The
translation agent 215 identifies the alternate version 625 of the translation
660 of the first
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portion of the document 645 as useful in the translation of a second portion
of the
document 645 and generates a translation of the second portion of the document
645
through reuse of the alternate version of the translation 625 of the first
portion of the
document 645, responsive to the identification of the utility of the alternate
version 625
of the translation 660 of the first portion of the document 645 in the
translation of the
second portion of the document 645.
Referring now to FIG. 6, and in greater detail, in some embodiments, the
remote
translation server 106 and the local machine 102 include the components and
provide the
functionality of the remote translation server 106 and the local machine 102
described in
connection with FIG. 2-5. The remote translation server 106 comprises a remote
translation memory 250 that provides access to a stored translation 660. In
one
embodiment, the remote translation memory 250 stores the translation 660. In
another
embodiment, the remote translation memory 250 stores a plurality of
translations 660. In
still another embodiment, one or more local machines 102 access the remote
translation
server 106 to request one of a plurality of translations 660 from the remote
translation
memory 250. In some embodiments, the remote translation server 106 provides
the
functionality of the remote translation server 106 as described above in
connection with
FIG. 2.
In one embodiment, the remote translation server 106 comprises a receiver 280.
In another embodiment, the receiver 280 receives a request for the translation
660. In
still another embodiment, the receiver 280 receives a request, from a local
machine 102,
for a translation of a first portion of a local document 645. In still another
embodiment,
the receiver 280 receives a request for the translation 660 or for a
translation of a portion
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of a local document 645 from one or more local machines 102. In yet another
embodiment, the receiver 280 receives, from a local machine 102, a
modification to a
translation 660 stored in the remote translation memory 250.
In some embodiments, the remote translation server 106 includes means for
determining that a translation 660 is useful in translating a first portion of
a document
645. In one of these embodiments, the remote translation engine 254 determines
that the
stored translation 660 is useful in translating a first portion of a document
645. In
another of these embodiments, the remote translation engine 254 comprises a
database.
In still another of these embodiments, the remote translation engine 254
comprises a
table. In one embodiment, the remote translation engine 254 provides the
functionality
described above in connection with FIG. 2.
The remote translation server 106 comprises a transmitter 270 transmitting the
stored translation. In one embodiment, the transmitter 270 sends the stored
translation
660 to the local machine 102. In another embodiment, the transmitter 270 sends
the
stored translation to the translation agent 215 on the local machine 102. In
still another
embodiment, the transmitter 270 received an identification of the stored
translation 660 to
send to the local machine 102 from the remote translation engine 254.
The local machine 102 comprises the receiver 230, the local cache 210, the
user
interface 605, and the translation agent 215. The receiver 230 receives the
translation
660 of the first portion of the document 645. In one embodiment, the receiver
230
receives an updated version 625 of the translation 660 replacing the received
translation
620. The local cache 210 stores the translation 660 of the first portion as
received
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translation 620. In some embodiments, the local machine 102 comprises a client
102 as
described above in connection with FIG. lA and FIG. 1B.
In one embodiment, the local machine includes a transmitter 240 sending a
request for an updated version of the translation 620 to the remote
translation server 106.
In another embodiment, the transmitter 240 sends the request for the updated
version
before the translation agent 215 receives a request for the translation. In
still another
embodiment, the transmitter sends alternate versions, modified versions, or
new
translations to the remote translation server 106.
The user interface 605 receives, from a translator, an alternate version of
the
translation of the first portion of the document. In one embodiment, the user
interface
605 receives the alternate version 625 of the translation 620 upon displaying
the
translation 620 to the translator. In another embodiment, the user interface
605 includes a
user interface element for receiving, from the translator, the altered
translation 625.
In one embodiment, the local machine 102 includes an application program that
receives the translation 660, stores the translation 660 in the local cache,
and generates a
translation of at least a portion of the document 645 using the received
translation 620.
In another embodiment, the application program provides a user interface 605
for
receiving a modification from a translator. In some embodiments, the
application
program includes the translation agent 215.
As will be described in greater detail below, in connection with FIG. 8 and
FIG.
9, in some embodiments, the local machine 102 comprises means for determining
whether an updated version of a received translation 620 makes the received
translation
620 obsolete. In one embodiment, the transmitter 240 sends a request to the
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translation server 106 for an indication of whether the remote translation
server 106
stores an updated version of the translation 620. In another embodiment, the
remote
translation server 106 transmits an indication, to the local machine 102, that
an updated
version of a translation 660 exists. In still another embodiment, the
translation agent 215
determines whether an updated version of the translation makes the received
translation
obsolete. In some embodiments, the receiver 230 receives the updated version
of the
translation 660 and replaces the previously received translation 620 with the
updated
version of the translation 660.
The local machine 102 receives from a translator an alternate version of the
translation 625 of the first portion of the document 645. In some embodiments,
the
receiver 230 receives the alternate version of the translation 625. In one of
these
embodiments, the receiver 230 stores the alternate version of the translation
625 in the
local cache 210. In other embodiments, the user interface 605 receives the
alternate
version of the translation 625 from the translator. In still other
embodiments, the
transmitter 240 sends the alternate version of the translation 625 to the
remote translation
server 106.
In some embodiments, the translator reviews the translation of a portion of
the
document 645, the translation generated with the received translation 620. In
another of
these embodiments, the translator requests generation of a second translation
of the first
of the document 645 based on a second translation 660'. In still another of
these
embodiments, the translator modifies the generated translation of the first
portion of the
document 645.
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The translation agent 215 identifies the alternate version of the translation
625 of
the first portion of the document 645 as useful in the translation of a second
portion of the
document 645. In some embodiments, the translation agent 215 includes means
for
determining that the alternate version of the translation 625 is useful in
translating a first
portion of a document 645. In one of these embodiments, the means for
determining the
utility of the alternate version of the translation 625 comprises a database.
In another of
these embodiments, the means for determining the utility of the alternate
version of the
translation 625 comprises a table. In some embodiments, the determination that
the
alternate version of the translation 625 is useful in translating a first
portion of a
document 645 is made as described above in connection with FIG. 2.
The translation agent 215 generates a translation of the second portion of the
document 645 through reuse of the alternate version of the translation 625 of
the first
portion of the document 645, responsive to the identification of the utility
of the alternate
version translation 625 of the first portion of the document 645 in the
translation of the
second portion of the document 645. In one embodiment, the translation agent
215
generates a translation of the second portion of the document 645 by replacing
the second
portion of the document 645, such as portion 645b, with the alternate version
of the
translation 625. In another embodiment, an application program on the local
machine
102 generates the translation of the second portion of the document 645. In
still another
embodiment, the user interface 605 displays the translation of the second
portion of the
document 645 to a translator. In yet another embodiment, the local machine 102
receives
additional alternate versions of the translation 625 from the translator
responsive to a
review of the translation of the second portion of the document 645. In some
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embodiments, the translation agent 215 generates a translation of a third
portion of the
document 645 through reuse of the alternate version of the translation 625 of
the first
portion of the document 645, responsive to the identification of the utility
of the alternate
version translation 625 of the first portion of the document 645 in the
translation of the
third portion of the document 645. In other embodiments, the translation agent
215
transmits the alternate version of the translation 625 to the remote
translation memory
250. In one of these embodiments, the remote translation memory 250 determines
that
the alternate version of the translation 625 is useful in translating a
portion of a second
document. In another of these embodiments, the remote translation memory 250
transmits the alternate version of the translation 625 and an identification
of the utility of
alternate version of the translation 625 to a local machine 102 on which the
second
document resides.
Referring now to FIG. 7, a flow diagram depicts one embodiment of the steps
taken in a method for local, computer-aided translation incorporating
translator revisions
to remotely-generated translation predictions. In brief overview, a
determination is made
that a translation stored in a remote translation memory is useful in
translating a first
portion of a local document (step 702). A local machine receives the
translation (step
704). The local machines stores, in a local cache, an alternate version of the
translation
created by a translator (step 706). The alternate version of the translation
is identified as
useful in translating a second portion of the document (step 708). The local
machine
generates a translation of the second portion of the document through reuse of
the
alternate version of the translation, responsive to the identification of the
utility of the
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alternate version of the translation in the translation of the second portion
of the
document (step 710).
Referring now to FIG. 7, and in greater detail, a determination is made that a
translation stored in a remote translation memory is useful in translating a
first portion of
a local document (step 702). In one embodiment, the remote translation server
106
makes the determination. In another embodiment, the remote translation memory
250
makes the determination, the remote translation memory 250 accessed by a
plurality of
local machines. In still another embodiment, the determination is made
responsive to
receiving a request for a translation of the first portion of the local
document. In yet
another embodiment, one or more local machines make the request for the
translation.
A local machine receives the translation (step 704). In one embodiment, the
local
machine 102 stores the received translation 620 in a local cache 210. In
another
embodiment, the local machine 102 receives the translation responsive to
sending a
request to the remote translation server 106 for the translation.
In some embodiments, and as discussed in greater detail below in connection
with
FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the local machine 102 makes a determination as to whether
an updated
version of the translation makes the received translation obsolete. In one of
these
embodiments, the remote translation memory 250 receives a request for an
updated
version of the translation. In other embodiments, the local machine 10
receives an
updated version of the translation, which replaces the received translation
620.
The local machines stores, in a local cache, an alternate version of the
translation
created by a translator (step 706). In one embodiment, the local machine 102
receives,
from the translator, a modification of a received translation 620. In another
embodiment,
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the local machine 102 receives, from the translator, a replacement of a
received
translation 620. In still another embodiment, the local machine 102 transmits,
to the
remote translation memory, the alternate version of the translation.
The alternate version of the translation is identified as useful in
translating a
second portion of the document (step 708). In one embodiment, the local
machine 102
identifies the alternate version of the translation as useful in translating
the second
portion of the document responsive to receiving a request for translation of
the second
portion of the document. The local machine generates a translation of the
second portion
of the document through reuse of the alternate version of the translation,
responsive to the
identification of the utility of the alternate version of the translation in
the translation of
the second portion of the document (step 710). In one embodiment, the local
machine
102 generates a translation of the second portion of the document by replacing
the second
portion of the document with the alternate version of the translation in a
copy of the
document. In another embodiment, a translation of a portion of a document is
added to
the document and displayed in addition to the second portion of the document.
In some embodiments, and as described above in connection with FIG. 4 and FIG.
5, a translation may be determined to have utility in translating a portion of
a second
document. In one of these embodiments, the translation agent 215 transmits an
altered
version received from a translator to the remote translation memory 250. In
another of
these embodiments, the remote translation memory 250 transmits the altered
version of
the translation with an identification of the utility of the altered version
of the translation
to a translation of a portion of a second document to the translation agent
215 on the local
machine 102. In still another of these embodiments, the remote translation
memory 250
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transmits the altered version of the translation with an identification of the
utility of the
altered version of the translation to a translation of a portion of a second
document to a
second translation agent 215' on a second local machine 102b.
Referring now to FIG. 8, a block diagram depicts another embodiment of a
system for maintaining and updating remotely-generated translation
predictions. The
system includes a remote translation server 106 and a local machine 102. In
brief
overview, the remote translation server 106 includes a remote translation
memory, a
remote translation engine and a transmitter. The remote translation memory 250
provides
access to a stored translation 660. The remote translation engine 254
determines that the
stored translation 660 is useful in translating a first portion of a document
245. The
transmitter 270 transmits the stored translation 660. The local machine 102
includes a
receiver 230 and a translation agent 215. The receiver 230 receives the
translation 660 of
the first portion of the document 245. The translation agent 215 determines,
prior to
receiving from a translator a request for a translation of the first portion
of the document
245, that the remote translation memory stores an updated version of the
translation 825,
identifies the updated version of the translation 825 as useful in translating
a second
portion of the document 245, and generates a translation of the second portion
of the
document 245 through reuse of the updated version of the translation 825,
responsive to
the identification of the utility of the updated version of the translation
825 of the first
portion of the document 245 in translating the second portion of the document
245.
Referring now to FIG. 8, and in greater detail, in some embodiments, the
remote
translation server 106 and the local machine 102 include the components and
provide the
functionality of the remote translation server 106 and the local machine 102
described in
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connection with FIG. 2-7. The remote translation server 106 includes a remote
translation memory, a remote translation engine and a transmitter. The remote
translation
memory 250 provides access to a stored translation 660. The remote translation
engine
254 determines that the stored translation 660 is useful in translating a
first portion of a
document 245. The transmitter 270 transmits the stored translation 660. In one
embodiment, the remote translation server 106 provides the functionality of
the remote
translation server 106 described above in connection with FIG. 2, FIG. 4, and
FIG. 6.
The local machine 102 provides the functionality of the local machine 102
described above in connection with FIG. 2, FIG. 4, and FIG. 6. The translation
agent 215
determines, prior to receiving from a translator a request for a translation
of the first
portion of the document 845, that the remote translation memory 250 stores an
updated
version 825 of the translation 660. In one embodiment, the receiver 230
receives the
translation 660 before receiving a request from a translator for a translation
of a first
portion of the document 245. In another embodiment, the receiver 230 on the
local
machine 102 receives a request for a translation of the second portion of the
document.
In some embodiments, the translation agent 215 includes two processes. In one
of
these embodiments, a first process identifies a received translation 620 for
use in
translating a first portion of a document 645. In another of these
embodiments, a second
process maintains and updates received translations 620, requesting updates
from the
remote translation memory 250 and replacing received translations 620 as
updated
versions 825 obsolete the received translations 620. In still another of these
embodiments, the second process may update a translation 620 before the first
process
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receives a request for a translation of a portion of a document, the
translation requiring
the use of the translation 620.
In one embodiment, the translation agent 215 determines whether the updated
version 825 of the translation 660 makes the received translation 620
obsolete. In some
embodiments, the translation agent 215 requests the updated version 825 from
the remote
translation server 106. In one of these embodiments, the transmitter 240 on
the local
machine 102 sends the request for the updated version 825 of the translation
to the
remote translations server 106. In other embodiments, the remote translation
server 106
automatically transmits an updated version 825 of the translation 660 upon
receiving the
updated version 825. In one of these embodiments, the receiver 230 on the
local machine
102 receives an indication that the remote translation memory 250 stores the
updated
version 825 of the translation 660. In another of these embodiments, the
receiver 230 on
the local machine 102 receives an updated version 825 of the translation 660,
replacing
the received translation 620. In other embodiments, the local machine 102
stores the
updated version 825 of the translation 660 in a local cache 210. In still
other
embodiments, the local machine 102 receives, from a translator, a modification
to the
updated version 825 of the translation 660.
The translation agent 215 identifies the updated version 825 of the
translation 660
as useful in translating a second portion of the document 845. In some
embodiments, the
local machine 102 includes means for determining that the updated version 825
of the
translation 660 is useful in translating a second portion of a document 845.
In one of
these embodiments, the means for determining the utility of the updated
version 825 of
the translation 660 comprises a database. In another of these embodiments, the
means for
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determining the utility of the updated version 825 of the translation 660
comprises a
table.
The translation agent 215 generates a translation of the second portion of the
document 845 through reuse of the updated version 825 of the translation 660,
responsive
to the identification of the utility of the updated version 825 of the
translation 660 of the
first portion of the document 845 in translating the second portion of the
document 845.
In one embodiment, the translation agent 215 generates a translation of the
second
portion of the document 845 by replacing the second portion of the document
845 with
the updated version 825 of the translation 660. In another embodiment, an
application
program on the local machine 102 generates the translation of the second
portion of the
document 845.
In some embodiments, the user interface 605 displays an obsolete version of a
translation 660. In one of these embodiments, the user interface 605 displays
the obsolete
version of the translation 660 before a translation agent 215 has received an
updated
version 825 of the translation 660 from the remote translation memory 250. In
another of
these embodiments, the user interface 605 displays a graphical user interface
element to
the translator when the translation agent 215 receives the updated version 825
of the
translation 660 of the first portion of the document 825. In still another of
these
embodiments, the user interface 605 receives from the translator, via the
graphical user
interface element, an indication as to whether to replace the obsolete version
of the
translation 660 with the updated version 825 of the translation 660.
In one embodiment, the user interface 605 displays the translation of the
second
portion of the document 845 to a translator. In another embodiment, the user
interface
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605 receives an alternate version 625 of the translation 825 from the
translator,
responsive to a review of the translation of the second portion of the
document 845.
In some embodiments, the translation agent 215 generates a translation of a
third
portion of the document 845 through reuse of the updated version 825 of the
translation
660 of the first portion of the document 825, responsive to the identification
of the utility
of the updated version 825 of the translation 660 of the first portion of the
document 845
in the translation of the third portion of the document 845. In other
embodiments, the
translation agent 215 transmits the updated version 825 of the translation 660
of the first
portion of the document 825 to the remote translation memory 250. In one of
these
embodiments, the remote translation memory 250 determines that the updated
version
825 of the translation 660 of the first portion of the document 825 is useful
in translating
a portion of a second document. In another of these embodiments, the remote
translation
memory 250 transmits the updated version 825 of the translation 660 of the
first portion
of the document 825 and an identification of the utility of the updated
version 825 of the
translation 660 of the first portion of the document 825 on which the second
document
resides.
Referring now to FIG. 9, a flow diagram depicts another embodiment of the
steps
taken in a method for maintaining and updating remotely-generated translation
predictions. In brief overview, a determination is made that a translation
stored in a
remote translation memory is useful in translating a first portion of a local
document (step
902). A local machine receives the translation (step 904). The local machines
determines, prior to receiving from a translator a request for the
translation, that the
remote translation memory stores an updated version of the translation (step
906). The
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updated version of the translation is identified as useful in translating a
second portion of
the document (step 908). The local machine generates a translation of the
second portion
of the document through reuse of the updated version of the translation,
responsive to the
identification of the utility of the updated version of the translation in the
translation of
the second portion of the document (step 910).
Referring now to FIG. 9, and in greater detail, a determination is made that a
translation stored in a remote translation memory is useful in translating a
first portion of
a local document (step 902). In one embodiment, the remote translation server
106
makes the determination as described above in connection with step 702 of FIG.
7. A
local machine receives the translation (step 904). In one embodiment, the
local machine
102 received translation 620 and provides the functionality described above in
connection
with step 704 of FIG. 7.
The local machine 102 determines, prior to receiving from a translator a
request
for the translation, that the remote translation memory stores an updated
version 825 of
the translation 660 (step 906). In one embodiment, the local machine 102
determines that
the updated version 825 of the translation 660 makes the received translation
obsolete. In
another embodiment, the receiver 230 on the local machine 102 requests, from
the remote
translation memory, the updated version 825 of the translation 660. In still
another
embodiment, the local machine 102 receives, form the remote translation
memory, an
indication that the remote translation memory 250 stores the updated version
825 of the
translation 660. In yet another embodiment, the local machine 102 receives the
updated
version 825 of the translation 660, replacing the received translation 620.
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In one embodiment, the local machine 102 stores the updated version 825 of the
translation 660 in a local cache 210. In another embodiment, the local machine
102
receives, from a translator, a modification to the updated version 825 of the
translation
660.
The updated version 825 of the translation 660 is identified as useful in
translating
a second portion of the document (step 508). In one embodiment, the local
machine 102
identifies the updated version 825 of the translation 660 as useful in
translating the
second portion of the document 845 responsive to receiving a request for
translation of
the second portion of the document. In another embodiment, the local machine
102
identifies the updated version 825 of the translation 660 as useful in
translating the
second portion of the document 845 upon receiving the request for the
translation.
The local machine generates a translation of the second portion of the
document
through reuse of the updated version of the translation, responsive to the
identification of
the utility of the updated version of the translation in the translation of
the second portion
of the document (step 910). In one embodiment, the local machine 102 generates
a
translation of the second portion of the document by replacing the second
portion of the
document with the updated version of the translation in a copy of the
document.
The systems and methods described above may be provided as one or more
computer-readable programs embodied on or in one or more articles of
manufacture. The
article of manufacture may be a floppy disk, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, a flash
memory
card, a PROM, a RAM, a ROM, or a magnetic tape. In general, the computer-
readable
programs may be implemented in any programming language, LISP, PERL, C, C++,
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PROLOG, or any byte code language such as JAVA. The software programs may be
stored on or in one or more articles of manufacture as object code.
Having described certain embodiments of methods and systems for local,
computer-aided translation using remotely-generated translation predictions,
it will now
become apparent to one of skill in the art that other embodiments
incorporating the
concepts of the invention may be used. The scope of the claims should not be
limited
by the embodiments set forth in the examples, but should be given the broadest
interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.
53
