Tuning Less, Prompting More: In-Context Preference Learning Pipeline for Natural Language Transformation

Natural language transformation (NLT) tasks, such as machine translation (MT) and text style transfer (TST), require models to generate accurate and contextually appropriate outputs. However, existing approaches face significant challenges, including the computational costs of leveraging large pre-trained models and the limited generalization ability of finetuned smaller models. In this paper, we propose a novel framework that combines the flexibility of prompting with the cost-effectiveness of fine-tuning. Our method enhances smaller models by integrating In-Context Examples (ICE) from retrieval, enabling the model to better capture contextual information and align with userlevel preferences. We further improve performance through hierarchical contrastive learning and dynamic preference inference mechanisms. Experimental results demonstrate that our approach outperforms existing methods, such as Supervised Fine Tuning (SFT), Direct Preference Optimization (DPO), and Contrastive Preference Optimization (CPO), across both MT and TST tasks, providing a more efficient solution for resource-constrained environments.