[EN] Multilingual Document Management Systems - Not Just a European Challenge | Dr. Ulrich Kampffmeyer | The 1997 AIIM Show and ConferenceNew York, April, 14th - 17th 1997 | Contents: (1) Multilingual Software - Problem or Challenge ? (2) The easy Tasks (3) Use of Controlled Vocabulary for Field-oriented Translation (4) Automated Translation of Text (5) Software: Functionality and Design (6) Application example: wfBASE, Switzerland (7) Conclusions | PROJECT CONSULT Unternehmensberatung Dr. Ulrich Kampffmeyer GmbH, Hamburg, Germany CopyRight 1993-1997 | Updated version of a presentation in German language, dating 1993: U. Kampffmeyer: "Multilinguale Dokumenten- und Retrieval-Systeme. Implementierung und Beispiele. In: G. Knorz, J. Krause, und C. Wormser-Hacker. Hrsgg. "Information Retrieval '93. Von der Modellierung zur Anwendung." No. 12 in Schriften zur Informationswissenschaft. Seiten 223-241, Konstanz, 1993. Gesellschaft für Informatik, UVK - Universitätsverlag Konstanz. | 1999 in Deutsch: http://www.competence-site.de/filedownload/cns-i?id=i_file_25217 | http://www.PROJECT-CONSULT.com

1. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 1
Presentation
Multilingual
Document Management Systems
Not Just a European Challenge
Dr. Ulrich Kampffmeyer
P R O J E C T C O N S U L T
Unternehmensberatung Dr. Ulrich Kampffmeyer GmbH
Hamburg - Berlin - Darmstadt - Munich
The 1997 AIIM Show and Conference
New York, April, 14th - 17th 1997

2. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 2
Content
s• Multilingual Software - Problem or Challenge ?
• The easy tasks
• Use of controlled vocabulary for field-oriented
translation
• Automated translation of text
• Software: functionality and design
• Application example: wfBASE, Switzerland
• Conclusions

3. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 3
Multilingual Software
Problem or Challenge ?

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Thesis
• The world´s IT language is English
• 90% of the information distributed via Internet is in
English
• An estimated 70% of the world's languages and dialects
will disappear in the next 20 years

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Anti-Thesis
• Language along with religion, literature and art is a most
important factor of cultural identity
• Governments restrict the use of English and promote
their national languages
• Users should be able to work easily in the environments
they are used to

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Synthesis
• IT provides all necessary technologies for multilingual
software
• The use of native language software generates
more acceptance and eliminates faults and
misunderstandings

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What does Multilingual Software mean ?
• Multilingual Software is NOTNOT :

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What does Multilingual Software mean ?
• Multilingual Software is NOT :
• Packages distributed in separate national versions
• Simple text translation

9. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 9
What does Multilingual Software mean ?
• Multilingual Software is NOT :
• Packages distributed in separate national versions
• Simple text translation
• Multilingual Software is :

10. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 10
What does Multilingual Software mean ?
• Multilingual Software is NOT :
• Packages distributed in separate national versions
• Simple text translation
• Multilingual Software is :
• Ability to switch the language during runtime
• Translating entries and displays to the chosen language
• Retrieving information independently of the language in which
it was generated

11. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 11
Who needs Multilingual Software ?
• All countries with more than one official language
eg. Belgium, Switzerland, etc.

12. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 12
Who needs Multilingual Software ?
• All countries with more than one official language
• All countries with more than one major language group
eg. USA, India, Russia etc.

13. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 13
Who needs Multilingual Software ?
• All countries with more than one official language
• All countries with more than one major language group
• All international organizations
eg. UN, EC etc.

14. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 14
Who needs Multilingual Software ?
• All countries with more than one official language
• All countries with more than one major language group
• All international organizations
• All multi-national companies
eg. trade, transportation, automobile, pharmaceutical,
oil industries, and others.

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The “Document” Problem
• Facsimile documents cannot be interpreted
• Translation changes the display and appearance of
documents
• Translated documents do not have the same legal status
as the original documents
• Storage of several documents in different languages
with a new type of "Language Version Link" may be
necessary

16. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 16
Use of Multilingual Software
• Retrieval independent of the language in which the
information was created
• Automated translation of database and document
contents
• Producing multilingual documents automatically or
simultaneously

17. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 17
Use of Multilingual Software - Example
Scenario:
A logistic workplace in an international trade
company

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Use of Multilingual Software - Example
Scenario:
A logistic workplace in an international trade
company
> A foreign customer calls

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Use of Multilingual Software - Example
Scenario:
A logistic workplace in an international trade
company
> A foreign customer calls
... his English is really bad ...

20. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 20
Use of Multilingual Software - Example
Scenario:
A logistic workplace in an international trade
company
> A foreign customer calls
>> The employee doesn`t understand what kind of special
pharmaceutical transport he means

21. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 21
Use of Multilingual Software - Example
Scenario:
A logistic workplace in an international trade
company
> A foreign customer calls
>> The employee doesn`t understand what kind of special
pharmaceutical transport he means
>>> She opens her database and retrieves the client's
transactions using her standard user interface in English

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Use of Multilingual Software - Example
Scenario:
A logistic workplace in an international trade
company
> A foreign customer calls
>> The employee doesn`t understand what kind of special
pharmaceutical transport he means
>>> She opens her database and retrieves the client's
transactions using her standard user interface in English
>>>> She switches the display language to the client's language

23. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 23
Use of Multilingual Software - Example
Scenario:
A logistic workplace in an international trade
company
> A foreign customer calls
>> The employee doesn`t understand what kind of special
pharmaceutical transport he means
>>> She opens her database and retrieves the client's
transactions using her standard user interface in English
>>>> She switches the display language to the client's language
>>>>> She reads the foreign description and data to the client

24. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 24
Use of Multilingual Software - Example
Scenario:
A logistic workplace in an international trade
company
> A foreign customer calls
>> The employee doesn`t understand what kind of special
pharmaceutical transport he means
>>> She opens her database and retrieves the client's
transactions using her standard user interface in English
>>>> She switches the display language to the client's language
>>>>> She reads the foreign description and data to the client
>>>>>> The client is satisfied,

25. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 25
Use of Multilingual Software - Example
Scenario:
A logistic workplace in an international trade
company
> A foreign customer calls
>> The employee doesn`t understand what kind of special
pharmaceutical transport he means
>>> She opens her database and retrieves the client's
transactions using her standard user interface in English
>>>> She switches the display language to the client's language
>>>>> She reads the foreign description and data to the client
>>>>>> The client is satisfied, no misunderstandings,

26. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 26
Use of Multilingual Software - Example
Scenario:
A logistic workplace in an international trade
company
> A foreign customer calls
>> The employee doesn`t understand what kind of special
pharmaceutical transport he means
>>> She opens her database and retrieves the client's
transactions using her standard user interface in English
>>>> She switches the display language to the client's language
>>>>> She reads the foreign description and data to the client
>>>>>> The client is satisfied, no misunderstandings,
no additional time for call backs or finding a translator !

27. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 27
The "Easy" Tasks

28. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 28
Basics of Multilingual Software

29. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 29
Basics of Multilingual Software
• Use of national character sets
Europe: specific national characters

30. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 30
Basics of Multilingual Software
• Use of national character sets
Europe: specific national characters ä, æ, ö, ø , å, ç, é, ê, ñ

31. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 31
Basics of Multilingual Software
• Use of national character sets
Europe: specific national characters ä, æ, ö, ø , å, ç, é, ê, ñ
Arabia : from right to left

32. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 32
Basics of Multilingual Software
• Use of national character sets
Europe: specific national characters ä, æ, ö, ø , å, ç, é, ê, ñ
Arabia : from right to left

33. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 33
Basics of Multilingual Software
• Use of national character sets
Europe: specific national characters ä, æ, ö, ø , å, ç, é, ê, ñ
Arabia : from right to left
Asia: columns of characters

34. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 34
• Use of national character sets
Europe: specific national characters ä, æ, ö, ø , å, ç, é, ê, ñ
Arabia : from right to left
Asia: columns of characters
Basics of Multilingual Software

35. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 35
Basics of Multilingual Software
• Display of different character sets and representations
on one screen

36. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 36
Basics of Multilingual Software
• Display of different character sets and representations
on one screen
Risks:
• Words and sentences differ in length
• Display formats change
• Special characters may be interpreted as control
characters
• Field-oriented displays have to adapt automatically
• The look of the document may change dramatically

37. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 37
The Easy Tasks
• Transformation of measures
eg. meter to feet

38. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 38
Problems with the “EasyEasy” Tasks
• Transformation of measures
eg. meter to feet
Risk:
Rounding errors or decimal point
format problems may occur

39. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 39
The Easy Tasks
• Transformation of measures
• Transformation of currencies
eg. US Dollar to D-Mark

40. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 40
Problems with the “EasyEasy” Tasks
• Transformation of measures
• Transformation of currencies
eg. US Dollar to D-Mark Risk:
Dynamic translation of currencies
in a document may not represent
the original figures

41. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 41
The Easy Tasks
• Transformation of measures
• Transformation of currencies
• Transformation of date formats
eg. 04/12/97 to 12. April 1997

42. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 42
The Easy Tasks
• Transformation of measures
• Transformation of currencies
• Transformation of date formats
• Transformation of time formats
eg. 6 a.m. EST to 11:00 h GMT

43. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 43
Problems with the “EasyEasy” Tasks
• Transformation of measures
• Transformation of currencies
• Transformation of date formats
• Transformation of time formats
eg. 6 a.m. EST to 11:00 h GMT
Risk:
Time-zone differences cause
problems in automated
version management
in enterprise document
management systems

44. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 44
The Easy Tasks
• Transformation of measures
• Transformation of currencies
• Transformation of date formats
• Transformation of time formats
• Transformation of addresses
eg. position of postal codes
“Hamburg 20149 Germany” to “D - 20149 Hamburg”

45. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 45
Problems with the “EasyEasy” Tasks
• Transformation of measures
• Transformation of currencies
• Transformation of date formats
• Transformation of time formats
• Transformation of addresses
eg. position of postal codes
“Hamburg 20149 Germany” to “D - 20149 Hamburg”
Risk:
Standard formats available,
but nobody cares

46. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 46
The Easy Tasks
• Transformation of measures
• Transformation of currencies
• Transformation of date formats
• Transformation of time formats
• Transformation of addresses
• Transformation of international standardized nomenclatures
eg. country and city names
“Munich” to “München”

47. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 47
Problems with the “EasyEasy” Tasks
• Transformation of measures
• Transformation of currencies
• Transformation of date formats
• Transformation of time formats
• Transformation of addresses
• Transformation of international standardized nomenclatures
eg. country and city names
“Munich” to “München”
Risk:
Names are spelled differently

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Use of Controlled Vocabulary

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The Use of Controlled Vocabulary
• Terms may be selected from selection lists or may be
approved by cross-checks with available databases
• Reference IDs related to terms allow automatic
translation of the entries
• The ideal technique for multilingual software in "closed"
communications
• The translation is restricted to a certain group of users
• Central, controlled administration is necessary
• Thesauri allow structured use of vocabulary

50. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 50
Basic Requirements for the Use of
Controlled Vocabulary
• Database stores only one version or reference keys
• Use of selection lists simplifies access and guarantees
exact correspondance
• Translation and transformation is provided by a Pre-
Processor

51. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 51
Basic Requirements for the Use of
Controlled Vocabulary
• Database stores only one version or reference keys
• Use of selection lists simplifies access and guarantees
exact correspondance
• Translation and transformation is provided by a Pre-
Processor
ClientClient Pre-
Processor
Pre-
Processor
Request

52. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 52
Basic Requirements for the Use of
Controlled Vocabulary
• Database stores only one version or reference keys
• Use of selection lists simplifies access and guarantees
exact correspondance
• Translation and transformation is provided by a Pre-
Processor
ClientClient Pre-
Processor
Pre-
Processor DatabaseDatabase
Request Key

53. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 53
Basic Requirements for the Use of
Controlled Vocabulary
• Database stores only one version or reference keys
• Use of selection lists simplifies access and guarantees
exact correspondance
• Translation and transformation is provided by a Pre-
Processor
ClientClient Pre-
Processor
Pre-
Processor DatabaseDatabase
Request Key
Value

54. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 54
Basic Requirements for the Use of
Controlled Vocabulary
• Database stores only one version or reference keys
• Use of selection lists simplifies access and guarantees
exact correspondance
• Translation and transformation is provided by a Pre-
Processor
ClientClient Pre-
Processor
Pre-
Processor DatabaseDatabase
Result
Request Key
Value

55. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 55
Selection lists are an easy way to translate information and
to save storage capacity
Selection Lists
10030108

56. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 56
Selection lists are an easy way to translate information and
to save storage capacity
• The list displays a text on the screen related to a database variable
Selection Lists
10030108

57. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 57
Selection lists are an easy way to translate information and
to save storage capacity
• The list displays a text on the screen related to a database variable
• Every entry in a selection list refers to a variable which is related to
a database field
Selection Lists
10030108

58. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 58
Selection lists are an easy way to translate information and
to save storage capacity
• The list displays a text on the screen related to a database variable
• Every entry in a selection list refers to a variable which is related to
a database field
• Every entry in the different language versions of a list refers to the
same variable
Selection Lists
10030108

59. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 59
Selection lists are an easy way to translate information and
to save storage capacity
• The list displays a text on the screen related to a database variable
• Every entry in a selection list refers to a variable which is related to
a database field
• Every entry in the different language versions of a list refers to the
same variable
• The database has to store only the numeric reference of the entry
Selection Lists
10030108

60. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 60
Selection lists are an easy way to translate information and
to save storage capacity
• The list displays a text on the screen related to a database variable
• Every entry in a selection list refers to a variable which is related to
a database field
• Every entry in the different language versions of a list refers to the
same variable
• The database has to store only the numeric reference of the entry
• Selection lists can be used as single and multiple-choice lists
Selection Lists
10030108

61. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 61
Selection lists are an easy way to translate information and
to save storage capacity
• The list displays a text on the screen related to a database variable
• Every entry in a selection list refers to a variable which is related to
a database field
• Every entry in the different language versions of a list refers to the
same variable
• The database has to store only the numeric reference of the entry
• Selection lists can be used as single and multiple-choice lists
• Selection lists help to standardize nomenclature in multinational
and multilingual organizations
Selection Lists
10030108

62. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 62
Multilingual Thesauri
• Controlled data entry
• Includes automatic indexing of terms on a
higher hierarchy level
• Easy navigation
• ISO standard available
• Multilingual thesauri for several
industries and sciences available

63. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 63
Problems with Multilingual Thesauri
• A direct translation of a term may not be
available
• There may be several translations for a
single term
• The meaning of the translation may differ
slightly
• The same term may appear in different
contexts at different hierarchy levels
• One term may be represented as a group
or combination of words when translated
• Thesauri are often too complex and too
deep in details

64. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 64
The Term “Water”
• Different position in thesauri for physics, geology,
chemistry, geo-sciences and other
• 37 different versions in Icelandic
• "Desert people are glad to have water"
• Used as noun and verb
• Used as prefix and suffix (Waterfall, tapwater)
• Not only used to describe pure “H²O”
• Name

65. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 65
Thesauri: Hierarchy and Crosslinks
The Hierarchical View of the Thesaurus
(Top term, broader term, narrower term)
Unique Identifier
Position in
hierarchical view
10030110
77
66
55
44
33
2211
12201220
12101210
11201120
11101110
12001200
1100110010001000

66. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 66
Thesauri: Hierarchy and Crosslinks
The Hierarchical View of the Thesaurus
(Top term, broader term, narrower term)
The Network Structure of the Thesaurus
(Crosslinks independent of the hierarchical position)
Unique Identifier
Position in
hierarchical view
10030110
77
66
55
44
33
2211
77
66
88
44
33
2211
12201220
12101210
11201120
11101110
12001200
1100110010001000
12201220
12101210
11201120
11101110
12001200
1100110010001000

67. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 67
Thesauri:
"Slice"-Model of a Multilingual Thesaurus
German Language "Slice"
IDs
dec
IDs
dec
IDs of pre-
decessors
IDs of suc-
cessors
position in
hierarchy
main key
wordn
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc.
IDs
dec
IDs
dec
Unique
ID
A1
Unique
ID
A2
Unique
ID
A3
Unique
ID
An
...
... ...
help text
help text
help text
help text
IDs of pre-
decessors
IDs of suc-
cessors
position in
hierarchy
main key
wordn
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc.
10030111
IDs of suc-
cessors
IDs of suc-
cessors
position in
hierarchy
position in
hierarchy
main key
wordn
main key
wordn
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc.
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc. help text
help text
IDs of suc-
cessors
IDs of suc-
cessors
position in
hierarchy
position in
hierarchy
main key
wordn
main key
wordn
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc.
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc. help text
help text
German

68. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 68
Thesauri:
"Slice"-Model of a Multilingual Thesaurus
IDs
dec
IDs
dec
IDs
dec
IDs
dec
German Language "Slice"
IDs
dec
IDs
dec
IDs of pre-
decessors
IDs of suc-
cessors
position in
hierarchy
main key
wordn
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc.
IDs
dec
IDs
dec
ID´s of suc-
cessors
position in
hierarchy
main key
wordn
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc.
Unique
ID
A1
Unique
ID
A2
Unique
ID
A3
Unique
ID
An
...
... ...
IDs of pre-
decessors
help text
help text
help text
help text
French Language "Slice"
French Language "Slice"
IDs of suc-
cessors
position in
hierarchy
main key
wordn
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc. help text
help text
IDs of pre-
decessors
help text
help text
IDs of pre-
decessors
IDs of suc-
cessors
position in
hierarchy
main key
wordn
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc.
10030111
ID´s of suc-
cessors
ID´s of suc-
cessors
position in
hierarchy
position in
hierarchy
main key
wordn
main key
wordn
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc.
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc. help text
help text
ID´s of suc-
cessors
ID´s of suc-
cessors
position in
hierarchy
position in
hierarchy
main key
wordn
main key
wordn
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc.
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc. help text
help text
French

69. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 69
Thesauri:
"Slice"-Model of a Multilingual Thesaurus
IDs
dec
IDs
dec
IDs
dec
IDs
dec
German Language "Slice"
IDs
dec
IDs
dec
IDs of pre-
decessors
IDs of suc-
cessors
position in
hierarchy
main key
wordn
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc.
IDs
dec
IDs
dec
ID´s of suc-
cessors
position in
hierarchy
main key
wordn
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc.
Unique
ID
A1
Unique
ID
A2
Unique
ID
A3
Unique
ID
An
...
IDs of pre-
decessors
IDs of pre-
decessors
IDs of suc-
cessors
IDs of suc-
cessors
position in
hierarchy
position in
hierarchy
... ...
IDs of pre-
decessors
main key
wordn
main key
wordn
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc.
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc. help text
help text
help text
help text
help text
help text
French Language "Slice"
French Language "Slice"
IDs of suc-
cessors
position in
hierarchy
main key
wordn
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc. help text
help text
IDs of pre-
decessors
help text
help text
English Language "Slice"
English Language "Slice"
help text
help text
help text
help text
IDs of pre-
decessors
IDs of suc-
cessors
position in
hierarchy
main key
wordn
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc.
IDs of pre-
decessors
IDs of pre-
decessors
IDs of suc-
cessors
IDs of suc-
cessors
position in
hierarchy
position in
hierarchy
main key
wordn
main key
wordn
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc.
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc.
IDs of pre-
decessors
IDs of suc-
cessors
position in
hierarchy
main key
wordn
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc.
help text
help text
IDs of pre-
decessors
IDs of suc-
cessors
position in
hierarchy
main key
wordn
synonyms, ho-
monyms etc.
10030111
English

70. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 70
Automated Translation
of Text

71. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 71
Basics of Automated Translation
• Contents of databases
Contents of structured, field-oriented databases are easier to
translate

72. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 72
Basics of Automated Translation
• Contents of databases
Contents of structured, field-oriented databases are easier to
translate
Full-text needs special interpretation
(especially if the full-text database is optimized and context
information is not available)

73. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 73
Basics of Automated Translation
• Contents of databases
Contents of structured, field-oriented databases are easier to
translate
Full-text needs special interpretation
(especially if the full-text database is optimized and context
information is not available)
• Contents of text documents
Non-structured texts need specialized interpretation software
including grammar, context and distance operators

74. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 74
Basics of Automated Translation
• Contents of databases
Contents of structured, field-oriented databases are easier to
translate
Full-text needs special interpretation
(especially if the full-text database is optimized and context
information is not available)
• Contents of text documents
Non-structured texts need specialized interpretation software
including grammar, context and distance operators
Structured text documents are more easily to translate, eg.
SGML documents

75. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 75
Basics of Automated Translation
• Contents of databases
Contents of structured, field-oriented databases are easier to
translate
Full-text needs special interpretation
(especially if the full-text database is optimized and context
information is not available)
• Contents of text documents
Non-structured texts need specialized interpretation software
including grammar, context and distance operators
Structured text documents are more easily to translate, eg.
SGML documents
Embedded objects of any kind cause problems for translation
software

76. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 76
Linguistic Problems
• Homonyms
• Synonyms
• Context
• Linguistic ambiguousness
• Acronyms
• Declination
• Colloquial language and slang
• Specialized, industry-specific use

77. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 77
Software
Functionality and Design

78. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 78
Translating Structured Information
German
The language selector (Lx) in the application defines which resource is
used for display and how the information in the datafield is represented.
Screen
Text Field
French
English
Spanish
Language Resources
Please select ...
Application
Resource Data
Data-
base
Thesauri
Trans-
formation
Modules
Screen
LX
LX
LX
Selection
Lists

79. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 79
Characteristics of a Language Interpreter
• Dictionaries provide information for direct translation of
terms (Singular, plural, conjunctions, etc.)
• Statistic modules support the interpretation of the term
within a text
• Linguistic modules support the interpretation of the
grammatical context
• Comparative modules combine the different strategies of
interpretation
• Presentation modules display the answer of a query in the
chosen language as translated full-text
• Inverted file and cache modules optimize access

80. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 80
Full-text Database Interpreter
Presentation
Modules
Linguistic
Modules
Statistic
Modules
Dictionary
Modules
User Interface
Entry Query
Comparison
Inverted File
Database
Display
Language
Interpreter

81. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 81
Interpretation of Documents
Unstructured text
Text

82. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 82
Interpretation of Documents
Language
Processor
Unstructured text
Text

83. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 83
Interpretation of Documents
Language
Processor
Unstructured text
Result:
Low QualityLow Quality
Text

84. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 84
Interpretation of Documents
Language
Processor
Unstructured text
Result:
Low QualityLow Quality
Structured SGML text
Text SGML

85. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 85
Interpretation of Documents
Language
Processor
Unstructured text
Result:
Low QualityLow Quality
Language
Processor
Structured SGML text
Specialized
dictionaries
Additional
resources
Multi-step analysis including
structure information
Structure based
content analysis
Text SGML
Predefined
rules

86. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 86
Interpretation of Documents
Language
Processor
Unstructured text
Result:
Low QualityLow Quality
Language
Processor
Structured SGML text
Result:
High QualityHigh Quality
Specialized
dictionaries
Additional
resources
Multi-step analysis including
structure information
Structure based
content analysis
Text SGML
Predefined
rules

87. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 87
Language Interpretation as MiddleWare
Language
Resources
Trans-
formation
Modules
Selection
Lists
Thesauri Language
Interpreter

88. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 88
Language Interpretation as MiddleWare
Database
User interface (Application)
Application
IRS Information Resources Management / Libraries / Repositories
Language
Resources
Trans-
formation
Modules
Selection
Lists
Thesauri Language
Interpreter
Operating
System
User interface
(Windows, Presentation Manager, X-Windows, etc.)

89. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 89
Language Interpretation Pre-Processor
U
s
e
r
I
n
t
e
r
f
a
c
e
U
s
e
r
I
n
t
e
r
f
a
c
e
Language
Interpretation
Services
Language
Interpretation
Services
TransformationTransformation
Selection ListSelection List
ThesaurusThesaurus
etc.etc.
DatabaseDatabase IRSIRS
Numeric Requests
Alphanumeric
Requests
Data,
Documents
Numeric
Keys
Hitlists,
Data,
Documents
Data, Documents
Images, Multimedia Documents
Access
Data

90. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 90
1 Application1 Application
2 Interpreter2 Interpreter
3 Database3 Database
4 IRS4 IRS
Module Layers
ServerServer
22
33
44
11
ClientClientA
Services in a Client/Server Architecture

91. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 91
11
22
ClientClient
1 Application1 Application
2 Interpreter2 Interpreter
3 Database3 Database
4 IRS4 IRS
Module Layers
ServerServer
33
44
B
Services in a Client/Server Architecture
ServerServer
22
33
44
11
ClientClientA

92. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 92
11
22
ClientClient
1 Application1 Application
2 Interpreter2 Interpreter
3 Database3 Database
4 IRS4 IRS
Module Layers
ServerServer
22
33
44
11
ClientClientA
ServerServer
33
44
B
11
ClientClient
C
ServerServer
22
33
ServerServer
44
Services in a Client/Server Architecture

93. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 93
11
22
ClientClient
1 Application1 Application
2 Interpreter2 Interpreter
3 Database3 Database
4 IRS4 IRS
Module Layers
ServerServer
22
33
44
11
ClientClientA
ServerServer
33
44
B
11
ClientClient
C
ServerServer
22
33
ServerServer
44
11
ClientClient
D
ServerServer
22
ServerServer
44
GatewayGateway
HostHost
Services in a Client/Server Architecture
33

94. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 94
A Matter of Design
Multilingual features are a matter of software design

95. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 95
A Matter of Design
Multilingual features are a matter of software design
• Separate resources for all text and display features

96. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 96
A Matter of Design
Multilingual features are a matter of software design
• Separate resources for all text and display features
• Dynamic screen and windows adaptation

97. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 97
A Matter of Design
Multilingual features are a matter of software design
• Separate resources for all text and display features
• Dynamic screen and windows adaptation
• Storing references instead of text and figures

98. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 98
A Matter of Design
Multilingual features are a matter of software design
• Separate resources for all text and display features
• Dynamic screen and windows adaptation
• Storing references instead of text and figures
• Language interpreter as separate MiddleWare service

99. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 99
Advantage
sModular design with separate language resources
has a lot of advantages

100. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 100
Advantage
sModular design with separate language resources
has a lot of advantages
• Storing only references instead of text and figures

101. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 101
Advantage
sModular design with separate language resources
has a lot of advantages
• Storing only references instead of text and figures
• Only one software version, localization can be easy and parallel

102. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 102
Advantage
sModular design with separate language resources
has a lot of advantages
• Storing only references instead of text and figures
• Only one software version, localization can be easy and parallel
• Program maintance and helpdesk become easier

103. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 103
Application Example
wfBASE
wf Schweizer Wirtschaftsförderung
Swiss Institute for Commercial Development
Zürich - Geneva - Bern - Lugano

104. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 104
Application Example: wfBASE
The wf owns one of the largest archives on commercial
and political topics in Switzerland.
It provides information to politicians, journalists and its
commercial members representing all major companies
of Switzerland.

105. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 105
Application Example: wfBASE
• Optical filing system for press and commercial documents (scanned or
created via word processor, spreadsheet, etc. )
• Distributed systems linked via SwissNet 2 (ISDN)
• Access for wf employees and third-party partners via multilingual
graphic user interface (ISDN and telephone modem)
• Database with 4-lingual thesaurus for document access
• Access to information independent of the language in which it was
entered
• Several million documents stored on M/O jukeboxes (2 x 50 gigabytes)
• Integrated office communication with text processing, spreadsheet,
fax, library management, electronic mail, accounting, address
database, etc.

106. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 106
wfBASE System Layout
Jukebox
External Use
Harddisk Cache
Zürich
Images, Files & Descriptors
Read / Write / Create
Harddisk Cache
Lugano
Images, Files & Descriptors
Read / Create
Harddisk Cache
Geneva
Images, Files & Descriptors
Read / Create
Harddisk Cache
Bern
Images, Files & Descriptors
Read / Create
wf-User
wf-User
wf-User
wf-User
Jukebox
Internal Use
DB Server
Zürich
Archive - Server
Zürich
Communication
Server
Zürich
External User
Harddisk Cache
Addresses
Library
Dossiers
ISDN
Telephone
Modem&
ISDN
SwissNet 2
ISDN
SwissNet 2
ISDN
SwissNet 2
Novell
Netware

107. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 107
HYPARCHIV, the Software for wfBASE
Archiving and Document Management Software
of German Origin
• Designed for Europe
• Microsoft Windows clients, various network and server operating
systems
• Client / Server architecture, object-oriented design
• Triple access strategy: hierarchy with icons, relational database and
hyperlinks
• Multilingual user interface, available in English, US-English (with an
own version of icons for folders, cabinets, etc.), French, German,
Dutch, Swedish, Greek, Spanish, etc.
• User interface, messages and help switchable during runtime
• Multilingual access via controlled vocabulary using selection lists

108. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 108
Conclusions

109. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 109
Conclusion
s• Multilingual Software is an international requirement
• Language interpreters will play an important role as
service in Intranet and Internet environments
• Multilingual Software will reduce development,
maintenance and support costs
• Multilingual Software will increase user acceptance
• Multilingual Software will create new markets

110. © Copyright PROJECT CONSULT 1997 Kff / V2.0/ / 04/22/14 / 110
Thank You very much !