In-class activity: what's hard about analysis, generation, translation

In a group of three or four people, pick one of the following texts to discuss. For each of the high-level task types, analysis, generation, and translation, consider the following points.

What is a useful specific task that a system might be asked to perform with the text as input or output?
What would be the difficulties involved in designing a system to perform that task?

Text 1

From the English Wikipedia article on Drinking Water.

Parameters for drinking water quality typically fall under two categories: chemical/physical and microbiological. Chemical/physical parameters include heavy metals, trace organic compounds, total suspended solids (TSS), and turbidity. Microbiological parameters include Coliform bacteria, E. coli, and specific pathogenic species of bacteria (such as cholera-causing Vibrio cholerae), viruses, and protozoan parasites.

Chemical parameters tend to pose more of a chronic health risk through buildup of heavy metals although some components like nitrates/nitrites and arsenic may have a more immediate impact. Physical parameters affect the aesthetics and taste of the drinking water and may complicate the removal of microbial pathogens.

Text 2

From a news article on the website of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

An Indonesian volcano that was quiet for four centuries shot a new, powerful burst of hot ash more than three kilometres in the air Friday, sending frightened residents fleeing to safety for the second time this week.

The force of the eruption — the strongest so far — could be felt eight kilometres from the volcano in the North Sumatra province.

"This was a big one," said 37-year-old Anto Sembiring, still shaken after abandoning his coffee shop in the middle of the danger zone. "We all ran as fast as we could. ... Everyone was panicking."

Text 3

From a review of the Argentine movie Son of the Bride (El Hijo de la Novia) on IMDb.

This is a very good film from Argentina. It would be a shame if more people fail to see this beautiful tale set in the Buenos Aires of the beginning of the century when times were better and the porteños felt on top of the world.

Director Juan Jose Campanella knows these people. He is really on their side, for they have struggled all their lives to get the family restaurant to be successful. The son, Rafael, has problems making ends meet and his life is a mess. Not only does his whole world come crashing down around him, but he cannot cope with the only person that really loves him for what he is, Naty.

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