Instruction Manual

User’s Guide SYSTRAN 5.0 173
Grammar Writing Rules
Using Articles
When writing English text for MT, use grammatical markers such as articles whenever
possible.
Avoiding Speech Ambiguity
The biggest challenge for MT is resolving “part-of-speech” ambiguity. One of the most
common and difficult problems in English analysis is eliminating ambiguity between a
noun and a verb. This problem is exacerbated because almost every short noun can
be a verb. For example, the phrase “start configuration” can be interpreted as “start
the configuration” or as “the start configuration.” Inserting articles helps eliminate
ambiguity between a noun and a verb.
Avoid abbreviated telegraphic style as much as possible by inserting “the” or “a”
before a word with more than one part of speech.
Example
Instead of: Empty file
Use: Empty the file
Or: The empty file
Rule: Use articles to reduce part-of-speech ambiguity
Using Enumeration
In enumeration or lists, articles are needed to identify the relationship between the list
items. Articles are also helpful in identifying which item in a list is modified.
Example
Instead of: Install programs and configuration files.
MT Output: Installer programmes et fichiers de Configuration.
Use: Install the programs and the configuration files.
MT Output: Installer les programmes et les fichiers de Configuration
Rule: Use articles to clearly identify each item in a list. Repeat modifiers as
necessary.