At Babbel, we strive to make language learning as effortless and interactive as possible, which is why we incorporate advanced speech recognition technology in our lessons. This feature is designed to enhance pronunciation skills and provide instant feedback, ensuring an immersive learning experience.
How does the speech recognition work?
Babbel's speech recognition is activated during lessons whenever you encounter a segment that requires spoken input. If there is a speaking exercise in the lesson, you'll first hear the word or phrase to be repeated, and then you can click (on iOS tap and hold) on the orange microphone icon to respond.
The system analyses your pronunciation and provides feedback based on its accuracy relative to the pronunciation standards of the target language.
How to turn on the speech recognition on your device?
When you start a lesson that includes speech recognition, you will be prompted to allow Babbel access to your microphone. Whenever the notification appears in your browser or on your phone asking for microphone permissions, click Allow to enable microphone access (and enable speech recognition on iOS).
How to turn off the speech recognition?
If you decide not to use speech recognition during a lesson, turning it off is simple. Whether you are using a desktop or mobile app, you can easily deactivate the feature by locating the microphone icon, which is typically found at the bottom-left corner of the screen. Simply toggle this icon off to disable speech recognition. If you want to turn it back on, simply click on the icon again.
What to do if there are issues with speech recognition?
If you encounter issues with the speech recognition feature, follow these steps:
- Check your internet connection, ensuring your connection is robust.
- Verify microphone permissions and settings to make sure the microphone is allowed in your browser or app settings and is functioning correctly:
Chrome - open babbel.com, and to the left of the address bar click 'View site information' (small filter symbol) and then 'Site settings'. Make sure that the use of microphone is allowed.
Safari - click on 'Safari", go to 'Settings' and click on 'Websites'. Choose the 'Microphone' settings and make sure that the use of microphone is allowed.
Android - open your phone and long tap on the Babbel app, then choose 'App info' and tap on 'Permissions'. Make sure that the use of microphone is allowed.
iOS - go to 'Settings' and find the Babbel app, make sure that the use of microphone and speech recognition is allowed.
Also check in 'Screen Time' settings the 'Content & Privacy Restrictions' and make sure that microphone and speech recognition are allowed. - Update your app and device to ensure that you have the latest version of the Babbel app installed, and your device's operating system is up to date.
- Disable interfering software by temporarily disabling any ad-blockers, anti-virus tools, or VPNs that might be affecting the functionality.
- Reinstall the app. Sometimes, uninstalling and then reinstalling the Babbel app can resolve persistent issues.
If these steps do not resolve the problem, please contact our Customer Service team with a detailed description of the issue, including any steps you have already tried, and a screenshot or video if possible.