Digital Content Language Adaptation via Word Embedding Substitution

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users with low language proficiency face difficulties in understanding digital content, such as books and audio materials, due to advanced language usage, leading to consumption delays and the need for reference resources, which disrupts the reading or listening experience.

Innovation Solution

A computer-implemented method that adjusts digital content by identifying troublesome words based on consumption delays and replacing them with simpler alternatives using natural language processing (NLP) algorithms, ensuring the content aligns with the user's language proficiency level.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If digital content uses advanced language to convey complex messages, then the depth of information is improved, but the comprehension difficulty increases for users with low language proficiency

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedepth of informationVSAvoidcomprehension difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically changes the language difficulty parameter of digital content by replacing troublesome words with simpler alternatives. Word embeddings are used to identify and substitute complex words while preserving the core meaning, thus maintaining information depth while reducing comprehension difficulty for users with lower language proficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary processing layer that analyzes user consumption behavior and automatically adjusts language difficulty. This intermediary mechanism mediates between the original complex content and the user's comprehension ability, providing personalized language adaptation without requiring users to manually adjust settings

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If users consult reference resources to understand difficult words, then comprehension accuracy is improved, but the reading flow is disrupted

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecomprehension accuracyVSAvoidreading flow
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary language adaptation by proactively replacing troublesome words with simpler alternatives before users encounter them during reading. By anticipating comprehension difficulties based on consumption delay detection, the system eliminates the need for users to consult reference resources, thereby maintaining reading flow while ensuring comprehension accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of operation

If the system replaces troublesome words with simpler alternatives, then comprehension ease is improved, but the original meaning may be lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecomprehension easeVSAvoidoriginal meaning
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses word embedding similarity as a feedback mechanism to ensure that replacement words maintain the original meaning. By calculating and comparing embeddings of original and replacement words, the system provides quantitative feedback on semantic preservation, allowing it to select replacements that are both simpler and semantically equivalent

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the difficulty parameter of words while preserving the semantic parameter through controlled substitution. Word embeddings enable the system to identify replacements that match on semantic similarity while differing in difficulty level, thus achieving comprehension ease without losing original meaning

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS11893899B2Cognitive analysis of digital content for adjustment based on language proficiency level
Publication Date: 2024.02.06 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION
  • US11893899B2 patent drawing
  • US11893899B2 patent drawing
  • US11893899B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A computer adjusts digital content to match a user language proficiency level. The computer receives digital content including words and monitors word consumption activity of a user. The computer identifies troublesome words associated with content consumption delays and establishing a user language proficiency level based on a difficulty value associated with said troublesome words. The computer identifies content words having difficulty level above the language proficiency level. The computer identifies from a word corpus, exchange candidate words having a difficulty level equal to or below said language proficiency level. The computer generates using a natural language processing (NLP) algorithm, word embeddings for said target words and said exchange candidate words. The computer selects from the exchange candidate words, replacement words having word embeddings substantially the same as the word embeddings of said target words. The computer adjusts content by replacing the target words with the replacement words.