Revolutionary Speech Recognition System to be Adapted to Catalan
By ErinRose Widner - Thursday, June 19, 2008
Revolutionary Speech Recognition System to be Adapted to Catalan
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SDI Media Group
Joins Forces with Fundacio Terra to Collect a Wide Representation of
Catalan Voices to Help the Environment |
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CATALUNYA, Barcelona. - 19, June, 2008-
(PRAvenueNW) SDI Media Group, the world’s leading multimedia localization company
today launched a special project to raise Catalan speech recognition
technology to a whole new level, and in the process, help benefit
Fundacio Terra. This groundbreaking initiative offers Catalan, Valencian,
and Balearic citizens a unique opportunity not only to spur
technological innovation but also to raise environmental awareness.
Rewarded cooperation
More than 2000 male and female voice samples are necessary to adapt
Microsoft’s speech recognition technology to the Catalan, Valencian, and
Balearic languages. The collection of voice data recordings is done over
the phone and people interested in participating can sign up at
www.festesentir.com. If
eligible, each participant will be able to place two phone calls to one
of the provided toll-free numbers. By successfully completing these two
calls, each participant will be awarded €20, which they can either keep
or instantly donate to Fundacio Terra, one of Cataluna’s most respected
non-profit organizations.
Speech recognition technology converts spoken words into computer
commands. “This exciting technology with applications in a wide range of
fields, from job training to health care, will be pivotal in improving
the lives of people with certain disabilities as it empowers users to
interact with computer systems by voice alone,” said Brad Crystal,
Senior Vice President and General Manager of Corporate Multimedia for
SDI Media Group.
“We are delighted to be working with Microsoft to help advance the state
of the art in speech recognition technology, which will ultimately
benefit consumers, businesses, and government agencies worldwide,” said
Crystal.
“We are facing a big challenge as we only have one month to produce the
2000 voice samples, but Catalan, Valencian, and Balearic citizens are
very engaged with their community and I am confident that by the end of
June we will have met our goal,” said Crystal. “By becoming an active
participant in the development of this technology, participants will be
doing something that not only benefits them as individuals, but will
also have a positive impact on society.”
Since 1936, considerable effort has been made to develop speech
recognition technology for English-language use. However, development
for the Catalan, Valencian, and Balaeric languages has not been as
extensive. This project will play a significant part in addressing that
imbalance, with the goal of enabling Catalan, Valencian, and Balearic
speakers to experience new ways of interacting with technology.
For more information about this project, visit the website at
www.festesentir.com/ecoterra
Notes to Editors
About Fundacio Terra
Fundacio Terra is one of Cataluna's premier nonprofit environmental
organizations.
Headquarted in Barcelona, Fundacio Terra has been providing information
on legislative, technical, environmental, health, and consumer issues
since 1994.
Fundacio Terra uses the power of awareness to protect our environment.
By making knowledge readily available to the Catalan community through
the publication of a series of Environmental Education & Management
Guides both in Catalan and Spanish, Fundacio Terra has been able to
promote the usage of alternative energy sources, while encouraging the
community to embrace a new socio-ecological ethic.
For more information about Fundacio Terra, visit the website
www.ecoterra.org.
About SDI Media Group
SDI Media Group is headquartered in Los Angeles and counts the world’s
leading media and entertainment companies among its extensive client
list. SDI is the only company of its kind with subtitling and dubbing
operations in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, operating in 29 countries
worldwide including regional hubs in London, Copenhagen, Mexico City,
and Hong Kong. SDI Media translates movies, TV shows, interactive
games, and other multimedia content in more than 60 languages.
For more information about SDI Media Group, visit the website at
www.sdimediagroup.com
Versión lingüística de Cataluña
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