Philips software recognizes 35 languages

Philips, the global market leader in fully automated speech-driven directory assistance applications, announced recently that its speech recognition technology can now recognize 35 languages and accents and more than one million words in real-time without delay.

This latest technological advancement further extends the capabilities of speech-driven applications worldwide. Soon, people do not have to write notes on their PDAs. Notes, like "meeting with boss at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning" or "call Angelo at his office this afternoon" can easily be activated using the user’s voice, language, and accent. Dialing a number can likewise be fully voice-activated.

Philips speech recognition technology has been applied in telephony, particularly in its mobile phones, for voice navigation, voice shortcuts, name dialing, digit dialing, natural number dialing, and address book management, and lately, voice to WAP (browser) and voice memo. The voice to WAP and voice memo features are now standard in Philips’ new phone models.

In the last few years, the global demand for directory assistance systems has increased, creating the need for more extended vocabulary capabilities. The current typical directory assistance service today prompts the caller for name and address, then searches the databate, and provides the telephone number and, if desired, connects the caller.

Up until now, most systems would request first name and last name in separate steps.