language

Loora, a generative AI app that uses an audio interface to help users learn English, raises $9.25M

The jury is still out on whether AI adoption really will spell the end of humanity as we know it, but in the meantime, we continue to see a boom of AI startups and AI dealmaking. In the latest develop

Google Translate adds 24 new languages, including its first indigenous languages of the Americas

In addition to improving Google Assistant’s ability to communicate with users in a more natural way, Google today announced improvements to its Google Translate service. The company said it&#821

Sayso is launching an API to dial down people’s accents a wee bit

Struggling to understand your heavily accented co-worker? Can’t follow what the customer support person at the other end of the phone is saying? Technology rushes to the rescue. It turns out tha

BoldVoice wants to help nonnative English speakers find (and flaunt) their voices

When Anada Lakra and Ilya Usorov first moved to the United States, they struggled to find their voices. They both knew and understood English, but when it came time to speak up, their accents became a

Docugami’s new model for understanding documents cuts its teeth on NASA archives

You hear so much about data these days that you might forget that a huge amount of the world runs on documents: a veritable menagerie of heterogeneous files and formats holding enormous value yet inco

Discover how Duolingo started with CEO Luis von Ahn at Disrupt 2021

Before Luis von Ahn co-founded Duolingo, a gamified language-learning app used by hundreds of millions around the world, he was fixated on squiggly letters. The entrepreneur was a co-inventor of CAPTC

CMU researchers develop an automatic politeness engine for text-based communications

If you’re a typically terse communicator who could probably benefit from a little more civility in your everyday communications, a new Carnegie Mellon University research project could be the an

Microsoft adds Māori to translator as New Zealand pushes to revitalize the language

The benefits of machine translation are easy to see and experience for ourselves, but those practical applications are only one part of what makes the technology valuable. Microsoft and the government

Google Search now helps you pronounce ‘quokka’

Google is adding a nifty new feature to its search results when you look for the pronunciation of words. You’ll now be able to not just hear the correct pronunciation, but you can also now pract

Amazon launches multilingual mode for using Alexa in multiple languages at once

Amazon is launching multilingual mode for its Alexa-supporting devices, the company announced today at its Devices event in Seattle. The new multilingual mode will initially be available in the U.S.,

Grammarly gets a tone detector to keep you out of email trouble

In recent months, Grammarly started expanding beyond its core grammar and spellchecking tools by adding features like a more detailed clarity score, for example. Today, it’s expanding on this w

Grammarly goes beyond grammar

Grammarly, the popular grammar and spellcheck tool, is launching a significant update to its browser extensions, web app and native desktop apps today. In its early days, Grammarly was all about the m

With iOS 13, Apple delivers new features to court users in India

Apple has finally listened to its small, but slowly growing user base in India. The iPhone-maker today announced a range of features in iOS 13 that are designed to appease users in the world’s seco

Microsoft’s new language learning app uses your phone’s camera and computer vision to teach vocabulary

Eight Microsoft interns have developed a new language learning tool that uses the smartphone camera to help adults improve their English literacy by learning the words for the things around them. The

RIP “crypto”

RIP “crypto”. You had a good run. This week veteran cryptographer Matt Blaze, finally gave in — to what must have been a near-constant, low-level drone of ‘CAn Buy Crypto.com??

The Cambridge Analytica Debacle is not a Facebook “Data Breach.” Maybe It Should Be.

Ido Kilovaty Contributor Share on X Ido Kilovaty is a Cyber Fellow at the Center for Global Legal Challenges and Resident Fellow at the Information Society Project, Yale Law School. More posts by this

Tech4Reporters pitches a new hub for journalists to connect with tech experts

Technology reporting has become a function of every single major news beat these days. It's increasingly important that reporters get a good grounding in the technology that's transforming their beats

Flitto’s language data helps machine translation systems get more accurate

Artificial intelligence-powered translation is becoming an increasingly crowded category, with Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook all working on their own services. But tech still isn’t a match

Blue Canoe takes on language learning with a focus on pronunciation

If you want to pick up a new language, there's no shortage of options. But one aspect of the process that has been neglected is pronunciation, which is especially important for professionals. Online,

English teaching service VIPKID raises $200M and reportedly hits a $1.5B valuation

VIPKID, an online English teaching tool, announced today that it has raised $200 million in financing. That financing round values the company at $1.5 billion, according to a report by Bloomberg. Tha
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