Kiyoshi Yamabana

Parallel LVCSR Algorithm for Cellphone-Oriented Multicore Processors

A parallel large vocabulary continuous speech recognition (LVCSR) algorithm for cellphone-oriented multicore processors is proposed. We introduce an acoustic look-ahead and blockwise computation to our compact LVCSR algorithm, in order to distribute its computational load to multiple CPU cores. We implement the proposed LVCSR algorithm on an evaluation board of a cellphone-oriented three CPU core chip, and show real-time processing of stand-alone LCVSR on cellphones can be achieved with recognition vocabulary of about 50,000 words. We also implement a speech-input text retrieval system using the proposed LVCSR on the same evaluation board, and confirm the ability of the proposed LVCSR algorithm to provide comfortable responses to query sentences spoken to a cellphone, without requiring any outside resources

An automatic speech translation system on PDAs for travel conversation

We present an automatic speech-to-speech translation system for personal digital assistants (PDAs) that helps oral communication between Japanese and English speakers in various situations while traveling. Our original compact large vocabulary continuous speech recognition engine, compact translation engine based on a lexicalized grammar, and compact Japanese speech synthesis engine lead to the development of a Japanese/English bi-directional speech translation system that works with limited computational resources.

A Speech Translation System with Mobile Wireless Clients

We developed a client-server speech translation system with mobile wireless clients. The system performs speech translation between English and Japanese of travel conversation and helps foreign language communication in an area where wireless LAN connection is available.

Lexicalized Tree Automata-based Grammars for translating conversational texts

We propose a new lexicalized grammar formalism called Lexicalized Tree Automata-based Grammar, which lexicalizes tree acceptors instead of trees themselves. We discuss the properties of the grammar and present a chart parsing algorithm. We have implemented a translation module for conversational texts using this formalism, and applied it to an experimental automatic interpretation system (speech translation system).

An Interactive Translation Support Facility for Non-Professional Users

We present an interactive translation method to support non-professional users to write an original document. The method, combining dictionary lookup function and user-guided stepwise interactive machine translation, allows the user to obtain clear result with an easy operation. We implemented the method as an English writing support facility that serves as a translation support front-end to an arbitrary application.

A Text Input Front-end Processor as an Information Access Platform

This paper presents a practical foreign language writing support tool which makes it much easier to utilize dictionary and example sentence resources. Like a Kana-Kanji conversion front-end processor used to input Japanese language text, this tool is also implemented as a front-end processor and can be combined with a wide variety of applications. A morphological analyzer automatically extracts key words from text as it is being input into the tool, and these words are used to locate information relevant to the input text. This information is then automatically displayed to the user. With this tool, users can concentrate better on their writing because much less interruption of their work is required for the consulting of dictionaries or for the retrieval of reference sentences. Retrieval and display may be conducted in any three ways: 1) relevant information is retrieved and displayed automatically; 2) information is retrieved automatically but displayed only on user command; 3) information is both retrieved and displayed only on user command. The extent to which the retrieval and display of information proceeds automatically depends on the type of information being referenced; this element of the design adds to system efficiency. Further, by combining this tool with a stepped-level interactive machine translation function, we have created a PC support tool to help Japanese people write in English.