Mozilla Common Voice Adds 16 New Languages and 4,600 New Hours of Speech (foundation.mozilla.org)

Article summary

Mozilla's Common Voice initiative has released a new dataset with 16 new languages and 4,622 new hours of speech, aiming to make voice technology more inclusive. The project relies on contributors donating speech data to a public dataset, which can be used to train voice-enabled technology. The new release includes languages such as Basaa, Kazakh, and Guarani, with English being the top language by total hours. The project has been made possible through a partnership with NVIDIA and a $3.4 million investment from the Gates Foundation, Giz, and FCDO.

Main themes

• Language Inclusivity
• Voice Technology
• Open-Source Initiative
• Language Support
• Digital Divide
• Financial Incentives

What commenters say

• The success of Esperanto in the Common Voice project is attributed to the active community and contributors, rather than its usefulness as a language.
• The lack of support for indigenous languages is a result of systemic neglect by governments and a lack of financial incentives.
• The presence of a nation-state and financial resources can significantly impact the support and development of a language's digital presence.
• The difference in support for languages like Icelandic and Guarani is due to a combination of political and financial factors, rather than just one or the other.
• The idea that financial and political factors are separate is misleading, as money is a form of power and can influence political decisions.
• The Common Voice project is seen as a positive step towards making voice technology more inclusive, but it also highlights the existing inequalities in language support.