ScotRail's new AI voice can speak many languages - apart from this one
Multilingual “Iona” has a Scottish accent but can’t talk in Gaelic
ScotRail’s new AI train announcements system will be able to speak to foreign football fans in their own language - but can’t talk in Gaelic, The Scotsman has learned.
An artificial female voice with a Scottish accent known as Iona has been introduced by the Scottish Government-owned train operator to “make announcements more modern and reflective of the routes the train serves”.
The text-to-speech system from Swedish firm ReadSpeaker has more than 50 languages and accents is replacing ScotRail’s pre-recorded human voice in what is thought to be a rail industry first.
It said foreign language announcements could be used to assist visitors during events such as international sporting fixtures.
These could include Iona’s counterparts Elise (French), Marius (German) and Gina (Italian) - but Gaelic is not available.
The gap comes despite most of ScotRail’s 355 stations having both English and Gaelic names, which it said was “part of a broader initiative to promote the Gaelic language and reflect Scotland's linguistic heritage”.
However, the company said it might be able to add the Gaelic version of station names to announcements where they could be entered phonetically.
This has been done for Iona so that stations such as Milngavie - mull-guy - are pronounced correctly.
Gaelic experts said the system’s inability to make full announcements in Gaelic was a missed opportunity.
Robert Dunbar, professor of Celtic and Scottish Studies at the University of Edinburgh, said: "It would be possible for them to be recorded in Gaelic - at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig [the National Centre for Gaelic Language and Culture] in Skye, announcements have been recorded in Gaelic, such as for use in lifts.
"Unlike in Wales for Welsh, there is no legal requirement that train announcements be in a bilingual format. Given that station signs in Scotland are now bilingual, developing Gaelic versions of station announcements would be an important step for ScotRail to take in support of the language and wider policies for Gaelic in Scotland."
Iain Caimbeul, a research fellow with the Language Sciences Institute at the University of the Highlands and Islands, said: “If equality for Gaelic is to mean anything in practice, ScotRail should ensure Gaelic has parity of esteem with English and the other languages they are planning for the new AI announcements.”
Murray Macleod, editor of the Stornoway Gazette, said: “We hear from politicians constantly about how Gaelic is an integral part of the heritage of Scotland and a visible sign of its diverse culture.
“But they are just platitudes which hit the buffers when it comes to reality.
“When there is a chance to give Gaelic its rightful place in wider society, it is too often being ignored or simply dismissed.
“ScotRail’s actions show this once more at play and it is deeply disappointing.”
An Edinburgh company which produces synthetic Gaelic announcements was puzzled by ScotRail’s move.
Graham Leary, head of professional services for CereProc, said: “We have been offering synthesis voices for nearly 20 years, including Gaelic and Scottish-accented English, which are distributed to schools, the NHS and government agencies by CALL Scotland, which helps young people overcome barriers to learning.
“It seems unfortunate that Gaelic speakers are missing out when the technology is already available.”
ScotRail customer operations director Phil Campbell said: “The use of an automated voice allows us to have more control over the announcements being made, ensures consistency for customers, and gives us flexibility to make changes at short notice.
“ScotRail has always used automated announcements in relation to customer information, but it doesn’t replace human interaction”.
Mr Campbell said there would continue to be staff on trains.
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