Contains research objectives and report on status of research.National Science Foundatio

Yngve, V. H.

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XX. MECHANICAL TRANSLATIONV. H. Yngve Raymonde Dallaire K. C. KnowltonIrene Bellert J. L. Darlington D. LiebermanJ. L. Bennett D. A. Dinneen G. H. MatthewsCarol Bosche Joan B. Galbraith W. K. PercivalJ. S. Bross Ursula Hahn A. C. SatterthwaitElinor Charney Muriel Kannel J. J. ViertelE. S. KlimaRESEARCH OBJECTIVESThe primary objective of our research program is to find out how languages can betranslated by machine. Secondary objectives are concerned with evaluating the fidelitythat can be achieved with different approaches to mechanical translation, the usefulnessof the translations for various purposes, and their costs. A further objective is to addto the general knowledge of noncomputational uses of digital computing machinery and toa basic understanding of human communication.V. H. YngveA. STATUS OF RESEARCHThis group has always stressed a basic, long-range approach to the problems ofmechanical translation. We are placing emphasis on completeness, when completenessis possible, and on finding out how to do a complete job if one is not now possible. Weare not looking for short-cut methods that might yield partially adequate translations atan early date - an important goal that is being pursued by other groups. We are seekingdefinitive solutions that will be permanent advances in the field rather than ad hoc ortemporary solutions that may eventually have to be discarded because they are not com-patible with improved systems.At the present time, our work can be considered under four headings: syntax,semantics, tactics, and technique.During the past year we have worked on a number of topics connected with syntax.They included work on negation, on the formal properties of grammars, on depth con-siderations in grammar, and continued work on grammar programs for English, French,and German. These programs should eventually grow into the fairly complete syntacticdescriptions that we need. Work has also been started on Arabic.The area of semantics is at least as important as the area of syntax, but it has beencomparatively neglected by linguists. Over the past year our work has shown that sig-nificant advances can be made by a bold attack on some of the difficult semanticproblems.In the area of tactics, we have advanced with our continuing work on recognitionroutines and on generative routines. We have also been concerned with the tactical*This work is supported in part by National Science Foundation.197(XX. MECHANICAL TRANSLATION)matters of how best to organize a mechanical translation routine and how best to organizea dictionary. A number of computer programs have been written and will be run duringthe coming year. Also, in the field of tactics, we are working on recognition of phrasesand sentences written in a highly stylized version of English.In the field of technique, work has proceeded on COMIT, an automatic programmingsystem designed for use in mechanical translation and language-processing research.The system became available for limited use last June, and was, in fact, used briefly.Further use of COMIT was set back when the M. I. T. Computation Center replaced theIBM 704 computer, for which COMIT had been programmed, by an IBM 709 computer.The required conversion of COMIT to the 709 computer is nearly complete. It is expectedthat versions for both computers will be released soon, together with adequate documen-tation, so that COMIT can be used by other groups. It is estimated that with the use ofCOMIT for certain types of programs, the amount of time required to write the programis reduced to at least one-tenth of the time required to write the program directly inmachine language. The documentation will include a programming course, a pro-grammers reference manual, an operators manual, a program description, and a com-plete set of flow-charts and specifications. Also, in the field of technique, we havebegun the key-punching of German-English parallel texts for use with our text-searchprograms.V. H. Yngve198

Mechanical Translation

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Mechanical Translation

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