Mercedes-Benz and its system partners have contracted professional female speakers and one male speaker who lend their voices to the voice-operated control and navigation systems of Mercedes models. For each language, it takes three days to record the words, phrases, numerical sequences and names written on around 100 manuscript pages as the basis for the route guidance and voice operation dialogue.
The system joins thousands of individual recordings together for the dialogue
During the recording work in the studio, each of the well over 1000 "takes" is individually saved and encoded, so that the computer is rapidly able to access the relevant command rapidly as the situation requires, adding other information to it if necessary. It is therefore important for the speakers to use the same intonation throughout, so that the information sounds immediate and natural when the system formulates its responses from various acoustic fragments, e.g. telling the driver where to turn off, which lane to take and which road to choose.
The navigation system "speaks" more than a dozen languages
The specialists at the Mercedes development centre make a fundamental distinction between the voice-operated controls with which the car obeys its driver's every word, so to speak, and the language information used for route guidance. The navigation system in the S-Class "speaks" more than a dozen languages, which are available in the different national versions of the unit. These include Danish, German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Turkish, Russian, US-English, Japanese and Chinese.
When it comes to interacting with drivers and giving them directions, Mercedes-Benz primarily uses female voices. The only exception is Turkey, where drivers prefer to receive directions from a male voice. The "voices of the S-Class" also work for radio stations, synchronise films, do voiceovers for advertising spots, read talking books and perform in theatres.
photo:Mercedes-Benz
The system joins thousands of individual recordings together for the dialogue
During the recording work in the studio, each of the well over 1000 "takes" is individually saved and encoded, so that the computer is rapidly able to access the relevant command rapidly as the situation requires, adding other information to it if necessary. It is therefore important for the speakers to use the same intonation throughout, so that the information sounds immediate and natural when the system formulates its responses from various acoustic fragments, e.g. telling the driver where to turn off, which lane to take and which road to choose.
The navigation system "speaks" more than a dozen languages
The specialists at the Mercedes development centre make a fundamental distinction between the voice-operated controls with which the car obeys its driver's every word, so to speak, and the language information used for route guidance. The navigation system in the S-Class "speaks" more than a dozen languages, which are available in the different national versions of the unit. These include Danish, German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Turkish, Russian, US-English, Japanese and Chinese.
When it comes to interacting with drivers and giving them directions, Mercedes-Benz primarily uses female voices. The only exception is Turkey, where drivers prefer to receive directions from a male voice. The "voices of the S-Class" also work for radio stations, synchronise films, do voiceovers for advertising spots, read talking books and perform in theatres.
photo:Mercedes-Benz