Context-Driven English to Japanese Translation
Key Topics:
English and Japanese Translation, Visitior Design Pattern, X-Bar Theory, SLIM Theory, Linguistic Corpora
Class:
Computer Science Senior Research Capstone
Dates of Research:
January - May 2024
Information
This project was completed for my Senior Thesis for Computer Science at Furman University. In this project, I implemented a Statistical Machine Translator that manipulates a syntax tree data structure through algorithms encoded in a visitor pattern. The translator takes a grammar-conforming English sentence and acquires the appropriate Japanese translation. The translator makes use of multiple Linguistic Corpora whose information is stored with a PostgreSQL database. The storing of sentences in a tree structure is determined through a generative grammar based on X-Bar Syntax Theory.
Abstract
In past decades, computational translation has been a widely used tool due to its accessibility and ease of use. Despite its popularity, computational translators are second-rate compared to multilingual humans who can provide natural translations of phrases—which computational translators cannot. This paper presents algorithms and techniques of a mechanical translator that uses context to drive the transfer of phrase representation from English to Japanese thus effectively producing a translation. This translator consists of three distinct steps. The first takes raw text in English, it is tokenized, and each token is then classified according to its part of speech. These tokens act as terminals in a sentence tree that is constructed using a bottom-up technique. Given a sentence tree, the next step works to manipulate the internal nodes (non-leaf) nodes of the sentence tree to reflect an ordering of nodes consistent with the sentence structure Japanese language: Subject-verb-object in English to subject-object-verb in Japanese. The last step involves manipulating the terminal nodes in the sentence tree so that the translator ‘translates’ English words to Japanese, verify conjugation, and that the use of particles is correct. We verified the effectiveness of the proof-of-concept translator by testing for usage of proper nouns, conjunctions, and all variations of tense features.
Project Files
Research-Paper.pdf
Presentation-FE.pptx
Presentation-Committee.pptx
Discrepancies Among Translation: A Comparison Between English and Japanese Linguistic Properties
Key Topics:
Translation, Linguistics, Japanese
Class:
Japanese Senior Thesis Capstone
Dates of Research:
April - August 2022
Information
Final Project for Urban Studies at Waseda SILS. The project investigates the history of Urban Planning decisions in the Bronx that contribute to the disenfranchisement of People of Color (POC) communities.Abstract
Millions of people rely on computational translators to facilitate communication between languages, but even with powerful computational structures, translators produce unreliable translations. Conversely, multilingual humans have always produced reliable translations with corresponding meaning and nuance—making it one of the few tasks in which humans outperform computers. To understand this outperformance, one must understand humans' capability in identifying and managing discrepancies between languages that manifest in an array of unique linguistic attributes. Therefore, for computational translators to advance, they must account for discrepancies and manipulate them, which will produce translations with one-to-one correspondence in meaning and nuance.Project Files
Research-Paper.pdf
Japanese-Summary-Paper.pdf
Poster.pdf
The State of LGBTQIA+ in Japan
Key Topics:
Anthropology, Japanese Culture
Class:
Japanese Culture through Film
Dates of Research:
August - December 2023
Information
Final Project for ANT-204: Understanding Modern Japanese Society through Film. The project investigates the treatment of LGBTQIA+ identifying individuals in Japan and the direction that legislation protecting these individuals are heading
Abstract
In America, the LGBTQIA+ Movement (simplified to LGBT+) is a famous organization that comprises of misrepresented sexual orientations and gender identities. The movement has been successful in America for establishing support groups that mitigate LGBT+ isolation, pressuring lawmakers into providing LGBT+ with legal protections, and the decrease of LGBT+ discrimination in the United States. The movement was essential in establishing protections for the future generations which definitely benefit from their sacrifices to this day. However, the acceptance of LGBT+ is disproportionally accepted across the world. Some nations outright consider homosexuality a capital crime, while other nations keep LGBT+ in a segregated state. Unfortunately for Japan, they fall into this classification of a nation. Therefore, it is worth studying the state of LGBT+ protection in Japan for sake of determining the welfare of LGBT+ individuals in Japan. This paper aims to investigate the paradigms of Japanese LBGT+ movements, their fights for equality, and establish a clear standing of Japanese treatment of LGBT+.
Project Files
Research-Paper.pdf
Translation and Review: "Living X-Gender" by Yamada Sonomi
Key Topics:
Translation, Japanese, Anthropology
Class:
Advanced Japanese
Dates of Research:
August - December 2023
Information
Final Project for JPN-401: Advanced Japanese I. The project involved the parsing and translation of a Japanese scholarly article, and a Japanese summary of that artickd. Also completed a Japanese presentation summarizing the key points of the article. The paper reviewed was a Anthropology paper on the X-Gender community of Japan, which is a new and unique classification being coined by non-binary individuals in Japan.
Project Files
English-Summary.pdf
Japanese-Summary.pdf
Japanese-Presentation.pdf
The Perpetuation of Racism Through Urban Planning in the United States
Key Topics:
Anthropology, Urban Studies
Class:
Urban Studies
Dates of Research:
April - July 2022
Information
Final Project for Urban Studies at Waseda SILS. The project investigates the history of Urban Planning decisions in the Bronx that contribute to the disenfranchisement of People of Color (POC) communities.
Abstract
The American cities that were once revered with opulence are now shadows of that former glory. Since the beginning of the 20th Century, American cities started to change due to a multitude of factors. These factors have completely changed the social fabric of cities. However, they mainly disproportionally affected people of color's (POC) communities in the United States. Over a century later, we can see the consequences of decisions made by urban planners. These decisions have protected white Americans while disenfranchising POC communities. This paper will investigate how a multitude of urban planning decisions in the 20th century has perpetually excluded POC communities in the Bronx of New York City.
Project Files
Research-Paper.pdf
Japanese Buddhism and Nationalism
Key Topics:
Anthropology, Buddhism, Japanese Culture
Class:
Japanese Buddhism
Dates of Research:
April - July 2022
Information
Final Project for Japanese Buddhism class at Waseda SILS. The project investigates the function of Buddhism over time starting from Meiji Japan to Postwar Japan, and how in some instances were used to fuel Japanese Imperialism.Abstract
Buddhism is world religion that is held in high regards internationally as a religion of peace. Buddhism arrived in Japan in the 6th century CE, establishing many schools of thought and became a prevalent part of Japanese culture. Buddhism was also present during one of the darkest periods of Japanese history when infamously known as a hegemonic imperialist. This paper will investigate the state of Buddhism from the advent of the Japanese Empire until its end in World War II—Investigating the relationship between Japanese Buddhism and Japanese nationalism.Project Files
American Foreign Policy Justification in Video Games
Key Topics:
Anthropology, Game Studies, Asian Studies
Class:
Asian Stuides Introductory Seminar
Dates of Research:
August - December 2021
Information
Final Project for AST-200: Introduction to Asian Studies class. Project critiques orientalist tropes within popular video game titles that facilitate and repeat stereotypes of certain groups of people to justify American foreign policy to American consumers of video games.
Abstract
Orientalism is a concept defined by Said which is “a style of thought based upon an ontological and epistemological distinction made between 'the orient' and 'the occident'” (Said, 2). Orientalism consists of distinctions that generalize the Occident and Orient's nature of being or way of knowledge. These distinctions are made to separate any connection between the Orient and the Occident. The media uses Orientalism to make unfair characterizations of Asia. In video games this is especially true; Orientalism is used to negatively characterize American enemies in Asia. Consumers play these games and are presented with Orientalist tropes that may lead them to believe that America is justified in its foreign policy. In this paper, I will explain how video games can be used as a tool to help justify American foreign policy. Then, I will propose research which I wish to conduct on video games.
Project Files
Research-Paper.pdf
Presentation.pdf
