Artificial Intelligence Can Translate Languages Without a Dictionary
Parlez-vous artificial intelligence? Two new research papers detail unsupervised machine-learning methods that can do language translation without dictionaries, as reported in Science. The methods also work without parallel text, or identical text that already exists in another language.
The papers, completed independently of one another, use similar methods. Both projects start by building bilingual dictionaries without the aid of a human to say whether they were right or not. Each takes advantage of the fact that relationships between certain words, like tree and leaves or shoes and socks, are similar across languages. This lets the AI look at clusters and connections from one language and learn about how another language works.
When it comes to translating sentences, the new dictionaries are put to the test with some additional help from two methods called back translation and denoising. Back translation converts one sentence to the new language before translating it back. If it doesn’t match the original sentence, the AI tweaks its next attempt and tries to get closer. Denoising works similarly, but moves or takes out a word here or there to keep the AI learning useful structure instead of just copying sentences.
Improving language translation has been a goal for companies like Google and Facebook, with some recent successes. Other attempts, like Google’s recent Pixel ear buds that are meant to translate on the fly, are still a work in progress.
Deep Dive
Artificial intelligence
Large language models can do jaw-dropping things. But nobody knows exactly why.
And that's a problem. Figuring it out is one of the biggest scientific puzzles of our time and a crucial step towards controlling more powerful future models.
OpenAI teases an amazing new generative video model called Sora
The firm is sharing Sora with a small group of safety testers but the rest of us will have to wait to learn more.
Google’s Gemini is now in everything. Here’s how you can try it out.
Gmail, Docs, and more will now come with Gemini baked in. But Europeans will have to wait before they can download the app.
Providing the right products at the right time with machine learning
Amid shifting customer needs, CPG enterprises look to machine learning to bolster their data strategy, says global head of MLOps and platforms at Kraft Heinz Company, Jorge Balestra.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.