Irish technology company SoapBox Labs has partnered with language platform Lingumi to brings its speech recognition software to Lingumi’s app.
The SoapBox technology provides automated pronunciation assessment for children using the app to learn English. The app “listens” to the child carry out spoken tasks, and assesses fluency and pronunciation, giving immediate feedback.
"The team here at SoapBox Labs are big fans of Lingumi's highly engaging and innovative approach to English language learning for young children, so our partnership with them really represents a meeting of minds and of missions," said SoapBox Labs chief executive Dr Patricia Scanlon. "By integrating the SoapBox API, Lingumi can now assess and track the English speaking progress of thousands of children every day, motivate them to accelerate their learning, and provide feedback to their parents, all in a scalable and cost effective way."
The Irish company’s speech recognition technology is built with younger children in mind, and has been used for assessment for literacy and language learning, along with interactive voice features in toys and other home devices.
Chief executive of Lingumi Toby Mather said the move was a huge step for the company. "At Lingumi we're developing the first genuinely effective English teaching platform for pre-school children, providing a foundation in English for non-English speakers before they reach primary school," he said. "Today's partnership with SoapBox Labs means we can integrate automated assessments of spoken language into our sophisticated assessment engine, which is a huge step forward in the value we bring to our young learners and their families."
