News: Google Voice Search adds local languages

Google has announced that its Voice Search functionality, available on certain smartphones, will now operate in Afrikaans and Zulu too.

Voice Search allows users to search the web by simply speaking their queries into their phones offering an alternative, and often easier, way to find information, such as the details of a business or entertainment location. The feature will be available on Android and iPhone devices, including LG’s latest handset, the Optimus One.

“Voice Search uses Google's speech recognition technology to run a search on Google, just as if the query had been typed by hand,” says Julie Taylor, Google communications manager for Sub Saharan Africa. “Voice has always been the most natural way to interact with a phone, since speaking is typically faster than typing. We’re delighted to be launching in three South African languages.”

“We follow a rigorous process to add each new language or dialect,” explains Johan Schalkwyk, senior staff engineer at Google in New York. “We work directly with native language speakers in each country, to develop the specific models which power the service. Here in South Africa, our helpers were asked to read popular queries in English, Zulu and Afrikaans in a variety of acoustic conditions, such as in restaurants, out on busy streets, and inside cars. For each language, we construct a vocabulary of over one million recognisable words. Google now offers Voice Search in 16 languages worldwide.”

Google will be demonstrating Voice Search at its G-South Africa event in Cape Town today, where over seven hundred tech savvy entrepreneurs and developers will gather to discuss the future of web application development, and receive training on Google’s products and online business skills. G-South Africa is the latest in a series of interactive forums and tech days that Google has been holding across Africa this year to promote innovation and business on the continent.

More about Voice Search

How you get started with Google Voice Search depends on what kind of phone you have. If your phone runs Android 2.1 or later, and you have the Quick Search Box installed, all you have to do is tap the microphone icon to start a voice-powered search. iPhone and BlackBerry users who already have the Google Mobile App installed can enable Voice Search by selecting the new languages from the settings panel within the app.

If you have Android 2.1 and you have already installed the Search by Voice application, Voice Search will return recognition results for English, Zulu and Afrikaans if your phone has one of those languages chosen in ‘language and keyboard’ settings.

The Voice Search application for Android phones can be found on Android Market by searching for ‘voice search.’ To get Google Mobile App for iPhone, search for ‘Google Mobile App’ in the App Store or follow this link.

Learn more at http://mobile.google.com and select your country in the footer.

Photo Credit: The New York Times

Google Voice Search adds local languages

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