There is hardly a person who has not at least once found himself in an embarrassing situation, trying to pronounce a foreign phrase in front of the locals. Well, it seems that those times will soon be history. The technology giant Google is preparing a serious upgrade for its Google Translate application, which will turn your smartphone into a personal language instructor, powered by the latest generation of artificial intelligence.
According to the latest data dug up by software enthusiasts at Android Authority, a completely new menu called “Practice“ is hidden in the code of the latest version of the Android application (10.10.37.885563132.3). This functionality will not just translate words into dry text, but will monitor under a magnifying glass how exactly you pronounce them. The idea is simple but ingenious: you hear the correct intonation, press the speak button and try to repeat what you heard as accurately as possible.
This is where the real magic of algorithms comes in. Google Translate won't just nod approvingly, but will analyze each of your syllables. If you "get stuck" in your pronunciation or your voice is unclear, the software will immediately offer you a detailed phonetic transcription to understand exactly where you're wrong. At the end, you'll also receive an overall assessment of your efforts - a kind of digital exam that you can take over and over again until you sound like a native speaker.
Of course, the technique has its quirks. If you're trying to practice in a noisy cafe or in the middle of a busy intersection, the app will politely ask you to find a quieter place so it can "hear" you well. The innovation is currently in a testing period and focuses on the most popular language pairs, such as English and Spanish, but it is only a matter of time before the list grows significantly.