BASQUE RESEARCH
 Basque research, development and innovation web site

News

Contact:

Ibon Aizpurua Ugarte

Eleka Ingeniaritza Linguistikoa, S.L.

Contact details:

ibon@eleka.net

(+34) 943 377225

2005/1/31

Automatic translation of the four languages in the Spanish State

The Eleka Ingeniaritza Linguistikoa company is leading an R+D project in order to design and develop a system of automatic translation of texts and websites from Spanish to Basque and also to the other two official languages within the Spanish state: Catalan and Galician. The principal novelty lies in that the system will be an open code one and of free distribution, thus enabling the system to be modified with total freedom in order to update and optimise it for new users and applications Another important novelty is that, for the first time, a single system involving the four official languages is to be developed simultaneously by groups based in different geographical locations.

Although Catalan and Galician-Portuguese already have other systems of automatic translation, this technology is totally novel in the case of the Basque language. Eleka Ingeniaritza Linguistikoa will direct the design and development of the first system of automatic translation from Spanish to Basque, in collaboration with the IXA Group at the University of the Basque Country and the Elhuyar Foundation.

It is projected that the system of automatic translation will be ready and available on-line within one year, i.e. by the beginning of 2006. The companies and research centres involved in the project are as follows: three from the Basque Country - Eleka Ingeniaritza Linguistikoa, co-ordinator of the project, the Elhuyar Foundation and the IXA research group at the University of the Basque Country; another three involving the Catalan language - the Thera Centre de Llenguatges i Computació company at the Barcelona Science Park, the TALP research centre at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and the Transducens Group at Alicante University; and two involving the Galician language - the Galician company, imaxin software and the Seminario de Lingüística Informática at the University of Vigo. This project provides opportunities, in the field of language technologies, for co-operation between business companies and research groups which can greatly benefit future developments.