British accents frustrate iPhone program

[Hum]

LONDON, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- British iPhone users said a Google voice recognition program developed for the smart phone in the United States does not understand their accents.

The free program, which was designed to translate voice commands into Google searches, was perplexed when users with accents from across England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales attempted a simple search for "iPhone," The Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday.

The newspaper said a man with a Scottish accent was given Google results for "sex" when he first spoke the word "iPhone" while running the program and received results for "sledding" during his second attempt.

A user from England's County of Kent was given results for "my sister" and "Einstein" during the test while a speaker with a Welsh accent caused the phone to search for "gorillas" and "kitchen sink" by speaking the word "iPhone."

Google's Web site for the application stipulates that it is "currently available only in U.S. English."

source

[wellofsouls]

I think the title should more properly be "British accents frustrate Google program", since that's who write the program.

[capr]

title is totally misleading. and this doesn't seem like it's news.... bunch of idiots tried a software that's not designed for them and were frustrated when it didn't work. it's like a blind person being frustrated that they can't see the mouse pointer.... jsut wait a few months and google will eventually support the 500 accents from your little country.

[Hum]

^ This certainly relates to present Technology, and shows it's amusing short-comings. ;)

[MasterC]

title is totally misleading. and this doesn't seem like it's news.... bunch of idiots tried a software that's not designed for them and were frustrated when it didn't work. it's like a blind person being frustrated that they can't see the mouse pointer.... jsut wait a few months and google will eventually support the 500 accents from your little country.

:laugh:

[Panacik]

title is totally misleading. and this doesn't seem like it's news.... bunch of idiots tried a software that's not designed for them and were frustrated when it didn't work. it's like a blind person being frustrated that they can't see the mouse pointer.... jsut wait a few months and google will eventually support the 500 accents from your little country.

Its up to Apple not to make it available for the UK users. This WAS available, thus meaning that it should work for UK users... which it doesnt.

[yeoo_andy_ni]

Try a Northern Irish accent, that'll really mess it up! I've noticed that Brain Training on the DS has problems with my accent, but as soon as I put on a scouse (Liverpool for those who don't know) accent it works fine!

I don't have that strong an accent, but some of the country boys I know would have the thing bouncing down the road as it just wouldn't know how to handle their dialect. For anyone that knows Northern Ireland accents, I'll just say two words - Ballymena Man.

[MightyJordan]

I'm not surprised that it's flummoxed by our accents. I have the same problem with the Live voice recognition thing on my Touch Diamond. Talk like myself, nothing. Talk like a yank, bingo! I never use it, anyway! :D

[macster]

LOL this is funny but its hard to sort out all the accents in this world

[Xerxes]

Same problem in Australia too I believe, it doesn't understand at all :p still it's completely understandable, it was built to understand American English, I'm sure it will be properly localized in due time.

[Panacik]

Try a Northern Irish accent, that'll really mess it up! I've noticed that Brain Training on the DS has problems with my accent, but as soon as I put on a scouse (Liverpool for those who don't know) accent it works fine!

I don't have that strong an accent, but some of the country boys I know would have the thing bouncing down the road as it just wouldn't know how to handle their dialect. For anyone that knows Northern Ireland accents, I'll just say two words - Ballymena Man.

Yeah, brain training does not understand me or my wife. I have a Londonish accent, whereas my wife has a Slovak accent. its strange that it finds mine hard though...

[C++]

Blimey, who do those cheeky Yank buggahs think they ahh?

[wellofsouls]

Its up to Apple not to make it available for the UK users. This WAS available, thus meaning that it should work for UK users... which it doesnt.

it's up to those users to read Google's "stipulation" about this Google program, which they obviously don't.

It's not Apple's problem, at all. Maybe Google should name their application as "voice recog FOR AMERICANS", then those users will (hopefully) read that.

[Panacik]

it's up to those users to read Google's "stipulation" about this Google program, which they obviously don't.

It's not Apple's problem, at all. Maybe Google should name their application as "voice recog FOR AMERICANS", then those users will (hopefully) read that.

Actually it is up to Apple. I have tried to download a few apps through the app store and it has told me i cant because its for US residents only and will only work in the US... This should be no different.

If youa re able to download it, you assume it is capable of working in your location, however that is not correct in this case.

[SinghKing]

What about a freshie indian accent? :D

[Vykranth]

jsut wait a few months and google will eventually support the 500 accents from your little country.

Because there are no difference in accents in the U.S.?

I cannot help but wonder if people from Texas, California or New York have trouble getting that software to work.

[wellofsouls]

Actually it is up to Apple. I have tried to download a few apps through the app store and it has told me i cant because its for US residents only and will only work in the US... This should be no different.

If youa re able to download it, you assume it is capable of working in your location, however that is not correct in this case.

Nope, this IS different. Since in this case this program only works with U.S. English, not only "in the US". It's not like you can't talk like a Yank even if you are living in England, or something. So it'd be wrong to block access to this program outside of US. Apple is not doing anything wrong here. I've known many people outside of US download and use the U.S. English version of Firefox, so does that mean Mozilla should block them to use U.S. Engish outside of US? Nope. the program by Google is capable of working outside of US, as long as you speak U.S. English, and that's what the user should read from the "stipulation". Not Apple's problem at all. It's not up to Apple whether you speak U.S. English in US or outside US. For example, we learn TOEFL and GRE here which are U.S. English, while people in Hongkong learn Cambridge which is British English.

[C++]

It's not like you can't talk like a Yank even if you are living in England, or something.

That is a pretty stupid assumption. American accents are no easier to imitate than any others for those who don't speak that way naturally.

[+M2Ys4U Subscriber¹]

I'm pretty sure the application tells you that it's only trained on en-US voices when you use it for the first time.

[wellofsouls]

That is a pretty stupid assumption. American accents are no easier to imitate than any others for those who don't speak that way naturally.

No easier, and no harder than any others to imitate. And anyway there's no telling who's "speaking that way naturally" in where. You are making the very stupid assumption here to think that someone living in England can't talk like a Yank. The most obvious case is, of course, an American can move to work and live in England. Does that idea never occurred to you :rofl:

And my American English teacher back in college said I somehow have a heavy American accent when speaking English. (And yes, Americans can move to work and live in China too :rolleyes: )

The point is, it'd be wrong for Apple to block the program that works with U.S. English outside of geographical U.S.