Twelve languages - one translation method

by Maria Theresia Rolland

In ERCIM news No. 22 of July 1995 (page 21) a new method is described called logotechnique (word processing). This method enables amongst others a fully automated language processing  both for a query system in a single language and for machine translation. In the following we will illustrate machine translation according to this method by explaining how one sentence could be treated in all twelve languages of the thirteen ERCIM institutions. The fundamentals of the method will be described in a simplified manner and the translation specifications will be given. Finally, the translations will be presented.

Initially, the structure of each language itself must be identified [details: Rolland: Sprachverarbeitung durch Logotechnik. Bonn: Dümmler 1994]. In this way we obtain the relational structure of the language, i.e. the connection between the initial word and the dependent words in their specific relationships (e.g.: to buy -> what? -> computers, not: *to buy -> what? -> earthquakes). All relationships of the initial word result in the construction plan. Each word has such a construction plan. This plan thus comprises the initial word, and the relationships involved including the specific dependent words using their correct inflections. The word contents consists of the "special contents" and the "general contents", differentiated into "inflection" and "construction". The dependent words are grouped into "classes of meaning" according to their semantic similarity (e.g. furniture: table, chair, ...; device: computer, printer, ...) etc. Within the meaning classes each word is marked by the possible relationships; each relationship has a reference to the respective inflection. Therefore, construction plans, meaning classes and inflection groups have to be determined only once. Each sentence is an extract from the possibilities which are given by the construction plan including the references. All construction plans taken together are the explicit relational structure of the language. The construction plans labelled for natural language processing represent the "relation base".

Additionally, it is necessary to consider specific features of the language. E.g. a relationship may  not only be concretized by a single word, but also by a subordinate clause, with or without an introductory  conjunction or the like, but always with a predicate which has its own construction plan (e.g. to walk on -> in spite of what concession? -> although -> to be exhausted: They walked on although they were exhausted). Predicates include verbs, auxiliary verbs, modal verbs etc. Articles and possessive pronouns are dependent on the corresponding noun [R.e. pp. 83; 203]. In addition, each language has particular characteristics to be handled by rules. Rules also govern the word order.

When establishing  a translation system it is necessary to create the link between the relation bases. Equivalents may be, e.g. a) a single word - a subordinate clause; b) active form - passive form; c) reflexive verb - phrase; d) article +noun - noun only etc.

If we assume that the relation bases of the twelve languages of the ERCIM institutions were explicitly available and had been linked by translation experts, we could have the following twelve language-units: German - English; English - Finnish; Finnish - French; French - Italian; Italian - Greek; Greek - Dutch; Dutch - Norwegian; Norwegian - Portuguese; Portuguese - Swedish; Swedish - Spanish; Spanish - Hungarian; Hungarian - German. The sentence, which is to be translated, reads as follows: "Mag sich auch die ganze Welt gegen die Wahrheit rüsten, so wird man doch ihren Sieg nicht verhindern" (Let the whole world rise up in arms against the truth, still its victory cannot be prevented). The construction plans of the verbs: "verhindern" (to prevent) and "sich rüsten" (to rise up in arms) would be included in the linked relation bases in all of the above languages. Now it is possible to identify the structure of the sentence according to the relation base in one language and look up the linked units in the other language. 

If one needs the translation: German - Italian, but there are only the equivalents in the sequence: German - English - Finnish - French - Italian, a computer system can identify the corresponding sentence structure, beginning with German and continuing through English, Finnish, French and Italian. The system uses only the Italian word ordering rules for presenting the correct Italian translation in the final step. So an arbitrary language can be the source or target language. In the following, the twelve sentences are presented. Additionally the full set of tables can be retrieved at: /www-ercim.inria.fr/tmp/rolland.rtf.

German		German - English		English - Finnish		

Initial language		Initial sentence:
Mag sich auch die ganze Welt gegen die Wahrheit rüsten, so wird man doch ihren Sieg nicht verhindern.		Initial sentence:
Let the whole world rise up in arms against the truth, still its victory cannot be prevented.		
German	(+ rules)

construction plan (main clause):
verb:							verhindern:  									wird verhindern
who?							man
what(acc)?				ihren Sieg
with what certainty? nicht
in spite of what
concession?			so doch
with what
concession?			(mag) auch,  									wenn auch, ... 
									-> predicate

construction plan (of this predicate):
verb:							sich rüsten: 										mag sich rüsten

who?							die ganze Welt

against what?			gegen die 										Wahrheit	>	English	(+ rules)

construction plan (main clause):
verb:							to prevent  can 									be prevented
who?							-
what(nom)?				its victory
with what certainty? not
in spite of what
concession?			still	
with what
concession?			(let)
									...
									-> predicate

construction plan (of this predicate):
verb:							to rise up in 									arms: let rise 									up in arms
who?							the whole world

against what?			against the										truth	>	Finnish	(+ rules)

construction plan (main clause):
verb:							estää:												voi estää
who?							-
what(partitive)?		sen voittoa
with what certainty? ei
in spite of what
concession?			kuitenkaan	
with what
concession?			vaikka
									...
									-> predicate

construction plan (of this predicate):
verb:							varustautua:									varustautuisi									
who?							koko 													maailma
against what?			totuutta												vastaan (prep.)	>	
						German:
Mag sich auch die ganze Welt gegen die Wahrheit rüsten, so wird man doch ihren Sieg nicht verhindern.		Translation:	English:
Let the whole world rise up in arms against the truth, still its victory cannot be prevented.		Translation:	Finnish:
Vaikka koko maailma varustautuisi totuutta vastaan, ei sen voittoa voi kuitenkaan estää.		

Finnisch - French		French - Italian		Italian - Greek		

Initial sentence:
Vaikka koko maailma varustautuisi totuutta vastaan, ei sen voittoa voi kuitenkaan estää.		nitial sentence:
Que la terre entière s'arme contre la vérité, on n'empêchera pourtant pas la victoire de celle-ci.		Initial sentence:
Per quanto il mondo intero si armi contro la verità, la sua vittoria non potrà essere evitata.		
French	(+ rules)

construction plan (main clause):
verb:							empêcher:										empêchera	

who?							on
what?						la victoire de
									celle-ci
with what certainty? ne ... pas
in spite of what
concession?			pourtant	
with what
concession?			que
									... ->  predicate

construction plan (of this predicate):
verb:							s'armer:											s'arme		
who?							la terre entière
against what?			contre la											vérité	>	Italian	(+ rules)

construction plan (main clause):
verb:							evitare: potrà 									essere evitata

who?							-
what(nom)?				la sua vittoria

with what certainty? non
in spite of what
concession?			-	
with what
concession?			per quanto
									... ->  predicate

construction plan (of this predicate):
verb:						armarsi:											si armi
who?						il mondo intero
against what?		contro												la verità	>	Greek	(+ rules)

construction plan (main clause):
verb:							mporå: ja 										mporései na 										empodísei	
who?							kaneív
what(acc)?				thn epikráthsä 									thv
with what certainty? den
in spite of what
concession?			par∫ óla autá
with what
concession?			akómh ki an 
									... ->  predicate

construction plan (of this predicate):
verb:							xeshkånomai: 										xeshkΩqeí
who?							ólov o kósmov
against what?			enántia sthn 										aläjeia	>	
Translation:	French:
Que la terre entière s'arme contre la vérité, on n'empêchera pourtant pas la victoire de celle-ci.		Translation:	Italian:
Per quanto il mondo intero si armi contro la verità, la sua vittoria non potrà essere evitata.		Translation:	Greek:
Akómh ki an ólov o kósmov xeshkΩqeí enántia sthn aläjeia, par∫ óla autá kaneív den ja mporései na empodísei thn epikráthsä thv.		

Greek - Dutch		Dutch - Norwegian		Norwegian - Portuguese		

Initial sentence:
Akómh ki an ólov o kósmov xeshkΩqeí enántia sthn aläjeia, par∫ óla autá kaneív den ja mporései na empodísei thn epikráthsä thv.		nitial sentence:
Al wapent zich de hele wereld tegen de waarheid, men zal haar zege toch niet verhinderen.		nitial sentence:
Selv om hele verden ruster seg mot sannheten, vil man likevel ikke kunne forhindre at den seirer.		
Dutch	(+ rules)

construction plan (main clause):
verb:							verhinderen:									zal verhinderen

who?							men
what(acc)?				haar zege

with what certainty? niet
in spite of what
concession?			toch	
with what
concession?			al
									... -> 
									predicate

construction plan (of this predicate):
verb:							zich waperen									wapent zich
who?							de hele wereld
against what?			tegen de 											waarheid		>	Norwegian	(+ rules)

construction plan (main clause):
verb:							forhindre: 
									vil kunne 											forhindre
who?							man
what (subordinate clause)?
									at den seirer
with what certainty? ikke
in spite of what
concession?			likevel
with what
concession?			selv om
									... -> 
									predicate

construction plan (of this predicate):
verb:							ruste seg:
									ruster seg
who?							hele verden
against what?			mot sannheten
	>	Portuguese	(+ rules)

construction plan (main clause):
verb:							impedir: 											poderá ser 										impedida
who?							-
what(nom)?				a sua vitória

with what certainty? não
in spite of what
concession?			-	
with what
concession?			mesmo que
									... -> 
									predicate

construction plan (of this predicate):
verb:							armar-se:											se arme
who?							o mundo todo against what?			contra a 											verdade	>	
Translation:	Dutch:
Al wapent zich de hele wereld tegen de waarheid, men zal haar zege toch niet verhinderen.		Translation:	Norwegian:
Selv om hele verden ruster seg mot sannheten, vil man likevel ikke kunne forhindre at den seirer.		Translation:	Portuguese:
Mesmo que o mundo todo se arme contra a verdade, a sua vitória não poderá ser impedida.		

Portuguese - Swedish		Swedish - Spanish		Spanish - Hungarian		

Initial sentence:
Mesmo que o mundo todo se arme contra a verdade, a sua 
vitória não poderá ser impedida.		Initial sentence:
Om också hela världen rustade sig mot sanningen, så  kommer man ändå inte att kunna förhindra dess seger.		Initial sentence:
Aunque el mundo entero se arme contra la verdad, no se impedirá su triumfo.		
Swedish	(+ rules)

construction plan (main clause):
verb:							förhindra:											kommer att 										kunna 												förhindra
who?							man
what(acc)?				dess segger
with what certainty? inte
in spite of what
concession?			så ändå
with what
concession?			om också
									... -> 
									predicate

construction plan (of this predicate):
verb:							rusta sig:											rustade sig
who?							hela världen
against what?			mot sanningen						>	Spanish	(+ rules)

construction plan (main clause):
verb:							impedir:											impedirá

who?							se
what(acc)?				su triumfo
with what certainty? no
in spite of what
concession?			-	
with what
concession?			aunque
									... -> 
									predicate

construction plan (of this predicate):
verb:							armarse:											se arme
who?						   el mundo entero against what?			contra la 											verdad	>	Hungarian	(+ rules)

construction plan (main clause):
verb:							akadályozni:									udja
								   megakadályozni

who?							-
what(acc)?				gyözelmét	
with what certainty? sem
in spite of what
concession?			akkor
with what
concession?			ha
									... -> 
									predicate

construction plan (of this predicate):
verb:							fegyvert fogni									fegyvert fog
who?							az egész vilag against what?			az agazság 										ellen (prep.)	>	
Translation:	Swedish
Om också hela världen rustade sig mot sanningen, så  kommer man ändå inte att kunna förhindra dess seger.		Translation:	Spanish
Aunque el mundo entero se arme contra la verdad, no se impedirá su triumfo.		Translation:	Hungarian:
Ha az egész világ fegyvert fog az igazság ellen, akkor sem tudja megakadályozni gyözelmét.		

																																																										 n
																																								Please contact:
																																								Maria Theresia Rolland - GMD
																																								Tel: +49 2241 14 2087
																																								E-mail:rolland@gmd.de