Google Inc.

Vanessa Hodge

Gaurav Garg

Radhika Malpani

Kevin Law

Yun Zhou

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for generating visual media search results are provided. A first visual media search query in a first language is received. One or more bilingual refinements are identified for the first visual media search query. Each bilingual refinement associates an initial query in the first language and a subsequent query in a different second language. The initial query is equivalent to the first visual media search query. The subsequent query is a translation of the initial query in the second language. The subsequent query followed the initial query in a series of queries received from a user in a session. A first bilingual refinement is selected from the one or more bilingual refinements according to a first criterion. A set of visual media search results is generated based on the first search query and the selected first bilingual refinement's associated subsequent search query.

Query translation using bilingual search refinements

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for generating visual media search results are provided. A search query in a first language is received. A plurality of languages are identified. It is determined whether a language should be selected by translating the search query into translated terms in the language, determining a score for each translated term measuring how common the translated term is, and using the scores to determine if the language should be selected. A second language is selected from the plurality of different languages by selecting the considered language if it should be selected and otherwise selecting the second language according to a criterion. A set of one or more search results are generated based on the search query and a translation of the search query into the second language. The results are ordered based on a quality of results statistic for the translated query.

Selecting relevant languages for query translation

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for generating visual media search results are provided. A first search query in a first language and a second search query in a different second language are received. The first search query is a translation of the second search query into the second language. A quality of results statistic for the second search query is obtained. A final search query is created using the first search query, the second search query, and the quality of results statistic. The final search query is sent to a search engine and a final group of visual media search results responsive to the final search query are received from the search engine, where visual media search results in the final group that are responsive to the second visual media search query are assigned a ranking based in part on the quality of result statistic.

Query translation quality confidence

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for validating candidate translations for a phrase. A plurality of candidate translations for a phrase are received. A similarity score for each of the candidate translations is calculated. Each similarity score is an estimate of visual similarity between a group of visual media search results responsive to a visual media search query with text corresponding to the phrase and a group of visual media search results responsive to a visual media search query with text corresponding to a candidate translation. One or more of the candidate translations are selected based on the similarity scores. The selected candidate translations are associated with the phrase as valid translations for the phrase.

Growing community of inventors

San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Vanessa Hodge