This is where we realize how much technology is capable of great feats! Thanks to the RogerVoice application, millions of people with hearing loss can now make phone calls. To do this, RogerVoice subtitles phone conversations in real time, allowing you to read what the caller is saying.
Communication, so common and ordinary, is not necessarily so for others, yet it is an essential factor in our personal and professional lives. The deaf and hard of hearing, on the other hand, find themselves at a disadvantage when it comes to communication, especially when it comes to the telephone, despite the advent of e-mail and SMS.
RogerVoice: Read what you can’t hear
RogerVoice is designed for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as those with speech difficulties, aphasia, paralysis or severe stuttering.
Developed by the startup RogerVoice, its founder Olivier Jeannel aims to help deaf people to communicate independently. In practice, the application intercepts the voice of the interlocutor, to transcribe it on the phone screen. It works in a dozen languages and the recipient can clearly hear what is being said on the other end of the line. Moreover, callers do not need to install the application.
Write down what you can’t say
RogerVoice can also be used by anyone who wishes to respond in writing to a telephone conversation and/or receive a real-time written transcript of a call for their own use. However, the application only allows you to make calls (VoIP-out) and receiving a call is currently impossible. In addition, a stable broadband connection is required to use the application optimally. Thanks to Text-Call technology, RogerVoice offers two types of services: Instant Automatic Transcription and Automatic Speech Synthesis.
Automatic Instant Transcription
Automatic Instant Transcription (or subtitling) allows you to read a written transcript of the caller’s speech over the phone, thanks to automatic speech recognition. The caller’s words are instantly displayed as text messages on the caller’s screen. Available in several languages, the transcription is secure.
Automatic Speech Synthesis
Automatic Voice Synthesis allows you to write your message to your correspondent, who receives a vocalized response to your words on the phone: the written word is automatically transformed into spoken words. You can also insert a Quick message that can be dialed during a call. The speech synthesis is available in several languages.
An immediate success
RogerVoice has between 5,000 and 10,000 users since its launch. The application has since expanded its audience and aims at the 70 million deaf people (listed) in the world, not to mention the possibility of transcribing some 40 languages and accents. Since its inception, the startup has enjoyed exemplary success. It was in 2014 that she presented her project on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter and in just eight days, the goal of $20,000 was reached. A total of $35,000 was raised to launch Roger Voice, available on Android and iOS platforms.
Imagine the possibilities… What if you want to talk to your grandparents and they don’t use text messages or email? What if you need to call your bank or doctor? And even your child? Although I don’t have any hearing loss, I can immediately see the benefits of having an application like RogerVoice, which will undoubtedly make a big difference in many people’s lives.
