A System for Simultaneous Translation of Lectures and Speeches

This thesis realizes the first existing automatic system for simultaneous speech-to-speech translation. The focus of this system is the automatic translation of (technical oriented) lectures and speeches from English to Spanish, but the different aspects described in this thesis will also be helpful for developing simultaneous translation systems for other domains or languages

Robust automatic transcription of lectures

Automatic transcription of lectures is becoming an important task. Possible applications can be found in the fields of automatic translation or summarization, information retrieval, digital libraries, education and communication research. Ideally those systems would operate on distant recordings, freeing the presenter from wearing body-mounted microphones. This task, however, is surpassingly difficult, given that the speech signal is severely degraded by background noise and reverberation

Robust Automatic Transcription of Lectures

Die automatische Transkription von Vorträgen, Vorlesungen und Präsentationen wird immer wichtiger und ermöglicht erst die Anwendungen der automatischen Übersetzung von Sprache, der automatischen Zusammenfassung von Sprache, der gezielten Informationssuche in Audiodaten und somit die leichtere Zugänglichkeit in digitalen Bibliotheken. Im Idealfall arbeitet ein solches System mit einem Mikrofon das den Vortragenden vom Tragen eines Mikrofons befreit was der Fokus dieser Arbeit ist

A critical investigation of deaf comprehension of signed tv news interpretation

This study investigates factors hampering comprehension of sign language interpretations rendered on South African TV news bulletins in terms of Deaf viewers’ expectancy norms and corpus analysis of authentic interpretations. The research fills a gap in the emerging discipline of Sign Language Interpreting Studies, specifically with reference to corpus studies. The study presents a new model for translation/interpretation evaluation based on the introduction of Grounded Theory (GT) into a reception-oriented model. The research question is addressed holistically in terms of target audience competencies and expectations, aspects of the physical setting, interpreters’ use of language and interpreting choices. The South African Deaf community are incorporated as experts into the assessment process, thereby empirically grounding the research within the socio-dynamic context of the target audience. Triangulation in data collection and analysis was provided by applying multiple mixed data collection methods, namely questionnaires, interviews, eye-tracking and corpus tools. The primary variables identified by the study are the small picture size and use of dialect. Secondary variables identified include inconsistent or inadequate use of non-manual features, incoherent or non-simultaneous mouthing, careless or incorrect sign execution, too fast signing, loss of visibility against skin or clothing, omission of vital elements of sentence structure, adherence to source language structures, meaningless additions, incorrect referencing, oversimplification and violations of Deaf norms of restructuring, information transfer, gatekeeping and third person interpreting. The identification of these factors allows the construction of a series of testable hypotheses, thereby providing a broad platform for further research. Apart from pioneering corpus-driven sign language interpreting research, the study makes significant contributions to present knowledge of evaluative models, interpreting strategies and norms and systems of transcription and annotation.Linguistics and Modern LanguagesThesis (D. Litt.et Phil.) (Linguistics

Acoustic Modelling for Under-Resourced Languages

Automatic speech recognition systems have so far been developed only for very few languages out of the 4,000-7,000 existing ones. In this thesis we examine methods to rapidly create acoustic models in new, possibly under-resourced languages, in a time and cost effective manner. For this we examine the use of multilingual models, the application of articulatory features across languages, and the automatic discovery of word-like units in unwritten languages

The British Court and the 1707 Union of England and Scotland

This is a study in political history which addresses the origins of the Union of England and Scotland in 1707. Unlike most recent scholarship, it does not take a Scottish perspective. It does not however, provide a corresponding study of ‘English’ motives and attitudes. It argues that a bilateral Scotland-England framework is inappropriate and unhelpful for the purposes of understanding the origins of the Union. This is because such a framework fails to accord sufficient agency and autonomy to the monarchy and its closest advisers, or ‘Court group’, after the ‘Glorious Revolution’ and sufficient political coherence to the ‘Union of the Crowns’ that preceded the Union. Such ‘Court groups’ should not, therefore, be conflated with ‘England’ and their motives can be distinguished from ‘English’ motives. It concludes that rather than being the by-product of a politically expedient English parliamentary reaction to political or economic pressure from Scotland, the Union was the outcome of deliberate policy pursued by a Court group comprising Anne and her chief advisers, the Triumvirate of Godolphin, Marlborough and Harley. The origins of this policy lay in William III & II’s recognition that active participation in European great power geopolitics and war, precipitated by the Revolution, demanded greater alignment within the Union of the Crowns. This need was brought home by the profound geopolitical and domestic impact of the Scottish attempt to establish a colony in Darien. Consequently, union initiatives were launched in 1700 and 1702. Just as the geopolitical strategy of resistance to Louis XIV survived William’s death, so this union policy continued into Anne’s reign and was not abandoned after the termination of union negotiations in 1703

The British Court and the 1707 Union of England and Scotland

This is a study in political history which addresses the origins of the Union of England and Scotland in 1707. Unlike most recent scholarship, it does not take a Scottish perspective. It does not however, provide a corresponding study of ‘English’ motives and attitudes. It argues that a bilateral Scotland-England framework is inappropriate and unhelpful for the purposes of understanding the origins of the Union. This is because such a framework fails to accord sufficient agency and autonomy to the monarchy and its closest advisers, or ‘Court group’, after the ‘Glorious Revolution’ and sufficient political coherence to the ‘Union of the Crowns’ that preceded the Union. Such ‘Court groups’ should not, therefore, be conflated with ‘England’ and their motives can be distinguished from ‘English’ motives. It concludes that rather than being the by-product of a politically expedient English parliamentary reaction to political or economic pressure from Scotland, the Union was the outcome of deliberate policy pursued by a Court group comprising Anne and her chief advisers, the Triumvirate of Godolphin, Marlborough and Harley. The origins of this policy lay in William III & II’s recognition that active participation in European great power geopolitics and war, precipitated by the Revolution, demanded greater alignment within the Union of the Crowns. This need was brought home by the profound geopolitical and domestic impact of the Scottish attempt to establish a colony in Darien. Consequently, union initiatives were launched in 1700 and 1702. Just as the geopolitical strategy of resistance to Louis XIV survived William’s death, so this union policy continued into Anne’s reign and was not abandoned after the termination of union negotiations in 1703

Computer-Mediated Communication

This book is an anthology of present research trends in Computer-mediated Communications (CMC) from the point of view of different application scenarios. Four different scenarios are considered: telecommunication networks, smart health, education, and human-computer interaction. The possibilities of interaction introduced by CMC provide a powerful environment for collaborative human-to-human, computer-mediated interaction across the globe