Machine Translation: Automata Theory, Probability, and Linguistics - 2007

Explore the advancements in machine translation systems through this comprehensive lecture by Kevin Knight from USC/ISI. Delve into the intersection of automata theory, probability, and linguistics as applied to machine translation. Learn how MT systems have improved by autonomously gathering translation knowledge from web-based human-translated materials. Examine the limitations of finite-state Markov models in linguistic transformations and discover the potential of probabilistic tree-based models. Investigate the application of tree transducers, a formal automata model, in natural language processing and machine translation. Gain insights into novel algorithms, open problems, and experimental results in the field. The lecture also covers Knight's background in artificial intelligence, statistical natural language processing, and decipherment, providing a well-rounded perspective on the subject.