Introducing the Welsh Text Summarisation Dataset and Baseline Systems

TL;DR

This paper introduces the first Welsh text summarization dataset created by native speakers and evaluates baseline summarization systems, providing a resource to advance Welsh NLP and minority language technology.

Contribution

It presents a new Welsh summarization dataset and benchmarks different summarization systems, supporting future research in Welsh NLP.

Findings

Baseline systems established for Welsh summarization

Dataset freely available for research

Benchmark results to guide future improvements

Abstract

Welsh is an official language in Wales and is spoken by an estimated 884,300 people (29.2% of the population of Wales). Despite this status and estimated increase in speaker numbers since the last (2011) census, Welsh remains a minority language undergoing revitalization and promotion by Welsh Government and relevant stakeholders. As part of the effort to increase the availability of Welsh digital technology, this paper introduces the first Welsh summarisation dataset, which we provide freely for research purposes to help advance the work on Welsh text summarization. The dataset was created by Welsh speakers by manually summarising Welsh Wikipedia articles. In addition, the paper discusses the implementation and evaluation of different summarisation systems for Welsh. The summarization systems and results will serve as benchmarks for the development of summarises in other minority language contexts.