Welsh Government finances voice banking tech for Welsh speakers at risk of losing their voice

Through its Welsh language technology action plan, the Welsh Government is financing an innovative voice banking technology programme.

The Lleisiwr programme allows people to bank their voice and creates a personal synthetic voice for them. It means that Welsh speakers at risk of losing their voice due to medical reasons, such as Motor Neurone Disease or throat cancer, can now continue to communicate in Welsh.

The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language, Mark Drakeford, said: “Losing your voice is a devastating experience for people, and technological advances can help them to communicate again during this vulnerable time.

“Previously, voice banking was only available in English. I’m proud to support a project that enables people to continue to communicate with their friends and family in their own language.”

Lleisiwr was developed by Canolfan Bedwyr in Bangor University.

Head of the Language Technologies Unit at Bangor University, Gruffudd Prys, commented: “It’s so important for these voices to be bilingual because we tend to switch back and forth between our languages throughout the day. I strongly believe you shouldn’t need to change your software every time you want to change your language.

“We want the standard of voice recordings to be the best it possibly can and are therefore very keen for patients to get in touch with us as soon as possible so we can develop the service. If a family member or friend of yours would benefit, do let them know.”

As part of the Welsh Government’s Welsh language technology action plan, grants are allocated towards innovative projects that aim to increase people’s daily use of the language and to promote technology which supports the use of Welsh.

Earlier this year, a team of engineers from the US university UCLA invented a small, thin, and flexible assistive device that adheres to the neck and translates the muscle movements of the larynx into audible speech. The wearable technology is designed to help people vocal cord impairments regain their voice function, such as those with pathological vocal cord conditions or individuals who are recovering from laryngeal cancer surgeries.