We’ve been seeing a constant rise in the use of Arabic online, and Google has just added yet another way to access Arabic web content when you’re on the go.
Thanks to Google, you can now use Voice Search in Arabic on your iOS or Android devices. Because there are so many different dialects in Arabic, Google has provided the option to choose between 10 regional dialects including Egyptian, Lebanese, Bahraini, Palestinian and Qatari, among others.
Developed in-house by Google, the company worked with native speakers all over the region, teaching computers to understand the sounds and words in the Arabic language. The final stages took place in the US, with Google speech scientists refining the speech models that were provided by the native speakers.
Using Google’s speech recognition technology, it’s easier than ever to do a quick Google search in Arabic using nothing more than your voice. Testing the Egyptian dialect, the voice search was almost flawless, and is a huge advantage for Arabic speakers who want to get the most out of voice control features on their phones.
“Google is leading the way in mobile and speech recognition innovation,” said Najeeb Jarrar, MENA Product Marketing Manager. “Our universal search technology makes information accessible to users all over the world and Voice Search in Arabic is an important step in allowing users greater access to these innovations across the MENA region. This new service is just one more way that Google is showcasing the remarkable possibilities of the Internet.”
To try it out for yourself, you can download the Google Voice app from the iTunes store or from the Android Market.
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