Inspiration
While there are plenty of language-learning apps out there that provide resources to help language-learners learn/practice reading and writing, speaking a new language is a difficult yet incredibly applicable aspect of learning a new language that can often be overlooked by learning resources. Additionally, when considering speaking a new language, we realized there can often a big gap between native and non-native speakers of a language because their use of correct grammar/pronunciation, so we were inspired to create a resource to help bridge this gap.
What it does
Our program allows users to record their conversations either with others or directly into the program and outputs both the user's speech and a version of their speech that corrects grammar/word choice, allowing them to learn where their grammar went wrong, if at all.
How we built it
First, we built a voice recorder using Google voice recognition APIs. Then, we created a speech-to-text converter and then created a series of grammar checks that filtered the input text and modifies it into a grammatically correct version of itself. Then, we constructed a GUI that outputs both of these texts and compares them one on top of the other.
Challenges we ran into
It was difficult to get a combination of grammar checks that were actually effective in correcting grammar. There were also a lot of challenges along the way with combining the different components of the program, installing different packages, and creating the GUI.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We're proud of creating something from scratch with relatively little coding experience, especially in Python. Also, neither of us knew how to create a GUI, so we learned the entire process of creating an interface in the span of a day.
What we learned
We learned a lot about how to navigate packages in Python, grammar check models, and how to create a GUI. Also, as my (Sabrina) first hackathon, I learned the process of creating a project from start to finish, including brainstorming ideas and layers upon layers of failure and modification.
What's next for SpeechLearn
Our program has a long way to go, as we want to implement it for all languages, and implement a pronunciation-checker. We also can modify the GUI for a more aesthetic interactive experience, and the final vision would be to create a phone app after combining all of these moving parts.
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