Amazon Polly adds Arabic Language - Creative Word

Amazon Polly is a cloud language service which uses 59 voices, in 29 languages, to convert written content into human-like speech. The service added the Arabic language, in the form of ‘Zeina’, an Arabic female-sounding voice, on April 17th 2019.

According to the Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon Polly can be used to help develop applications, which increase the potential for consumer engagement and accessibility. It supports “multiple languages and includes a variety of lifelike voices, so you can build speech-enabled applications that work in multiple locations and use the ideal voice for your customers”.

Common uses for Amazon Polly are mobile application such as, games, e-learning, accessibility apps, and the ever increasing Internet of Things (IoT).
AWS have stated that the ‘Zeina’ voice is “clear and natural-sounding” and can “masters tongue twisters, and it can whisper, just like all other Amazon Polly products”.

Have a listen here, and let us know in the comments what you think!

Although the Arabic language is the 5th most widely spoken language around the globe, used by around 400 million speakers, it is a complex language which consists of around 30 main dialects ranging from the Emirati Arabic dialect or ‘Al Ramsa Al Emaratia’ through to the Lebanese ‘Levantine Arabic’.

The universal form, Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), is the commonly broadcast version across the Arab region, and is the form that ‘Zeina’ speaks.
MSA sounds quite formal and differs from the day-to-day speech used by native Arab speakers, however, it is the most universally understood version worldwide.

Suvo Sarker, senior Executive Vice President and Group Head – Retail Banking & Wealth Management of Emirates NBD, a Middle-Eastern bank which uses the Amazon Polly service to help generate voice services for customers, told AWS that “Emirates NBD has been an early mover in the region in introducing an AI powered virtual assistant, helping customers calling the bank to converse in natural language and access required services quickly. We are now integrating Amazon Polly in English with our automated call centre for its quality and lifelike voice and to further enhance customer interactions, and looking to integrate Amazon Polly in Arabic soon. Such technologies will also help us improve our internal efficiencies while delivering better customer experiences.”

The use of AI in translation has helped make huge advances in language technologies, leading to more accurate machine translation.
However, human translation remains a vital component, especially if high levels of accuracy, quality, and excellence are required.

If you require assistance with Arabic translation or localisation, please contact our experts at Creative Word, where we’ll be more than happy to share our love and knowledge of languages with you.

Did you listen to ‘Zeina’? If so, let us know your opinion in the comments below!