APPS ‘N’ BOTS
Bilingual phone users, this has been your week. Maybe it is your month actually, because two impediments to the multilingual lifestyle, as far as smart phone usage goes, have been removed. Live a little freer my friends, you earned it.
First off, Apple announced a slew of new features to be unleashed on iMessage this fall. They are mainly bells and whistles that will, no doubt, thrill the masses. The announcement begged the question: Was it necessary to be able to replace words with their emoji equivalent with a one button tap? Is making our text message conversations look like a baby’s first grammar book the goal?
One thing we can agree on is that another one of the new features is long over due. Multilingual typing will be added to Siri, a strike back against the cruel, cruel algorithm of auto correct that limits you to spell checking in only one language. No more deciding which language you want to tell your friend you’re running late for dinner in. Accent marks, when and where you want them.
Why is Siri in charge of this and not the Settings menu? Let it never be said that Apple over-explains its feature debut presentations.
It’s not the only sign that tech companies have realized that we’re living in a multilingual age. Last month, Google announced an integration of its Translate feature into all Android apps.
Emails, dating apps, driving instructions, movie descriptions, all available with a finger tap.
“O sea,” long live the impending death of unnecessary language hierarchies.
Shakira agrees. This spring, the Colombian singer, who is the mother of two kids, debuted her bilingual parenting app, which comes with tips about kid activities and other tips in English and Spanish. (Shakira said in an interview that she and partner, Spanish soccer player Gerard Piqué, raise their kids in English and Catalán.)
“I wanted it to be something that wasn’t overwhelming, but that was really thorough and offered a rich variety of content,” she said. “With this app, you can simply use the daily age-appropriate tip or activity sent to you, or you can access the entire library of tips at any time if you’re looking for something different or want to focus on a specific developmental category that day.”
The singer said she learned her parenting tips from her mom, but was excited for parents in both languages to be able to trust an app with their child’s well being.
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