Multilingual Software Research Articles

How Are Multilingual Systems Constructed: Characterizing Language Use and Selection in Open-Source Multilingual Software

For many years now, modern software is known to be developed in multiple languages (hence termed as multilingual or multi-language software). Yet, to date, we still only have very limited knowledge about how multilingual software systems are constructed. For instance, it is not yet really clear how different languages are used, selected together, and why they have been so in multilingual software development. Given the fact that using multiple languages in a single software project has become a norm, understanding language use and selection (i.e., language profile ) as a basic element of the multilingual construction in contemporary software engineering is an essential first step. In this article, we set out to fill this gap with a large-scale characterization study on language use and selection in open-source multilingual software. We start with presenting an updated overview of language use in 7,113 GitHub projects spanning the 5 past years by characterizing overall statistics of language profiles, followed by a deeper look into the functionality relevance/justification of language selection in these projects through association rule mining. We proceed with an evolutionary characterization of 1,000 GitHub projects for each of the 10 past years to provide a longitudinal view of how language use and selection have changed over the years, as well as how the association between functionality and language selection has been evolving. Among many other findings, our study revealed a growing trend of using three to five languages in one multilingual software project and the noticeable stableness of top language selections. We found a non-trivial association between language selection and certain functionality domains, which was less stable than that with individual languages over time. In a historical context, we also have observed major shifts in these characteristics of multilingual systems both in contrast to earlier peer studies and along the evolutionary timeline. Our findings offer essential knowledge on the multilingual construction in modern software development. Based on our results, we also provide insights and actionable suggestions for both researchers and developers of multilingual systems.

Pragmatic evidence of cross-language link detection: A systematic literature review

There is a rising trend for heterogeneous software applications involving multilingual source code. The key focus of reverse engineers is to unravel the cross-language links (XLLs) and their dependencies. This study aims to perform a systematic literature review (SLR) to compile different approaches, tools, techniques, and shortcomings of such techniques and understand the XLLs and their dependencies while performing reverse engineering on state-of-the-art software applications. This SLR selects 76 primary studies and uses them to create a ’go-to’ literature database, where professionals from software engineering could find all the content pertinent to the analysis and XLL detection for major multilingual applications like Java enterprise applications, Android applications, etc. It has been observed that traditional source code analysis mechanisms to reverse engineer contemporary software applications face scores of problems and limitations that need to be addressed. To assist the community in the above-mentioned goal, a general schema with definitions of XLLs and associated concepts is furnished. This study provides an SLR on XLLs, comprehensive taxonomy called cross-language analysis, which incorporates all the methods for XLL detection in multilingual source code. By pursuing future directions suggested in the end, researchers and practitioners can advance the field of multilingual applications; such as Enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions, and cross-language software corpora, leading to improved software development practices and better understanding of language interactions in multilingual environments. The research data provided in the survey presents a comprehensive analysis of the complexities involved in working with diverse programming languages and frameworks, offering valuable insights for language technology researchers, software developers, academics, and decision-makers. This integration will enable them to identify and manage dependencies across diverse languages, leading to more efficient and reliable multilingual software systems.

An ID-Associated Application to Facilitate Patient-Tailored Management of Multiple Sclerosis.

Despite improvements in diagnosis and treatment, multiple sclerosis (MS) is the leading neurological cause of disability in young adults. As a chronic disease, MS requires complex and challenging management. In this context, eHealth has gained an increasing relevance. Here, we aim to summarize beneficial features of a mobile app recently implemented in clinical MS routine as well as beyond MS. PatientConcept is a CE-certified, ID-associated multilingual software application allowing patients to record relevant health data without disclosing any identifying data. Patients can voluntarily share their health data with selected physicians. Since its implementation in 2018, about 3000 MS patients have used PatientConcept. Initially developed as a physician–patient communication platform, the app maps risk management plans of all current disease modifying therapies and thereby facilitates adherence to specified monitoring appointments. It also allows continuous monitoring of various PROs (Patient Reported Outcomes), enabling a broad overview of the disease course. In addition, various studies/projects currently assess monitoring, follow-up, diagnostics and telemetric evaluations of patients with other diseases beyond MS. Altogether, PatientConcept offers a broad range of possibilities to support physician–patient communication, implementation of risk management plans and assessment of PROs. It is a promising tool to facilitate patient-tailored management of MS and other chronic diseases.

Biologer: an open platform for collecting biodiversity data.

BackgroundWe have developed a new platform named "Biologer" intended for recording species observations in the field (but also from literature resources and collections). The platform is created as user-friendly, open source, multilingual software that is compatible with Darwin Core standard and accompanied by a simple Android application. It is made from the user’s perspective, allowing everyone to choose how they share the data. Project team members are delegated by involved organisations. The team is responsible for development of the platform, while local Biologer communities are engaged in data collection and verification.New informationBiologer has been online and available for use in Serbia since 2018 and was soon adopted in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In total, we have assembled 536 users, who have collected 163,843 species observation records data from the field and digitalised 33,458 literature records. The number of active users and their records is growing daily. Out of the total number of gathered data, 89% has been made open access by the users, 10% is accessible on the scale of 10×10 km and only 1% is closed. In the future, we plan to provide a taxonomic data portal that could be used by local and national initiatives in Eastern Europe, aggregate all data into a single web location, create detailed data overview and enable fluent communication between users.

An Unsupervised Smart App-Optimized HIV Self-Testing Program in Montreal, Canada: Cross-Sectional Study.

BackgroundAlthough HIV self-testing strategies have been recommended by the World Health Organization, HIV self-tests are not yet approved in Canada. Currently approved HIV self-tests offer toll-free lines that are insufficient for initiating expedited linkages to counseling and care, accurate interpretation, and support during HIV self-testing. We developed an innovative, multilingual software app called HIVSmart! to plug these gaps.ObjectiveThis study aimed to test our app-optimized oral HIV self-testing strategy for feasibility in men who have sex with men (MSM) who presented to test at a large sexual health clinic (Clinique Médicale L’Actuel) in Montreal.MethodsBetween July 2016 and February 2017, we offered a strategy consisting of the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test (an investigational device) and a tablet installed with the HIVSmart! app to study participants, who presented at a private office in the clinic, mimicking an unsupervised home environment. We evaluated the strategy for its feasibility, acceptability, and preference. Using the HIVSmart! app, participants were guided through the self-testing process. We determined feasibility with a metric defined as the completion rate, which consisted of the following 3 steps: (1) self-test conduct; (2) self-test interpretation; and (3) linkages to care. Participants independently performed, interpreted, recorded their self-test and result, engaged in pre- and posttest counseling, and sought linkages to care. Laboratory tests (p24, Western Blot, and RNA), as per country algorithms, were expedited, and linkages based on the rapid test status were arranged.ResultsMean age of the 451 participants enrolled was 34 (range, 18-73) years. Of all participants, 97.1% (438/451) completed and submitted the survey through the HIVSmart! app. In total, 84.7% (371/438) of the participants were well educated (beyond high school) and 52.5% (230/438) had been tested within the past 6 months. Of the 451, 11.5% (52/451) were on pre-exposure prophylaxis. Feasibility (completion rate), an average proportion of the 3 steps, was computed to be 96.6% (419/451). The acceptability of the strategy was high at 98.5% (451/458). A majority of the participants (448/451, 99.3%) were found to be self-tested and lab-confirmed negative and were counseled after self- and rapid tests. In total, 0.7% (3/451) of the participants who self-tested positive and were lab-confirmed positive were linked to a physician within the same day. Furthermore, 98.8% (417/422) of the participants found the app to be useful and 94.0% (424/451) were willing to recommend it to a friend or partner.ConclusionsThe HIVSmart! app-optimized strategy was feasible, accepted, and preferred by an educated, urban MSM population of Montreal. With the app, participants were able to perform, interpret, store results, and get rapidly linked to care. The HIVSmart!-optimized, self-testing strategy could be adapted and contextualized to many at-risk populations within Canada and worldwide, thereby maximizing its public health impact.

Mantle: A free and multilingual software for one health biosurveillance & research

Mantle: A free and multilingual software for one health biosurveillance & research

WIT: Weka interface translator

Advancement in technology turns the big world into one small village. Regardless of what country you are living in, what language you are speaking or understanding, you should be able to benefit from the accumulated knowledge available on the Internet. Unfortunately, this is not the case with English being the de facto language of most programming languages, services, tools and web content. Many users are blocked from using these tools and services because they do not speak or understand English. Multilingual software evolved as a solution to this dilemma. In this paper, we describe the design and implementation of a user-friendly toolkit named Weka interface translator (WIT). It is dedicated to internationalize Weka, which is a collection of machine learning algorithms for data mining tasks widely used by many researchers around the world. WIT is a collaboration project between the Arabic natural language processing team from the University of Jordan and Weka's development team from the University of Waikato. Its main goal is to facilitate the translation process of Weka's interfaces into multi-languages. WIT is downloadable through SourceForge.net and is officially listed on Weka's wiki spaces among its related projects. To experiment with WIT, we present Arabic as a pilot test among many languages that could benefit from this project.

A software application for mapping livestock waste odour dispersion

In developed Countries, coexistence of livestock production and urban settlements is a source of problematic interactions that are regulated by specific legislation, often requiring the evaluation of the potential environmental impact of livestock odour emissions. For this purpose, dispersion models are powerful tools that can be classified as dynamic (Eulerian and Lagrangian) or static (Gaussian). The latter, while presenting some limitations in condition of wind calm and complex orography, are widely adopted for their ease of use.OdiGauss is a free multilingual software application allowing to estimate odour dispersion from multiple point sources and to generate the related maps. Dispersion is calculated according to a Gaussian approach, as a function of wind speed and direction, precipitation, temperature, and solar radiation. OdiGauss incorporates a model of odour emissions from poultry farms (EmiFarm) which makes predictions based on manure production and management. Two case studies of software application on real poultry and swine farms are presented.

Collaborative concept mapping activities in a classroom scenario

The aim of this study is to test collaborative concept mapping activities using computers in a classroom scenario and to evaluate the possibilities that Elkar-CM offers for collaboratively learning non-technical topics. Elkar-CM is a multi-lingual and multi-media software program designed for drawing concept maps (CMs) collaboratively. Concept mapping is a widely accepted technique that promotes meaningful learning. Graphically representing concepts of the learning domain and relationships between them helps students integrate new knowledge into their current cognitive structure. This study was carried out with Social Education degree students at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). The experiment included two learning activities. First, all students collaboratively constructed in the classroom a CM on the subject of Moral Development. Second, students were organised into groups to complete the CM generated in the first part.

Jinn

Programming language specifications mandate static and dynamic analyses to preclude syntactic and semantic errors. Although individual languages are usually well-specified, composing languages is not, and this poor specification is a source of many errors in multilingual programs. For example, virtually all Java programs compose Java and C using the Java Native Interface (JNI). Since JNI is informally specified, developers have difficulty using it correctly, and current Java compilers and virtual machines (VMs) inconsistently check only a subset of JNI constraints. This paper's most significant contribution is to show how to synthesize dynamic analyses from state machines to detect foreign function interface (FFI) violations. We identify three classes of FFI constraints encoded by eleven state machines that capture thousands of JNI and Python/C FFI rules. We use a mapping function to specify which state machines, transitions, and program entities (threads, objects, references) to check at each FFI call and return. From this function, we synthesize a context-specific dynamic analysis to find FFI bugs. We build bug detection tools for JNI and Python/C using this approach. For JNI, we dynamically and transparently interpose the analysis on Java and C language transitions through the JVM tools interface. The resulting tool, called Jinn, is compiler and virtual machine independent . It detects and diagnoses a wide variety of FFI bugs that other tools miss. This approach greatly reduces the annotation burden by exploiting common FFI constraints: whereas the generated Jinn code is 22,000+ lines, we wrote only 1,400 lines of state machine and mapping code. Overall, this paper lays the foundation for a more principled approach to developing correct multilingual software and a more concise and automated approach to FFI specification.

Checking type safety of foreign function calls

Foreign function interfaces (FFIs) allow components in different languages to communicate directly with each other. While FFIs are useful, they often require writing tricky low-level code and include little or no static safety checking, thus providing a rich source of hard-to-find programming errors. In this article, we study the problem of enforcing type safety across the OCaml-to-C FFI and the Java Native Interface (JNI). We present O-Saffire and J-Saffire, a pair of multilingual type inference systems that ensure C code that uses these FFIs accesses high-level data safely. Our inference systems userepresentational typesto model C's low-level view of OCaml and Java values, and singleton types to track integers, strings, memory offsets, and type tags through C. J-Saffire, our Java system, uses a polymorphic flow-insensitive, unification-based analysis. Polymorphism is important because it allows us to precisely model user-defined wrapper functions and the more than 200 JNI functions. O-Saffire, our OCaml system, uses a monomorphic flow-sensitive analysis because, while polymorphism is much less important for the OCaml FFI flow-sensitivity is critical to track conditional branches, which are used when pattern matching OCaml data in C. O-Saffire also tracks garbage collection information to ensure that local C pointers to the OCaml heap are registered properly, which is not necessary for the JNI. We have applied O-Saffire and J-Saffire to a set of benchmarks and found many bugs and questionable coding practices. These results suggest that static checking of FFIs can be a valuable tool in writing correct multilingual software.

Reasoning About Multi-Lingual Exception Handling Using RIPLS

Building multi-lingual software is a practical necessity. At present, with object-oriented programming the dominant paradigm, it is common to assemble software systems comprising components written in at least two different object-oriented languages. Modern object-oriented languages provide exception handling mechanisms as a means of enriching the signatures of methods with a specification of what to do if the method “fails”, i.e., cannot carry out its intended (normal) function for some reason. Indeed, Java and C++ (and many other object-oriented languages, including C#) have remarkably similar exception handling mechanisms. As we demonstrate, however, those exception handling mechanisms do not necessarily interoperate smoothly when used in multi-lingual software systems.We believe that our long-term goal of maximally effortless and error-free multi-lingual programming requires automated tools that are based on solid formal foundations. Toward that end, we have developed a formal language, which we call RIPLS, that can be used to rigorously study properties of multi-lingual software. In this paper, we demonstrate RIPLS and our approach by using it to study exception handling in multilingual object-oriented systems, and show how use of our methods can identify problems that standard techniques cannot. We then exhibit a correctly-working version of multi-lingual exception-handling and use our methods to confirm its correctness. Finally we discuss how experience with these RIPLS-based methods has informed our designs for automated tools that will implement correctly-working multi-lingual exception handling.This work makes a significant contribution by demonstrating that formal, theoretical foundations can be used to solve practical problems in multi-lingual software development.

Perl Scripting in Translation Project Management

The field of translation in general and of technical translation in particular has become increasingly dependent on the use of various electronic tools. Computer assisted translation uses specialized applications that partly automate the production of multilingual software and documentation. However, for some needs these applications are not flexible enough. In these situations programming becomes indispensable. Scripting programming languages such as Perl provide a perfect platform for rapid solution of specific, short-term problems in a fully customizable way.

Multilingual natural language generation for multilingual software: A functional linguistic approach

In this paper we present an implemented account of multilingual linguistic resources for multilingual text generation that improves significantly on the degree of reuse of resources both across languages and across applications. We argue that this is a necessary step for multilingual generation in order to reduce the high cost of constructing linguistic resources and to make natural language generation relevant for a wider range of applications particularly, in this paper, for multilingual software and user interfaces. We begin by contrasting a weak and a strong approach to multilinguality in the state of the art in multilingual text generation. Neither approach has provided sufficient principles for organizing multilingual work. We then introduce our framework , where multilingual variation is included as an intrinsic feature of all levels of representation. We provide an example of multilingual tactical generation using this approach and discuss some of the performance, maintenance, and development issues that arise.

Quince años de traducción automática en españa

Machine translation is fifteen years old in Spain. Research has gone through three major stages. In 1985 a sudden outbreak of interest appeared in Spain as three transnational companies and the European Community funded the creation of several research groups. Paradoxically, 1992, which was a widely celebrated year in Spain (owing to the 5th centennial of the discovery of America and the Olympic Games held in Barcelona), marked the end of that dynamic period. At this point the methods and aims of the field were reconsidered and funding was dramatically cut. Since 1995, the growing globalization of the economy, the boom of Internet and the demand for multilingual documentation and software has renewed the interest in translation technology.

Glossary-Based MT Engines in a Multilingual Analyst‘s Workstation Architecture

Fast access to information in different languages is still a major problem for many organizations. We have built a multilingual analyst‘s workstation integrated in the Tipster document management toolkit. The analyst workstation offers to an English-speaking analyst a variety of tools to browse sets of documents in Arabic, Japanese, Spanish and Russian, including a Unicode-based multilingual editor, and a simple machine translation functionality. The Temple project has developed an open multilingual architecture and software support for rapid development of extensible machine translation functionalities. The targeted languages are those for which natural language processing and human resources are scarce or difficult to obtain. The goal is to support rapid development of machine translation functionalities in a very short time with limited resources. Glossary-based machine-translation (GBMT) is used to provide an English gloss of a foreign document. A GBMT system uses a bilingual phrasal dictionary (glossary) to produce a phrase-by-phrase translation. Translation (based on phrase pattern-matching) is fast and accurate regarding the content of the document and browsed documents can be translated almost in real-time. A GBMT system for a language pair is also extremely simple, cheap and fast to develop. Moreover, all language resources used by the system are entirely under the control of the user.

DIR/SEE

Building a practical, cost-effective multilingual software engineering environment requires a well factored architecture which allows substantial code reuse during implementation. Object-oriented technology provides the facilities required to achieve this. DIR/SEE is a prototype for a Smalltalk based environment designed to support new applications written in Smalltalk and Ada, as well as existing software ("legacies") written in other languages such as C, CMS II and assembler. It provides team programming support, full version and configuration management, and a network-based software repository. The key components of the DIR/SEE, including those which represent tools and program units for other languages, are all Smalltalk objects. Consequently they have well-defined interfaces and realize a high level of software reuse through inheritance, without sacrificing the flexibility and tight integration which Smalltalk users expect.

Multilingual software engineering using Ada and C

The technique necessary to interface one software language with another is not clearly defined. The significant increase in the size and complexity of embedded systems and the time and cost constraints imposed by both government and the market place require that software engineers develop a better understanding of the problems of multilingual software implementation.This paper focuses on the technique necessary to successfully interface the Ada* language with the C language in homogeneous or embedded computer systems. These two languages should dominate the software development arena for at least the next decade: Ada, because it is mandated by Federal law to be used in all Department of Defense contracts which require software, and C because it is the implementation language of choice for the vast majority of commercial off-the-shelf software systems.

Multilingual aspects of a multimedia database of learning materials

Abstract This article presents a summary of approaches to the development of multilingual software and relevant multicultural issues. It gives a definition of multilinguality and moves on to present a framework for a multilingual database of learning materials. In this context, a general specification of multilingual aspects of a browser system are presented. In addition, the article considers the multicultural aspects of a database of learning materials. A number of problems are identified which need to be dealt with in this context.