How computers translate human language - Ioannis Papachimonas

Is a universal translator possible in real life? We already have many programs that claim to be able to take a word, sentence, or entire book in one language and translate it into almost any other. The reality, however, is a bit more complicated. Ioannis Papachimonas shows how these machine translators work, and explains why they often get a bit mixed up. 

Lesson by Ioannis Papachimonas, animation by NOWAY Video Club.
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-compute...