Computer aided translation, also known as computer assisted translation, or CAT, is a process by which a computer program compares a block of text to information in a database. We use this technology for a variety of purposes, including spell-checking and translating words from one language to another. For machine translation to work, the program has to use a process called natural language processing, which allows the computer to assign a meaning or value to the letters and sounds within the spoken or written word.
Natural Language Processing (NLP)
Computers use natural language processing, or NLP, to process human language. NLP algorithms compare sounds or symbols to a database to establish the meaning that should be associated with them. From search engines to chatbots, we use NLP for many applications in today’s technology. The following articles examine the various uses for natural language processing, and discuss how it works in further depth.
NLP for Smart Home Automation – Smart home automation using voice control remotes is a great solution for homeowners. Learn how home control systems use NLP, natural language processing.
Google Uses NLP & Text Analytics in Data Mining – Google’s data mining technology, using text analytics for natural language processing, provides benefits to consumers, advertisers, and society in general.
Speech Recognition Technology for the Disabled – Students with disabilities depend on assistive technology products, such as voice transcription software, to improve the educational experience.
Voice Recognition Software for Disabled Students – Disabled students are often at a disadvantage in the classroom. Voice recognition software improves communication, enables note-taking, and increases participation.
Chatbots for English Language Practice – Looking for English language practice? Learning a second language can be challenging, but students can use AI chatbots to improve conversational skills and grammar.
NLP & Artificial Intelligence – Internet Searches – Natural language processing is a form of AI that allows search engines to provide search results to Internet users based on the actual meaning of their questions.
Computer Assisted Translation (CAT)
Computer assisted translation works by comparing the words or blocks of text recognized by NLP algorithms to other words or blocks of text to discover anomalies or similarities. For example, a spell-checking algorithm might compare a word to the correct spelling of the word to discover that it is missing a letter, and trigger an error message. CAT is also useful in grammar checkers, in which it compares a string of text to a set of rules to flag common usage mistakes.
NLP and CAT are similar technologies that can provide valuable assistance to humans in the ongoing process of communicating human knowledge and experience to computer databases, and making sense of the information. By combining the two, we can not only recognize data, but categorize it and assign a value. When we assign value or meaning to data, it becomes information. Choosing the correct use for that information is still often thought to be a job for human interpretation, but with fuzzy logic and machine learning, in the future, anything’s possible.