Computational Linguistics.

University Degree Mathematical and Computer Sciences

Computational Linguistics

Brian Junker

Computational linguistics is a highly advanced and up-to-date profession. The occupation, around for nearly sixty years, has focused on many things, including machine translation and other types of natural language computer processing. Today, computational linguists pilot forward new technologies, allowing humans to more effectively communicate with machines as well as other people. Straight out of high school, linguists must begin on an extremely rigorous academic preparation. A four-year Bachelor of the Arts degree in college and a Ph. D. in graduate school are essential. The job serves as a bridge between the typically academic career of a linguist and that of a computer scientist. The combination yields high salaries, interesting workplaces and a bright future.

In 1946, first endeavors were made at using computers to process human speech. During the cold war, when there was much tension between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, each country wanted to find a quick, non-man-requiring way to translate one language to the other (Baucher). Computers seemed a viable tool; however, when these machine translation systems became active, their performance was far under the expectation. Thus, computational linguistics, the science of perfecting these and other natural language processing systems, was born (Ball). The first moderately accurate machine translation program, SYSTRAN, became operational in the mid-sixties and is still a leader in the technology today (University of Zürich). Recently, computational linguists have focused less on machine translation, and more on creating computer systems able to recognize and generate human speech (Jurafsky and Martin iii).

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Computational linguists are piloting ahead new technologies in building computer systems with a knowledge of human speech (Columbia University). Linguists use two main approaches to reaching this goal: simulation and emulation. What this basically means is that computer linguists work by actually creating small models of the brain’s thinking, which can in turn generate and recognize language, and by creating programs that imitate certain parts of human speech. The latter method is by far the simpler and, consequently, more prevalent. The theory is that one does not necessarily have to know how the brain works, but simply how to imitate certain functions; programs do not have to behave in any way parallel to the human brain, they merely must attain a similar final product (Ball). Through the study computational linguistics, informational texts could be summarized at the touch of a button. Dictionaries and grammars of other languages, also, could be instantly created from existing memory. Information retrieval, or the search of relevant documents on a computer database or the Internet, could be refined greatly. Instead of finding 270,000 results, of which only five per cent. are relevant, a search engine assisted by natural language processing technology would find only documents which include exactly the content you are looking for. The search engines would not just search for a phrase, but for what you mean to find by that phrase. In the future, computational linguists could even be able to help in the building of computer systems that learn, or artificial intelligence (University of Zurich).

When one chooses the career of a computational linguist, he devotes himself to a meticulous education. Starting from high school, future computational linguists should take as many foreign language and English classes as possible (University of Virginia). In college, frequently a major in linguistics with some sort of a computational focus is taken along with a minor in computer science (University of Zürich). However, the opposite sometimes holds true as well; a student might take a computer science major and a linguistics minor. Most of the time, one of the subjects is more strongly focused upon. “Generally, computational linguists have a background in [either linguistics or computer science], and develop skills in the other one through additional studies and professional experience.” (Vanallesmeerch). After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree, graduate school is the next step. A masters and then Ph.D. in linguistics or computer science are vital to becoming a successful computational linguist (Columbia University). However, working in the field during school is also a good idea. “[One should] not make a PhD without having some practical experience with language technology in a production environment.” (Vanallesmeerch). The typical total undergraduate to graduate education goes eight to ten years.

Computational linguists have many appealing aspects to their occupation and a great outlook for the future. It is great for people who have talents both in math and in languages. “[A] combined interest in language issues and computer science naturally [leads one] to Computational Linguistics.” (Vanallesmeerch). The salaries range from $60,000 to $80,000 for a starting computational linguist, to up to $130,000 a year for a more experienced linguist (University of Virginia). The job market is excellent. Linguists frequently work in government research labs and large private corporations. Computational linguists can be spotted in such multifarious firms as Microsoft, which often employs linguists for work with Grammar Checkers and Automatic Summarization, the Münich headquartered SailLabs, which develops the machine translation program “Langenscheidts T1” and Caterpillar, which hires linguists for aid in the translation of technical manuals (University of Zürich). Additionally, with increased use of the Internet, many companies are seeking computational linguists to refine search engines (Ball). Overall, the future of computational linguistics looks very bright indeed.

For one looking to find an exciting career while developing new language technologies, computational linguistics is surely a good match. Established for nearly sixty years, it is an occupation that has steadily climbed in importance. Its obligatory rigorous education is not for the weak, however the payoff is more than worth it. Combining linguistics with computer science, it cements together two previously unrelated fields, making for a profound and practical profession. Appealing job benefits compound with highly interesting work to make an upbeat, wonderful new career.

Works Cited

Ball, Catherine. “About Computational Linguistics.” 3 Sept. 1998. Georgetown University. 19 March 2004. <www.georgetown.edu/faculty/ballc/ling361/ling_361_aboutcl.html>

Baucher, Julien. “Computational Linguistics” 19 Apr. 2004. <http://www.harmful.org/homedespot/newtdr/NEWtdrARCHIVE/interviews/linguistics.htm>

Jurafsky, Daniel and James Martin. An Introduction to Natural Language Processing, Computational Linguistics and Speech Recognition. New York: Prentice Hall, 2000.

“Linguists.” University of Virginia. 19 March 2004. <www.ccps.virginia.edu/career_prospects/briefslk0/linguists.html>

Vanallemeersch, Tom. Personal Interview. 29 April 2004

“What is Computational Linguistics.” Columbia University. 18 March 2004. <www.cs.columbia.edu/~radev/nlpfaq.txt>

“What is Computational Linguistics.” University of Zurich. 18 March 2004. <http://www.unizh.ch/cl/CL_Faq.html>