Dictionaries

Definition

The kinds and number of dictionaries available. In this context, dictionary is assumed to be equivalent to the term lexicon. In MT systems, the term tends to be used interchangeably. Another assumption is that the lexicon carries more information than a standard wordlist or glossary, to include grammar information. Finally, machine translation engines tend to have a general dictionary and other specialized vocabulary dictionaries. Frequently, these user-customized lexicons are called customer specific dictionaries contributing to the confusion between the terms.

Metrics

Metric: Kinds of dictionaries available -- Method: List of dictionaries provided by developer -- Measurement: List of dictionaries

Metric: Number of dictionaries available -- Method: Count number of dictionaries in list -- Measurement: Number of dictionaries available

Metric: Format of the dictionary entries -- Method: Examine developer documentation -- Measurement: Yes or no: Is the dictionary in a standard format? -- NOTE: A deeper discussion of dictionary formatting, getting new entries into the system, etc., occurs in the ease of update sections.

References

Notes

For metrics related to ease of dictionary update, see sections 2.1.3.4 / 2.2.5.2.