A generic framework for Arabic to English machine ... - Acsu Buffalo

would also be needed for an interlingua system.
4.3. BASIC MACHINE TRANSLATION STRATEGIES
As shown in Figure 4.4, the direct method has no modules for source language analysis
or target language generation. In the interlingua method the source language is fully
analyzed into a language-independent representation from which the target language is
generated. The transfer strategy can be viewed as falling between interlingua systems
and direct systems.
Figure 4.4: Difference between direct, transfer, and interlingua MT models, (Trujillo
1999)
Figure 4.4 shows language analysis up the left-hand side, and target-language generation
down the right. The peak of the pyramid represents the theoretical interlingua represen-
tation achieved by analysis and suitable for direct use by generation. However, the path
to that interlingua is long. By cutting off the monolingual analysis at some point and
entering into a bilingual transfer phase, one can avoid the difficulties of a full analysis.
The diagram is also intended to suggest that the more the text is analysed, the simpler the
transfer will be, as depicted by the length of the line cutting across the pyramid. At the
very bottom, where there is smallest amount of analysis, and nearly all the work is done
in transfer, as was the case with the early direct method systems.
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