Internship in Natural Language Processing and Machine Translation (OP-20131220-163254) NLP Group, Idiap Research Institute, Martigny, Switzerland Description: Applications are invited for a 6-month internship at the Master level in the field of natural language processing and statistical machine translation. The internship is offered in relation to the Swiss MODERN project (www.idiap.ch/project/modern) aiming at modeling discourse entities and relations for improving MT. The intern will work within the NLP group at the Idiap Research Institute. The goal of the internship is to integrate existing tools for anaphora resolution (in-house and third party ones) with phrase-based SMT models (mainly using the Moses open-source system). Following previous work, the intern will examine whether statistical predictions about the features of target pronouns (gender, number, grammatical function, and others) can be used when training SMT and when translating (decoding) new texts. The intern will implement methods to derive such features, will use the features in an SMT model (e.g. a factored one), and will measure the variation in translation quality. The applicants should have a background in computer science or linguistics, with previous experience in SMT and NLP being a strong advantage. The applicants should have demonstrable programming skills in at least one programming language such as Perl or Python, Java or C/C++. Experience with the Moses system and/or anaphora resolution systems would be a plus. Good command of English is mandatory and knowledge of another European language such as French, German or Dutch would be an advantage. The screening of the applications will start on February 1st, 2014 and will continue until the position is filled. The intended starting date is in spring 2014. The appointment is for 6 months, with a gross internship salary of 2000 CHF per month. Participation in the MODERN project will entail interaction with project partners at the Universities of Zurich, Geneva, and Utrecht. How to apply: Please fill in and submit your application through the Idiap online recruitment system, by clicking on the position's title at http://www.idiap.ch/education-and-jobs. Contact information: Further information about this position can be requested via the Idiap online recruitment system or by contacting Dr. Andrei Popescu-Belis, head of the NLP group. About Idiap: Idiap is an independent, non-profit research institute recognized and supported by the Swiss Government, and affiliated with the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). It is located in the town of Martigny in Valais, a scenic region in the south of Switzerland, surrounded by the highest mountains of Europe, and offering exciting recreational activities, including hiking, climbing and skiing, as well as varied cultural activities. It is within close proximity to Geneva and Lausanne. Although Idiap is located in the French part of Switzerland, English is the working language. Free French lessons are provided. Idiap offers competitive salaries and conditions at all levels in a young, dynamic, and multicultural environment. Idiap is an equal opportunity employer and is actively involved in the "Advancement of Women in Science" European initiative. The Institute seeks to maintain a principle of open competition (on the basis of merit) to appoint the best candidate, provides equal opportunity for all candidates, and equally encourage both genders to apply. Andrei Popescu-Belis