Alexa now speaks both Spanish and Klingon

[kestrell]

Fun new Alexa skills:

• “Alexa, speak Spanish”
Hola! Alexa now speaks English and Spanish. Enable the multilingual mode today and enjoy a second language experience on your device.

• “Alexa, speak Klingon”

Also, Alexa loves science:
• “Alexa, recommend a science podcast”

and, because Alexa seems to have a hearing impairment sometimes, too, you can ask her
• “Alexa, tell me what you heard”

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

Alexa, tell me what you heard is brilliant!

...and helpful. I wish Apple's Voice Control had that feature. After it doesn't recognize a command twice, it does show a "things you can say" box.

[bibliofile]

Brilliant, and almost too obvious.

I'm amused that Alexa speaks Klingon, but that seems less useful with less new Trek these days (as opposed to the 1990s).

[kestrell]

The ability to speak Klingon may not be generally useful, but language geeks are fascinated by it, and linguists study it, because other language geeks have actually established the syntax and other structures. I reember once I changed my Google search page to be in Klingon, without first realizing that finding the button to change it back would be challenging.

What I would like to see more of is the Tamarian language, from "Next Generation." Remember:
"Children of Tama" - Tamarian
"Darmok on the ocean" - loneliness, isolation
"Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra" - cooperation
"Darmok and Jalad on the ocean" - new friendship and understanding gained through a shared challenge
"The beast at Tanagra" - a problem to be overcome
"Kadir beneath Mo Moteh" - failure to communicate/understand
"Kiteo, his eyes closed" - refusal to understand
"Kiazi's children, their faces wet" - do not cry
"Temba, his arms wide/open" - signifying a gift
"Temba, at rest" - when a gift being offered is declined
"Mirab, with sails unfurled" - signifying departure/engines to full/fleeing
"Shaka, when the walls fell" - failure
"Sokath, his eyes uncovered/opened" - understanding/realization
"Kailash, when it rises" - a necessary loss or sacrifice
"The river Temarc in winter" - be quiet/silence
"Zinda, his face black, his eyes red" - anger or conflict, also can indicate pain or discomfort, possible indication of inability to survive (either self, or other party)
"Rai and Jiri at Lungha. Rai of Lowani. Lowani under two moons. Jiri of Ubaya. Ubaya of crossroads, at Lungha. Lungha, her sky gray" - greeting between two different cultures/races
"Uzani, his army with fists open" - to lure the enemy towards you by spreading your forces
"Uzani, his army with fists closed" - to close rank and attack after luring the enemy
"Chenza at court, the court of silence" - not listening
"Kira at Bashi" - to tell a story
"Picard and Dathon at El-Adrel" - successful first contact between two alien cultures, or to work toward a common goal

from Shaka, When the Walls Fell