Challenging the Limits of Learning
TAU measures the human mind against the yardstick of a machine
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Although we’re convinced that baby is brilliant when she mutters her first words, cognitive scientists have been conducting a decades-long debate about whether or not human beings actually “learn” language.
Most theoretical linguists, including the noted researcher Noam Chomsky, argue that people have little more than a “language organ” — an inherent capacity for language that’s activated during early childhood. On the other hand, researchers like Dr. Roni Katzir of Tel Aviv University‘s Department of Linguistics insist that what humans can actually learn is still an open question — and he has built a computer program to try and find an answer.
“I have built a computer program that learns basic grammar using only the bare minimum of cognitive machinery — the bare minimum that children might have — to test the hypothesis that language can indeed be learned,” says Dr. Katzir, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (where he took classes taught by Chomsky) and a former faculty member at Cornell University. His early results suggest that the process of language acquisition might be much more active than the majority of linguists have assumed up until now.
Dr. Katzir’s work was recently presented at a Cornell University workshop, where researchers from fields in linguistics, psychology, and computer science gathered to discuss learning processes.
A math model in mind
Able to learn basic grammar, the computer program relies on no preconceived assumptions about language or how it might be learned. Still in its early stages of development, the program helps Dr. Katzir explore the limits of learning — what kinds of information can a complex cognitive system like the human mind acquire and then store at the unconscious level? Do people “learn” language, and if so, can a computer be made to learn the same way?
Using a type of machine learning known as “unsupervised learning,” Dr. Katzir has programmed his computer to “learn” simple grammar on its own. The program sees raw data and conducts a random search to find the best way to characterize what it sees.
The computer looks for the simplest description of the data using a criterion known as Minimum Description Length. “The process of human learning is similar to the way computers compress files: it searches for recognizable patterns in the data. Let’s say, for instance, that you want to describe a string of 1,000 letters. You can be very naïve and list all the letters in order, or you can start to notice patterns — maybe every other character is a vowel — and use that information to give a more compact description. Once you understand something better, you can describe it more efficiently,” he says.
Artificial intelligence for answering machines
His early results point to the conclusion that the computer, modeling the human mind, is indeed able to “learn” — that language acquisition need not be limited to choosing from a finite series of possibilities.
While it’s primarily theoretical, Dr. Katzir’s research may have applications in technologies such as voice dialogue systems: a computer that, on its own, can better understand what callers are looking for. A more advanced version of Dr. Katzir’s program might learn natural language grammar and be able to process data received in a realistic setting, reflecting the manner in which humans actually talk.
The results of the research might also be applied to study how we learn to “read” visual images, and may be able to teach a robot how to reconstruct a three-dimensional space from a two-dimensional image and describe what it sees. Dr. Katzir plans to pursue this line of research with engineering colleagues at Tel Aviv University and abroad.
“Many linguists today assume that there are severe limits on what is learnable,” Dr. Katzir says. “I take a much more optimistic view about those limitations and the capacity of humans to learn.”
Reference Link
http://www.aftau.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=13753
Where language is no barrier
Over 30 special children benefit from Freya Brooks’ initiatives – Photo: Mohd. Yousuf
Reaching out: Speech therapist Freya Brooks with hearing impaired children in Rasoolpura.
HYDERABAD: When Freya Brooks, 23, came to Hyderabad last June to volunteer with local NGO Bhumi, little did she know that she would be making the city her second home. Nor did she think that she would be braving the scorching summer of Hyderabad to do what she ‘loves’ to do or donning the salwar kameez with such ease.
A PhD in speech and language therapy, Ms. Brooks reached the city last June to work with the special children in the Rasoolpura slum where Bhumi is engaged in.
“Initially I was involved in assessing babies, speaking to parents and in early intervention. And this was something that I have always wanted to do,” she says.
After a three-week stint in June, she decided to return in October.
“They needed someone to coordinate and hold together this programme and so I moved here,” she explains. In her seven-month stint, she has started a school for children with disabilities and a ‘Breakfast Club.’ Thanks to her initiatives, over 30 special children have access to education and a healthy breakfast.
“We work with them using different education aids such as visual aids, lots of interactive games etc,” she says. Her job also involves going to individual homes of children with severe disabilities and interacting with parents.
Language barrier apart, the notorious ‘Indian Stretch Time’ is something she has had to deal with too.
“Many a times I would fix an appointment at 9 a.m. and would reach the place on time only to find that the others are yet to reach,” she says. “I would get very frustrated but over time I have come to accept this and change accordingly,” she says. She has had her share of disturbing and rewarding experiences, she says. “Many parents simply don’t have time to take care of their physically-challenged or sick children because they have to earn. Last Sunday a child died due to lack of adequate health care and such things make me feel very frustrated,” she says.
But it’s the rewarding experiences that keep her going in an alien city. “There are times when parents tell us see what my child did today or invite us for dinner. And when we see the change that takes place in them (children) after intervention, it is truly rewarding,” she says.
She feels the people need to demand for the health facilities. “Not just the poor, even others should make a fuss and demand for this basic human right to health.”
For now, she hopes to be a change-maker and promises to keep coming back to the country she terms as ‘brilliant’.
Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/04/stories/2010050459660200.htm
Courtesy
The Hindu
Her Company Spells Success in More Than 100 Languages
How Liz Elting helped found and grow TransPerfect, the world’s largest privately held language company.
It was an international drug trafficking case, one that involved a lot of money and a lot of violence. Undercover agents who had infiltrated the cartel had worn wires and collected evidence for years. A conviction depended on an accurate translation of their tape recordings. “Five languages were involved,” says Liz Elting, 44, one of the owners of TransPerfect, the translation company chosen for the job. “The slightest mistake could mean the criminals would go free.” For weeks, company linguists worked closely with prosecutors and agents to help win a conviction.
When Elting launched her business 18 years ago with Phil Shawe, both were attending New York University’s Stern School of Business. Neither realized just how many situations would require their services. “We’ve transcribed black box data after plane crashes,” says Elting. “We’ve done mergers and acquisitions. Translating Hooked on Phonics into eight languages was especially challenging because we were doing sounds, not words!”
Elting had once worked for a translation company, and she knew that the industry was essentially lots of tiny outfits delivering patchy quality. She also knew how important it was to get things right—like the instructions for medical devices. Ad companies, too, needed accurate translations that took cultural differences into account. She and Shawe were certain that if they delivered a quick, reliable service, they could build an international business that would stand out.
They set up shop in Shawe’s dorm room. (The two were engaged until 1997. Though the wedding never happened, the company forged ahead.) While Shawe finished his MBA, Elting recruited freelance linguists and made hundreds of cold calls seeking clients. One of their first jobs was to translate an 800-page feasibility study of a Russian gold mine in 30 days.
Once the partners were out of survival mode, they hired people to help grow the company and told them to run their area as if it were their own business. “If they did well,” says Elting, “they owned that success.”
Elting and Shawe paid themselves $9,000 a year each and plowed everything else back into the business. Their ambition and naïveté, however, at times threatened the company’s growth. In 2000, a major retailer promised
$15 million in business—more than double their revenue. They opened an office in Miami, but when the Internet bubble burst, says Shawe, “the client pulled out. Today we get money up front; we share risk. Commonsense things.”
TransPerfect’s 4,000 linguists cover more than 100 languages. Last year, the company had revenues of $225 million; the average annual growth rate is 30 percent. Elting and Shawe still work together as co-CEOs. “Phil is good at developing systems and creative sales ideas,” says Elting. “I focus on operations and making sure our clients are happy.” Shawe’s take is a little different: “Liz is more risk-averse, and I’m more risk-tolerant.”
With more than 1,100 employees, and offices in 57 cities in 18 countries on four continents, they still focus on the details. They keep a meticulous list of client preferences: soda or soft drink, sofa or couch.
Even now, at the top of the world’s largest privately held language company, Elting refuses to be complacent and would prefer a slightly different translation: “We want to be the world’s premier language company.”
Getting Ahead with Liz Elting
What inspired you to start TransPerfect?
When I was eight, my dad bought a KFC franchise in Portugal. Unfortunately, the Portuguese didn’t want anything American after the Communist revolution. They thought my dad was a CIA spy! That taught me how fast things can change. I’ve studied in Spain and worked in Venezuela. This business is the perfect combination of my passions for languages, cultures, and business.
Is the staff multilingual?
Many are. I speak French and Spanish. My partner, Phil, who is American, likes to say he speaks English on
a good day.
What languages are requested most often?
Spanish and Japanese. Chinese, Middle Eastern, Indic (South Asia), and Eastern European languages are on the rise.
How difficult is it to manage such a diverse workforce?
Our challenge is to be culturally appropriate in every country. When we hand out year-end bonuses in the U.S., for example, we have to remember that in India, bonuses are distributed in the fall.
How important was your early training in finance?
The No. 1 reason companies fail is that they run out of money, so you have to be very aware of the numbers. I’ve learned that doing a great job is more about the soft skills—going with your instincts, acting with integrity, appreciating clients and employees, and dealing with them effectively. Do these things well, and the rest will follow.
Any advice for someone starting a business?
Get started before you have kids. In the beginning, I didn’t know how to do this business on the side. I wasn’t married, didn’t have kids, and wasn’t concerned about balancing my work and personal life. Now, with strong managers in place, I can spend more time with my family [husband Michael Burlant and sons Zachary, nine, and Jason, seven], traveling and playing baseball.
Reference Link
http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/her-company-spells-success-in-more-than-100-languages/article173018.html
Courtesy
The Reader’s Digest Association
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