JPH0715696B2 - Translation device - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a translation device in which synonymous terms or sentences are stored in association with each other in a plurality of languages, and a sentence including the terms is read to perform translation. .

2. Description of the Related Art A small portable translation device includes a key input unit and a display unit. Such a translation device can read out a word or sentence stored in advance by an operation of the key input unit and display it on the display unit, and at the same time, can translate it into a synonymous word or sentence between desired languages. .

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention The display unit provided in such a translation apparatus has a limited display capacity for one screen in order to miniaturize the entire apparatus. Therefore, if the sentences stored in advance exceed the display capacity of the one-screen sentence, the whole sentence cannot be displayed at one time, and if the whole sentence is to be confirmed, a key operation such as scrolling the screen is required. is necessary.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display example in the prior art.
When, for example, "Seoul City Tourist Information Center" is selected as the phrase displayed on the display unit, the display shown in FIG. 8 (1) is displayed. If, for example, "Please put on the << Seoul City Tourist Information Center >>" is selected as an example sentence with this display phrase as the subject, the display shown in Fig. 8 (2) appears on the display. Done. At this time, the only characters other than the display phrase (stored in <<) that is the subject are "ma", and it is difficult to predict the whole sentence from this display screen. Therefore, the contents of the entire sentence cannot be grasped unless the screen is scrolled and the following sentence is confirmed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a translation device capable of improving operability and functionality.

Means for Solving the Problems According to the present invention, synonymous noun equivalent words and phrases of a plurality of languages are stored in association with each other, and a plurality of types of sentences using the noun equivalent words correspond to each other in each language. A storage unit 6 that is attached and stored; a display unit 2 in which display regions 2a and 2b having a predetermined one-line display capacity are provided in a plurality of stages; a unit 15 that specifies translation from one language to another language; Sentence selection means 12 and 17 for selectively reading from the storage means 6 one of a plurality of types of sentences including the noun equivalent phrase of the one language.
b, 32, and the noun included in the sentence selected by the sentence selecting means 12, 17b, 32 of the designated one language in response to each output of the translation specifying means 15 and the sentence selecting means 12, 17b, 32 When the display capacity of the equivalent phrase is equal to or larger than the reference display capacity determined based on the one-line display capacity, a part thereof is omitted and one display area 2a is displayed.
And a control means 3 for displaying the portion following the noun-equivalent phrase of the selected sentence of the one language in another display area 2b.

Operation According to the present invention, the translation from one language to another language (for example, from Japanese to Korean) is designated by the designating means 15, and one of a plurality of types of sentences including the noun equivalent phrase of the one language is designated.
One is selectively read from the storage means 6 by the sentence selecting means 12, 17b, 32, and when the display capacity of the noun-equivalent phrase of the one language is equal to or larger than the reference display capacity of one line, a part of the noun-equivalent phrase is omitted. And display it in one display area 2a,
The remaining remaining portion of the selected one language is displayed in the display area 2b, which makes it possible to increase the display capacity of the sentence data other than the noun equivalent words and phrases that form the sentence.

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a translation apparatus 1 to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a translation apparatus 1
FIG. The translation device 1 is provided with a display unit 2 realized by, for example, a liquid crystal display device (LCD), a central control unit (CPU) 3 for controlling the entire device, and a key input unit 4. The display unit 2 is connected to the central control unit 3 via a drive circuit 5. Read-only memory (RO
M) 6 stores a program for operating the translation apparatus 1 and words or sentences in a plurality of languages for realizing the translation operation. The read-only memory 6 is a gate array for switching the memory bank. 7
Is connected to the central control unit 3 via. Further, a random access memory (RAM) 8 used for temporarily storing a pointer flag described later and used as a work area of the display unit 2 is connected to the central control unit 3.

The translation device 1 of the present embodiment has a function of translating between Japanese, Korean and English, and these 3
Words and sentences related to the language are stored in advance in the read-only memory 6. Next, the configuration and function of the key input unit 4 will be described with reference to FIG.

The key input unit 4 includes a group of translation function keys 11 and a category key group.
It is composed of 12 and a numerical key group 13. Translation function keys
11, the translator key 14, guide key 15 and calculation /
The currency conversion key 16 is a mode setting key for selectively setting the conversation / word translation mode, the Korean guide information translation mode (hereinafter referred to as guide mode), and the calculation / currency conversion mode. The search key 17 is used, for example, when searching for a desired noun-equivalent phrase in an arbitrary category selected by the category key group 12. That is, a desired word / phrase can be searched from a series of words / phrases cyclically stored by the reverse key 17a and the forward key 17b.

The language selection key 21, the translation direction key 22, and the conversation / word key 23 are the conversation / word to be translated in the conversation / word translation mode or the guide mode set in the translator key 14 or the guide key 15. It is a key for selecting the language of the guide information and selectively setting the translation direction between the languages. Second of conversation / word key 23
A pair of power on / off keys 24 are provided on the right side of the figure. The display density key 25 can be used to set the display density of the display unit 2 when used together with the function key 26, and is usually a key for performing on / off control of the key touch sound.
The previous screen key 27 and the next screen key 28 are used when scrolling the display screen. A clear key 30 is provided on the right side of the function key 26 in FIG.

The category key group 12 is set with 14 categories classified according to a predetermined usage pattern, and a desired category key can be selected from these. The types of categories are "Basic conversation", "Greetings", "Immigration Customs",
"Telephone / Mail", "Illness", "Airplane", "Hotel", "Restaurant", "Vehicle", "Sightseeing", "Shopping /
There are "exchange", "entertainment", "sports", and "emergency". All categories (14 types) from "Basic conversation" to "emergency" are valid in conversation / word translation mode, and "Airport" in guide mode. Nine categories of "in-flight" to "emergency" are effective.

The information key 31 is a key used in the guide mode, and is used to display a telephone number, address, commentary, etc. related to Korean guide information such as a hotel name and a food name. The example sentence key 32 is used when the Korean guide information (hereinafter referred to as title data) such as the hotel name and the dish name described above is displayed on the display unit 2 and a sentence frequently used with the title data as the subject is used. It is used when the sentences are combined to form a sentence. Translation key 33
Is a key for translating a conversation / word in one language and the title data into another language. The pronunciation key 34 is used to display the pronunciation in katakana when a foreign language (for example, Korean) is displayed. Numeric key group 13
Each key in is used in the calculation / currency conversion mode.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart for explaining an example of key operation in the guide mode, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display screen corresponding to this.

When the guide key 15 is pressed in step a1, the screen shown in FIG. 4 (1) is displayed on the display unit 2 to indicate that the guide mode is the Japanese-Korean translation mode from Japanese to Korean. Be done. When the "Sightseeing" key is pressed from the category key group 12 in step a2, or when the "Sightseeing" key and the forward key 17b are pressed in this order, "Seoul City Tourist Information" is displayed on the display as title data. Center"
Is displayed (see FIG. 4 (2)).

When the example sentence key 32 is pressed in step a3, an example sentence function using the title data as a subject or the first word of a sentence is realized. As an example sentence in this case, "Please ride to the Seoul City Tourist Information Center." Is selected, and the display 2 displays the screen shown in Fig. 4 (3). At this time, the title data is stored in <<
The "tourist information center" is omitted, and an ellipsis "..." is displayed instead. By performing such an omission process, the title area of the sentence data following the title data can be increased, and the entire sentence can be easily discriminated. Here, when the next screen key 28 is pressed in accordance with the arrow indicated by the reference numeral 40 on the screen shown in FIG. 4 (3), the entire example sentence can be confirmed.
However, this example sentence can be easily identified even from the screen shown in FIG.
There is no need to press.

When the forward key 17b is pressed in step a4, "Is the Seoul City Tourist Information Center nearby?" Is selected as the next example sentence, and the display 2 displays the screen shown in Fig. 4 (4). Is displayed. In this case, all the sentence data following the title data is displayed, and the whole sentence can be completely discriminated from this screen, so there is no problem.

When an example sentence is created based on title data having a relatively large number of characters in this way, the content of the example sentence can be determined without performing key operation of the next screen key 28 by performing omission processing. And the functionality and operability are improved.

Next, the title data omission processing will be described in detail.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing three display examples in which the omission processing is performed. The display unit 2 of this embodiment includes a first-stage display area 2a and a second-stage display area 2b. In each display area, 12 half-width characters such as kana and 6 full-width characters such as kanji can be displayed. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the display area of each stage is divided into 12, and the first display area, the second display area,
..., referred to as the twelfth display area.

In the display example shown in FIG. 5 (1), "Consulate General of Japan" is selected as the title data. In this case, the tenth
Full-width characters "things" in display area d10 and 11th display area d11
However, if the title data is stored in <<>> without omitting this "thing", there is no display area for inserting the ellipsis "...". Therefore, the tenth display area d1
A space of one-byte character size is inserted in 0, and an ellipsis "..." is inserted immediately after this.

In the display example shown in FIG. 5 (2), "Australian Embassy" is selected as the title data. In this case,
Since the full-width character "large" is inserted in the ninth display area d9 and the tenth display area d10, the ellipsis "..." can be inserted immediately after this.

In the display example shown in FIG. 5 (3), "pork and kimchi skewers" is selected as the title data.

In this case, since the half-width character “NO” is inserted in the tenth display area, the ellipsis “...” Is inserted immediately after this.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the omission processing operation. In Fig. 6 (1), the sentence before the abbreviation process of the example sentence shown in Fig. 5 (1), that is, each character of "Please go up to << Consulate General of Japan >>" The corresponding data storage mode is shown. That is, the first display area, the second display area in the display unit 2,
The random access memory 8 is provided with a first storage area, a second storage area, ... Corresponding to ... And the data to be displayed is stored correspondingly.

In performing the process of omitting the example sentence shown in FIG. 6 (1), the first pointer P1 is set in the thirteenth storage area m13 corresponding to the first display area of the second role of the display unit 2, and ">>" is set.
The second pointer P2 is set in the storage area immediately after. In this example sentence, the second pointer P2 is stored in the fifteenth storage area m15.
Is set. Further, the number of storage areas from the storage area corresponding to the second pointer P2 to the storage area in which the final code FF is stored is counted, and this is set as the number of sentence data.

After performing such a series of setting operations, the second pointer P2
The storage area corresponding to the first pointer P1 is shifted to the storage area corresponding to the first pointer P1 to the left (the head side of the text) by the number of the text data, and the processing described with reference to FIG. Is executed (see FIG. 6 (2)).
The storage area where the first pointer P1 is set is always the first area.
Although it is the 13th storage area m13, the storage area in which the second pointer P2 is set differs depending on the number of characters of the title data.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart for explaining the operation.

In step n1, it is determined whether or not the title data can be stored in the first-stage storage area 2a. in this case,
In the display area 2a on the first row, 10 characters can be inserted in half-width character size, but in order to insert the two-character sentence 《》 of the half-width character, the title data exceeding the half-width character size is effectively over 10 characters. It cannot be inserted in the first row. If the official decision is made in step n1, step n5
The entire sentence of the selected example sentence is displayed without proceeding to step (3).

When a negative determination is made in step n1, the omission processing is performed in steps n2 to n4. After the first pointer P1, the second pointer P2, and the number of text data described above are set in step n2, the data shift operation is performed in relation to the second pointer P2 (step n3).
At step n4, the ellipsis "..." is set, and the step
The title data that has been omitted in n5 and the text data that follows it are displayed.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, when performing translation from one language to another language, one of a plurality of types of sentences including a noun equivalent phrase of the one language is selected, and the designated one language is selected. When the display capacity of the noun equivalent word is equal to or larger than the reference display capacity of the display area 2a for one line, a part of the noun equivalent word is omitted and displayed in the one display area 2a, and the one language is selected. Since the part following the noun-equivalent phrase of the sentence is displayed in the other display area 2b, it is possible to increase the display capacity of the sentence data other than the noun-equivalent phrase constituting the sentence. As a result, it becomes easy to determine the content of a relatively long sentence on one screen, the list of the display unit 2 can be improved, and the number of key operations for scrolling the screen can be reduced. It becomes possible to improve the operability.

Moreover, since the noun equivalent phrase in one language (for example, Japanese when translating from Japanese to Korean) that is the source of translation into another language is omitted as described above,
The operator is not hindered and the sentence in the one language can be grasped without error. Therefore, the present invention may be particularly suitably implemented in connection with a portable translation device that requires miniaturization.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a translation apparatus 1 used in an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the translation apparatus 1, and FIG. 3 is a key input related to a title data omission process. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an operation, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example corresponding thereto, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display example subjected to an omission process, and FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining an omission process operation,
FIG. 7 is a flow chart for explaining the operation, and FIG. 8 is a view for explaining the conventional technique. 1 ... Translation device, 2 ... Display unit, 3 ... Central control unit, 4
...... Key input section, 5 ... Drive circuit, 6 ... Read-only memory, 8 ... Random access memory

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A synonymous noun-equivalent phrase in a plurality of languages is stored in association with each other, and a plurality of types of sentences in which the noun-equivalent phrase is used are stored in association with each other in each language. A storage unit 6, a display unit 2 in which display regions 2a and 2b having a predetermined one-line display capacity are provided in a plurality of stages, a unit 15 for designating a translation from one language to another language, and a noun equivalent to the one language Sentence selecting means 12 and 17 for selectively reading one of a plurality of types of sentences including phrases from the storage means 6.
b, 32, and the noun included in the sentence selected by the sentence selecting means 12, 17b, 32 of the designated one language in response to each output of the translation specifying means 15 and the sentence selecting means 12, 17b, 32 When the display capacity of the equivalent phrase is equal to or larger than the reference display capacity determined based on the one-line display capacity, a part thereof is omitted and one display area 2a is displayed.
And a control means (3) for displaying the part following the noun equivalent phrase of the selected sentence of the one language in the other display area 2b.