How to choose article and number for nouns when translating from Japanese to Dutch in the context of syntax-based machine translation
Summary
When translating from a language which does not have distinction in number (singular/plural) or an indication of definiteness for nouns (Japanese), into a language which does have these distinctions (Dutch), it is not straightforward to make these decisions.
This problem in machine translation is studied using a compositional translation framework. This framework uses synchronized (isomorphic) grammars to deal with translation. As the grammars are reversible, no separate analysis and production for both languages are necessary. The basic expressions and rules in both languages correspond in meaning, and when rules with the same meaning are applied in both languages, the resulting sentences are each other's translations.
The grammar also uses features to indicate syntactic and semantic properties of the words and phrases.
The rules check for certain settings of the features to decide whether or not they are applicable. If necessary, features of the resulting output expressions are set as well. A rule also has conditions, which all have to be met before a rule can be applied. These restrictions are intended to prevent ungrammatical combinations from being generated.
The features `divisible', `generic' and `count/mass noun' are the ones the rules make the most use of in deciding number and definiteness for nouns.
The output created by the rules consists of all possible translations. A bonus system is used to order the possible translations by plausibility.