Language translation using a constrained grammar in the form of structured sentences formed according to pre-defined grammar templates

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 wherein the translation is accomplished according to steps comprising: a. providing reference and target sets of nominal, connector, and descriptor databases in the reference and target languages, each nominal database comprising a series of nominal entries, each connector database comprising a series of connector entries each specifying a relationship between at least two nominal terms, and each descriptor database comprising a series of descriptor entries describing nominal entries, the entries of the reference set of databases corresponding to the entries of the target set of databases, the message containing entries from the reference databases arranged according to rules defining the constrained grammar; b. addressing the target set of databases with the message entries to retrieve target entries corresponding thereto; and c. translating the sentence by directly substituting the message entries with the target entries.

Claim 4

The method of claim 2 wherein the connector items show action, being or state of being.

Claim 5

The method of claim 2 wherein the descriptor items describe a quality, quantity, state or type of a nominal entry.

Claim 6

The method of claim 1 wherein the translation step comprising substituting terms in the second language for the corresponding terms in the reference language by database lookup.

Claim 7

The method of claim 1 wherein the predefined grammar templates comprise the sentence structures set forth in Table 5.

Claim 8

The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: a. maintaining, for each predefined grammar template, a set of translation rules for the first and second languages; b. converting the received sentence into an internal structure in accordance with rules specific to the first language; and c. following the translation step, converting the translated sentence out of the internal structure in accordance with rules specific to the second language.

Claim 9

The method of claim 1 wherein the predefined grammar templates are defined in terms of grammatical units comprising nominal terms, nominal constructions, descriptors and connectors.

Claim 10

The method of claim 8 wherein the allowed sentence structures are further specified by categories comprising tense, tone, and mood.

Claim 11

Apparatus for translating information from a first language into a second language, the apparatus comprising: a. a buffer for receiving a sentence in the first language, the sentence conforming to a constrained grammar comprising a series of predefined grammar templates; and b. a processor for translating the sentence into the second language by direct substitution of terms in the second language for corresponding terms in the first language.

Claim 12

Apparatus for translating information from a first language into a second language, the apparatus comprising: a. a buffer for receiving a sentence in the first language, the sentence conforming to a constrained grammar comprising a series of predefined grammar templates; and b. a processor for translating the sentence into the second language by direct substitution of terms in the second language for corresponding terms in the first language.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising reference and target sets of nominal, connector, and descriptor databases in reference and target languages, each nominal database comprising a series of nominal entries, each connector database comprising a series of connector entries each specifying a relationship between at least two nominal terms, and each descriptor database comprising a series of descriptor entries describing nominal entries, the message containing entries from the reference set arranged according to rules defining the constrained grammar, the entries of the reference set of databases corresponding to the entries of the target set of databases, the processor being configured to (i) address the target set of databases with the message entries to retrieve target entries corresponding thereto and (ii) translate the message by directly substituting the target entries for the message entries.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the connector items show action, being or state of being.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the descriptor items describe a quality, quantity, state or type of a nominal entry.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising an editor for examining, prior to translation, the received sentence for conformance to one of the predefined grammar templates.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the allowed sentence types comprise the sentence structures set forth in Table 5.

Claim 18

The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising a memory for maintaining, for each predefined grammar template, a set of translation rules for the first and second languages, the processor being configured to (i) convert the received sentence into an internal structure in accordance with rules specific to the first language, and (ii) convert the translated sentence out of the internal structure in accordance with rules specific to the second language.

Claim 19

The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the predefined grammar templates are defined in terms of grammatical units comprising nominal terms, nominal constructions, descriptors and connectors.

Claim 20

The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the allowed sentence structures are further specified by categories comprising tense, tone, and mood.