Siri already has an impressive language capacity. In fact, Apple’s creation can currently speak fluently in English (including Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, and United States variants), Japanese, Italian (Italy and Switzerland variants), Korean, French (France, Canada, and Switzerland variants), Spanish (United States, Spain, and Mexico variants), German (Germany and Switzerland variants), and Chinese (Mandarin, Taiwan-Mandarin, and Cantonese variants).
That’s one trilingual (bilingual, quadlingual, not really sure how you classify knowledge of so many languages) artificial intelligence. But according to a new job listing that has popped up on Apple’s website, the company is showing no signs of stopping there and is apparently actively seeking help to bring Siri to more countries.
Apple is currently requesting aid from a number of bilingual interns. According to the listing, the company is hoping to sign on interns who are fluent in, English (of course), but also Swedish, Norwegian, Korean, French, Finnish, Dutch, Danish, Chinese, and Arabic. Recall though, that Siri already has experience with Korean, French, and Chinese. This suggests that Apple isn’t yet satisfied with the personal assistants knowledge of these languages, and is looking to increase her capabilities and fluency. So all in all, that leaves six brand new languages that will be getting access to Siri.
Think you’ve got what it takes to work for Apple? Before you go applying for a job as a translator, you might want to check the additional requirements. Not only must you be fluent in English and another of these nine languages, you must also have (or be a candidate for) a Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Science or an equivalent field. You must also be a diligent, hardworking problem-solver that is capable of understanding the complexity of multilingual (there’s the word I was looking for) and multicultural issues. And of course, on top of all that, you must work well with others.
Apple has stated many times that its “team” is what brings products and services to the general public, and they’ll definitely want team-oriented individuals to keep that tradition going. So if you feel like you have what it takes to be part of the Apple team, be sure to get over to their website quickly and put in an application. You’ll never know unless you try, so don’t be shy about it.
And for all of you out there who are hopeful that Apple will release Siri in your native tongue, this should give you high hopes. I don’t think the tech giant will be satisfied until Siri can speak every language in the known world (or universe for that matter). Who knows, maybe they’ll develop a special language for her that links us all together. Until then though, just sit tight, and keep an eye out; you never know when Siri might come to your locale.
Photo Credit: Apple
