Case study: Kartuli, a Georgian translator bot

It translates phrases between Russian and Georgian, breaks words into syllables and voices them with a native speaker. It helps you learn the language while travelling.

The task

A dictionary on the phone does not solve it: in a trip you need Georgian not as the translation of a single word but as a real line you have to say correctly.

Machine translation gives correct text but does not teach pronunciation. Between knowing a word and being able to say it lies exactly how it sounds.

What we did

Two-way translation

The bot translates between Russian and Georgian. It handles whole phrases, not just single words.

Syllable breakdown

A word is split into syllables with a transcription, the way a textbook does it, rather than a solid line of characters.

Native voice

The word and the phrase are spoken by a native speaker. That is the point of the bot: hearing correct pronunciation instead of guessing from spelling.

Built for a trip

The flow is short: translate, listen, repeat. No sign-up and no extra steps, because typing logins with a phone in your other hand is awkward.

Screenshots

Translating a phrase between Russian and Georgian

Breaking a word into syllables, voiced by a native speaker

Kartuli — a Georgian translator bot