An efficient kernel for multilingual generation in speech-to-speech dialogue translation

Abstract

We present core aspects of a fully implemented generation component in a multilingual speechto-speech dialogue translation system. Its design was particularly influenced by the necessity of real-time processing and usability for multiple languages and domains. We developed a general kernel system comprising a microplanning and a syntactic realizer module. The microplanner performs lexical and syntactic choice, based on constraint-satisfaction techniques. The syntactic realizer processes HPSG grammars reflecting the latest developments of the underlying linguistic theory, utilizing their pre-processing into the TAG formalism. The declarative nature of the knowledge bases, i.e., the microplanning constraints and the HPSG grammars allowed an easy adaption to new domains and languages. The successful integration of our component into the translation system Verbmobil proved the fulfillment of the specific real-time constraints.