Patent Grant
8086440
Surveillance analyst working for the military and various civilian agencies of the U.S. and various state governments intercept and store voluminous quantities of foreign-language communications requiring translation. The volume of foreign-language material requiring translation has increased greatly with stepped-up efforts to interrupt terrorist plots, enforce immigration laws and intercept traffic in illicit drugs and other contraband. The material requiring translation includes spoken messages and messages reduced to printed media, by way of example. Particularly vexing to the field of counterterrorism is the fact that the number of intelligence agents possessing both the necessary foreign language skills and the required security clearance is wholly inadequate relative to the volume of foreign-language message traffic requiring translation and analysis. One can readily appreciate that significant delay in the translation of key communications could result in the successful execution of additional terror strikes.
Surveillance personnel and analysts currently implement automated (i.e., computer-based) translators for translating spoken or written communications from a first human language to a second human language. As helpful as automated translators are, they still yield unwieldy volumes of translated information for native speakers of the second human language to process. Accompanying information of interest in the translated product are large amounts of information unrelated to the purpose for which surveillance is being conducted. In other words, precious automated and human resources are currently dedicated to the translation and analysis of unimportant information; a fact that increases monetary costs and, more importantly, introduces delay in the production of intelligible mission-critical information. A principal reason for this delay is that the automated translators currently in use translate the entirety of a communication rendered in the first human language to the second human language. Moreover, the translation is performed on a first-in-first-out basis such that, for example, outputted to an analyst is a transcript of the original communication translated to the second human language in the order in which it was originally rendered and with all of the important and unimportant content intermingled.
Based on the foregoing, there exists a need for a system and method of prioritizing the automated translations of communications from a first human language to a second human language in order to render more efficient and expedient the use of human and machine-based analytical resources.
Various implementations of the invention relate to the optimization of automated and human resources dedicated to the translation from a first human language to a second human language of communications rendered by persons under surveillance. As explained in the background, human and machine-based resources are currently dedicated to the translation of communications that are wholly unrelated to the subject matter of a particular investigation and/or are entirely innocuous. Common to alternative implementations of the present invention is the goal of obviating translation of communications unrelated to a mission-specific purpose or, in some alternative versions, to prioritize the translation workflow such that communications determined to relate to a particular mission-specific topic are translated prior to unrelated communications. For example, if the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is intercepting telephonic human communications in a first (non-English) language relating to the imminent movement of drugs from, for example, Miami to interior parts of the United States, it is undesirable to expend resources translating portions of the communications amounting to “small talk” between drug-trafficking operatives. Implementations of the invention will find particular use in the field of counter-terrorism where the number of intelligence agents possessing both the necessary foreign language skills and the required security clearance is lacking.
In accordance with an illustrative method of prioritizing automated translation of a potentially interesting communication (hereinafter “translation-candidate communication) from a first human language, in which the communication is originally rendered, to a second human language, the translation-candidate communication is captured and inputted to a data processing system through a communication-input device. Because the communication may be in any of various audio or textual forms, the communication-input device may include, by way of non-limiting example, at least one of (i) a microphone; (ii) an image scanner; (iii) a link to a wiretap; (iv) a camera and (v) a modem. A signals and storage manager associated with the data processing system determines the type of medium the communication was rendered in and tags stored data representative thereof for conversation by a media converter. The media converter, which, in a typical implementation, is a computer program, converts the “raw” data representative of the inputted communication into a predetermined machine-intelligible format and a first data set representative of the contents of the translation-candidate communication in the first human language is stored in computer memory in the predetermined machine-readable format.
Data representative of translation-candidate communications (e.g., the first data set described above) are communicated to a first-language prioritizer that, in essence, serves as a data filter that separates data relevant to a predetermined mission-specific topic (e.g., terror plots, weapons, insurgent movements) from data that is irrelevant to the predetermined topic. In a typical implementation, the first-language prioritizer is a computer program in association with which there is maintained in computer memory a consultable first-language prioritization protocol including data indicative of a set of first-language extraction rules. As the first-language prioritizer operates on a data set representative of a translation-candidate communication, portions of the data set (hereinafter referred to as communication sub-portions) are algorithmically analyzed and “filtered” based on consultation with the first-language prioritization protocol. More specifically, a data set representative of each communication sub-portion is one of (i) extracted and (ii) rejected for translation depending on whether that selected communication sub-portion is algorithmically determined to exceed a first relevancy threshold indicative of the relatedness of the communication sub-portion to the at least one predetermined topic of interest. In some alternative versions, communication sub-portions rejected for translation are either erased (deleted) from memory or archived in computer memory in case subsequent translation is deemed desirable.
In other alternative implementations programmed to translate the entirety of a translation-communication candidate, those communication sub-portions exceeding a first relevancy threshold are selected for translation prior to those communication sub-portions not exceeding the first relevancy threshold. In other words, in versions of the latter type, communication sub-portions exceeding the first relevancy threshold are prioritized for translation and those not exceeding the first relevancy threshold are de-prioritized for later translation. In still additional versions, multiple relevancy thresholds (or “sub-thresholds”) may be defined within a first relevancy-threshold set according to which communication sub-portions are one of (i) prioritized, (ii) de-prioritized, and (iii) rejected for translation. It will be appreciated that prioritization and de-prioritization may be sub-divided even further into “high priority,” “moderate priority,” “low priority” and “lowest priority” schemes by way of non-limiting example. One way of prioritizing those communication sub-portions selected for translation is to tag each communication sub-portion with a data tag indicative of its suspected importance relative to other selected communication sub-portions such that a translation order is established among the communication sub-portions. For purposes of clarity and simplicity of explanation, illustrative methods are further described with primary reference to a version in which a communication sub-portion is either rejected or selected for translation depending on algorithmic analysis vis-à-vis a first relevancy threshold.
As to a communication sub-portion that is selected for translation in accordance with the first relevancy threshold, or a relevancy threshold within a first relevancy-threshold set, based on consultation with the first-language prioritization protocol, that sub-portion of the machine-readable first data set representative of the relevant communication sub-portion in the first human language is caused to be translated to a translated-data-set sub-portion representative, in a machine-readable format, of the relevant communication sub-portion in the second human language. More specifically, each relevant sub-portion of the machine-readable first data set is communicated, or otherwise rendered accessible, to an automated translator for translation to a translated-data-set sub-portion. The automated translator is typically a computer program to which the data processing system has access.
In alternative implementations, the filtration performed by the first-language prioritizer reduces demand on translation resources because either (i) only communication sub-portions of interest are translated or (ii) when all communication sub-portions are translated, they are translated in an order indicative of decreasing priority. In either event, the information most important to an analyst's job is processed more quickly. In determining which communication sub-portions to translate and/or in what order to translate them, the first-language prioritizer of various implementations employs a “working knowledge” of various idiosyncrasies of the first language including, for example, variations among local and regional dialects and jargon. The use of foreign-language rules renders the first/foreign-language prioritizer substantially more effective in correctly identifying items of interest in the initial collection and differentiation then, for example, the translation of a greater amount of data to which, for example, second/English-language rules are applied. The first-language prioritizer of various versions is updatable through at least one feedback path so that, for example, as human analysts and programmers learn more about the first language from which they wish to translate communications, they can introduce updates to the first-language extraction rules implemented as part of the first-language prioritization protocol. Moreover, if persons under surveillance adopt a code word to replace an otherwise suspicious word of interest (e.g., “candle” for “shoulder-fired rocket”), the first-language prioritizer can be updated to regard the code word as a term of interest thereby triggering selection for translation of that word and of surrounding words in order to provide context. The first-language extraction rules may also include recognizers that trigger selection for translation communication sub-portions including words or terms that are apparently “out of place” based on the context provided by surrounding language. For instance, if it is “known” to the first-language prioritizer that a group of operatives under surveillance is planning a meeting in Minnesota in January and one of the parties states, in the first/foreign language, “we'll bring the wine to the picnic,” an intensively programmed prioritizer would regard the foreign word for “picnic” as a suspicious term in light of the cold Minnesota climate in the month of January, and recognize that the entire phrase ought to be translated and communicated to an analyst for further investigation as to what was meant by “picnic” and, for that matter, “wine.”
Machine-readable, translated-data-set sub-portions generated by an automated translator are rendered accessible to an output converter. An output converter converts translated-data-set sub-portions into converted-data-set sub-portions representative of the translated-data-set sub-portions in a human-intelligible format that is outputted through a machine-to-human interface. The output product may be communicated to a human through various alternative machine-to-human interfaces including, by way of non-limiting example, at least one of (i) a computer-monitor screen, (ii) a printer linked to a computer, and (iii) a speaker.
Although in various implementations the translated-data-set sub-portions are, in their entireties, converted and outputted in the order in which they were translated and converted, various versions implement a secondary filtration process through a second-language extractor. Like the first-language prioritizer, the second-language extractor is typically embodied in a computer program accessible to the data processing system. The second-language extractor of a typical implementation performs its functions between the time a communication sub-portion in the first human language is caused to be translated to a translated-data-set sub-portion and conversion of data contained therein into a human-intelligible format. The second-language extractor selects and groups segments of a translated-data-set sub-portion for prioritized conversion, de-prioritized conversion or non-conversion based on consultation with a second-language prioritization protocol including data indicative of a set of second-language extraction rules. The second-language extraction rules may incorporate, and selectively implement, tunable instructions that are more closely related to a specific mission than are the first-language extraction rules. One advantage of providing a tunable second-language extractor is that a balance may be struck between over-rejection or over-de-prioritization in the first instance relative to the selection of communication sub-portions for translation and generating too much irrelevant output through the machine-to-human interface relative to a specific mission. The tunability of the second-language extractor permits, for example, an analyst who communicates only in the second language to select for conversion portions of a translated and archived communication that are most relevant to his specific mission. For example, while the first-language prioritizer may have selected for translation all communications determined to relate in any way to weapons, drugs, and a pending terrorist plot, a DEA agent who speaks only English may tune the second-language extractor so that the ultimate converted output communicated through the machine-to-human interface relates to the drug aspects of the communication. Like the first-language prioritizer of various versions, the second-language extractor of various implementations is updatable to incorporate new rules relating to, for instance, dialects, colloquialisms, and code terms and may be in other aspects analogous to the first-language prioritizer.
Although alternative versions of the invention employ a variety of input and output devices, at least one data processing system, and multiple data archives and computer programs, it is to be understood that these various components may be physically separated from one another by great distances. By way of very specific example, military or civilian intelligence personnel may capture a communication over a microphone in one part of Iraq and forward that communication for translation in the United States via a wireless link. Translated and/or converted data may be subsequently communicated to computing devices in possession of the original senders or to some third group of personnel in a third location. Accordingly, while the communication-input device(s), prioritizer(s), translator(s), converter(s) and machine-to-human interface(s) must be communicatively linked in some way, these various components may be incorporated in different data processing systems situated in disparate geographic locations. Hence, for example, the reference to “a data processing system,” indicates “at least one data processing system.
Representative implementations are more completely described and depicted in the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.
The following description of automated language-translation processes and architecture, and various implementations thereof, is demonstrative in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or its application of uses.
Referring to the function-block schematic of
Referring still to
The captured first-language communication 20, or “translation-candidate communication 20,” is processed by a signals and storage manager 140 associated with the data processing system 110. The signals and storage manager 140 ascertains the type of medium through which the first-language communication 20 was rendered and a data record 20′ representative thereof is stored in computer memory 120 with an appropriate, medium-indicative data tag 25. A media conversion program 150 (hereinafter “media converter 150”) associated with the data processing system 110 converts the “raw” data record 20′ representative of the inputted communication 20 into a predetermined machine-readable format and a first data set 30 representative of the contents of the translation-candidate communication in the first human language is stored in computer memory 120 in the predetermined machine-readable format.
The first data set 30 is parsed into first-data-set sub-portions 35 correspondingly representative of communication sub-portions (not shown) of the translation-candidate communication 20 and communicated to a first-language prioritizer 170 that differentiates portions of the first data set 30 relevant to a predetermined mission-specific topic from portions that are irrelevant to the predetermined topic. As mentioned in the summary, the first-language prioritizer 170 of a typical implementation is a computer program in association with which there is maintained in computer memory 120 a consultable first-language prioritization protocol 175 including data indicative of set of first-language extraction rules 180. As the first-language prioritizer 170 operates on the first data set 30, first-data-set sub-portions 35 representing communication sub-portions are algorithmically analyzed and “filtered” based on consultation with the first-language prioritization protocol 175. More specifically, a first-data-set sub-portion 35 representative of each communication sub-portion is one of (i) extracted and (ii) rejected for translation depending on whether that selected communication sub-portion is algorithmically determined to exceed a first relevancy threshold TR1 indicative of the relatedness of the communication sub-portion to the at least one predetermined topic of interest. In some alternative versions, first-data-set sub-portion 35 representing communication sub-portions rejected for translation are either erased (deleted) from computer memory 120 or archived in computer memory 120. In
Each first-data-set sub-portion 35 of the machine-readable first data set 30 corresponding to a communication sub-portion determined to be relevant based on consultation with the first-language prioritization protocol 175, and in accordance with the first relevancy threshold TR1, is communicated, or otherwise rendered accessible, to an automated translator 200 for translation to a translated-data-set sub-portion 35T representative, in a machine-readable format, of the relevant communication sub-portion in the second human language. The diagrams of
Referring to the illustrative prioritization scheme of
In accordance with an alternative first-language prioritization protocol 175 illustrated in the schematic of
With reference to
In accordance with still a fourth illustrative prioritization scheme described in association with the schematic of
In some implementations, the first-data-set sub-portions 35 are arbitrarily selected and represent equi-durational sub-portions of the translation-candidate communication. For instance, if in each of the examples discussed above in conjunction with
As explained in the summary, the first-language prioritizer 170 uses rules of speech and/or writing, dialects and colloquialisms unique to the first language and therefore is far more effective in arriving at a correct interpretation of a communication than is possible by, for example, translating as literally and closely as practicable into the second language a translation-candidate communication 20 and relying exclusively on rules of the second language to glean meaning, context and intent. Referring again to the schematic of
As illustrated in
In aspects analogous to the relevancy thresholds (e.g., TRX) discussed previously in general association with
The second-language extraction rules 280 may incorporate, and selectively implement, tunable instructions that, for example, are more closely related to a specific mission than are the first-language extraction rules 180 applied under a particular set of circumstances. Moreover, like the first-language prioritizer 170 of various versions, the second-language extractor 270 (e.g., the second-language prioritization protocol 275) is updatable through a feedback path 290 including a human-to-machine interface such as 192 to incorporate new rules relating to, for instance, dialects, accents, colloquialisms, code terms, images, and sound samples, and may be in other aspects analogous to the first-language prioritizer 170.
The foregoing is considered to be illustrative of the principles of the invention. Furthermore, since modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, it is to be understood that the foregoing does not limit the invention as expressed in the appended claims to the exact construction, implementations and versions shown and described.
Priority based on Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/999,085, filed Oct. 16, 2007, and entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD OF PRIORITIZING AUTOMATED TRANSLATION OF COMMUNICATIONS FROM A FIRST HUMAN LANGUAGE TO A SECOND HUMAN LANGUAGE,” is claimed.
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