Guiding Icelandic into a smart future

Almannarómur is the Icelandic Centre for Language Technology; it carries out the official Language Technology Programme for Icelandic.

Language technology

Language technology is the development of systems that are able to process and understand human language. It promotes their use in human-computer interaction to enable the integration of language and computer technology for practical use.

0.1
million Euros have been invested in the first stage of the language technology programme
1990
Research and development for language technology in Icelandic began in 2019

The Language Technology Programme for Icelandic

The objective of the Language Technology Programme is to ensure that Icelandic can, and will, be used in communication with – and through – digital devices and computers.

Almannarómur, founded in 2014, is funded by the government, under a 2018 agreement with the Icelandic Ministry of Education, Science and Culture.

Latest news: Icelandic is now a part of Microsoft Edge

Microsoft‘s Edge browser now includes a speech synthesizer for Icelandic, making it easy for users of Icelandic to listen to spoken text. This highly accessible service offers great benefits to a wide range of user groups, including visually impaired people, and students who prefer to have their curriculum read aloud. The Icelandic voice is called Gudrun.

Icelandic‘s addition to Edge is the result of co-operation between Microsoft, the Icelandic Centre for Language Technology (Almannarómur), and the R&D collective SÍM. Almannarómur is the official Language Technology Program for Icelandic; SÍM, the implementing body, comprises nine legal entities, researchers from the academic community, public institutions, and entrepreneurs in the business community.

To use the speech synthesizer in Icelandic, users simply click Tools and then Read aloud. In the top right corner there are voice options, one of which is Gudrun. There is also the facility to right-click any text and choose Read aloud.

Microsoft Edge is the most recent of the many language technology solutions – including chatbots, speech recognition software, and online translations –that have been developed by Almannarómur as part of the Icelandic Language Technology Programme.

The Voices of Iceland: have you donated a sample of your voice?

You can help to preserve the Icelandic language by donating a sample of your speech on the website, samromur.is.

To ensure that the technology will be able to understand everyone, we need samples of all accents, and from every age and gender, including from people for whom Icelandic is their second language.