Last August, I published Google Unveils Two Language Tools – One Can Be Very Helpful, The Other Not So Much.
In it, I first shared about the Google Translate “Live Translate” feature, which is an incredibly useful simultaneous translation ability.
The second new feature was a “Practice” tool using AI to teach any language of your choice. That was okay but, for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why they didn’t include assessing your pronunciation.
Well, the finally added that ability today.
You can read about it at Tech Crunch’s post, Google Translate now lets you practice pronunciation, and at Google’s tweet below:
It didn’t work for me exactly like Google’s video shows. I had to click on the sound icon next to the phrase in the language I was translating the words into, and then a “Say It” bubble appeared (as in the photo at the top if this post). Then I said it, and received this feedback:
This is a huge win for English Language Learners. For now, at least, a site like Speakable works better for the classroom since you can assign pronunciation and get student feedback. I’d bet dollars to donuts that kind of set-up will eventually be available in Google Classroom.
For now, it’s a great tool for the most motivated students who want to practice on their own.
I’m adding this info to THE BEST SITES FOR ONLINE PRONUNCIATION FEEDBACK – DO YOU KNOW OTHERS? and The Most Useful Free Or VERY Low Cost AI Tools For Supporting English Language Learners.
