Speech-to-Speech Translation: Technology and Applications Study
Abstract
This report describes a study effort on the state-of-the-art and lessons learned in automated, two-way, speech-to-speech translation and its potential application to military problems. The study includes and comments upon an extensive set of references on prior and current work in speech translation. The study includes recommendations on future military applications and on R&D needed to successfully achieve those applications. Key findings of the study include: (1) R&D speech translation systems have been demonstrated, but only in limited domains, and their performance is inadequate for operational use; (2) as far as we have been able to determine, there are currently no operational two-way speech translation systems; (3) intensive, sustained R&D will be needed to develop usable two-way speech translation systems. Major recommendations include: (1) a substantial R&D program in speech translation is needed, especially including full end-to-end system prototyping and evaluation; (2) close cooperation among researchers and users speaking multiple languages will be needed for the development of useful application systems; (3) to get military users involved and interacting in a mode which enables them to provide useful inputs and feedback on system requirements and performance, it will be necessary to provide them at the start with a fairly robust, opendomain system which works to the degree that some two-way speech translation is operational.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 10, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA401684
Entities
People
- C. J. Weinstein
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology