Siri facing a Japanese language barrier

Siri has proven a great success worldwide, but the software is facing a problem with the Japanese market. Apple added Japanese language support last week with the release of iOS 5.1, but some Japanese speakers don't seem to be understood by the voice assistant.

Reader Tom Bailey sent us a link this morning to a Youtube link which shows Siri can understand basic commands but is having problems recognising more advanced demands.

The video compares Siri against DoCoMo's voice recognition Syabette Concier software. It doesn't show the Apple software in a favourable light.

This has also been highlighted this morning on AppleInsider who say “when asked, “Is it cold outside?,” both Siri and Syabette Concier provided weather data. When the speaker said, “I have a stomach ache,” Siri did not understand, while Syabette offered information on the nearest hospital.

A request for tomorrow's schedule was accurately responded to by Syabette, but Siri only understood the schedule part. Siri was unable to provide a map of Chigasaki because it is limited in the location data that it can call up outside the U.S. As a local Japanese solution, Syabette easily accessed the map.

Siri was also unable to handle a search for videos of a Japanese pop singer with a gibberish name, while Syabette had no problem with it. “Seems like Siri can only comprehend simple and universal Japanese,” the report noted.

According to the report, Apple's virtual assistant was able to set an alarm, but it faltered on a tongue twister and a statement about cooking curry. Loading times were also longer on average for Siri than for Docomo's version.”

Kitguru says: Siri lost in translation?

Become a Patron!