@marketingmag
THE TRUTH ISSUEobjects within a photograph, and the
Cloud Translation API, which uses
neural machine translation for the
responsive, dynamic translation of
identifi ed objects into te reo Māori.
Google’s Cloud Translation te reo
dataset has been heavily enhanced
by Te Aka Māori Dictionary’s deep
te reo knowledge bank, bringing
unprecedented accuracy to te
reo Māori translations. Te Aka’s
partnership has also enabled the
app to deliver audio pronunciation
guides for te reo words – a
powerful feature that supports and
encourages non-native learners to
speak the language with confi dence.
It serves up the most likely
translation and pronunciation, then
provides other options for what it
detects in the image. It also lets the
user provide feedback, so the app
is constantly learning and iterating.
From a user experience and graphic
design perspective, Kupu was based
on a theme of raranga (weaving) – a
metaphor for the galvanising effect
of learning the language of another
culture.
The app puts bite-sized
language learning in the palm of
every smartphone user in New
Zealand in an engaging, visual way –
transforming their world into a te reo
Māori learning playground.
It’s an example of people-
focused design: complex technology
has been pared back to surface
only its most simplifi ed elements,
ensuring that whoever picks itup can immediately start using it
through natural curiosity and innate
intuition. The result is a powerful
learning experience disguised within
a simplifi ed interface.
“We see the Mā ori language and
culture as special and unique to New
Zealand, so we want to play a small
role in helping te reo Mā ori prosper
through the use of digital platforms,”
says Lisa Paraku, business manager
at Spark.
“It has been very humbling
to work with a project team of
technology experts and trusted
Māori advisers to create an app that
will add to the growing plethora
of resources that support the
revitalisation of our national taonga
(treasure) – te reo Māori.”
Dr Dean Mahuta, senior lecturer
at Auckland University of Technology
(AUT) and Māori language
researcher at Te Ipukarea, the
National Māori Language Institute,
has been a key adviser on the Kupu
project, working alongside Te Aka
Māori Dictionary and Spark to
ensure Kupu showcases te reo Māori
correctly.
“Using technology and digital
platforms is a great way to
encourage the use and learning of te
reo Māori. There are some amazing
resources for learning te reo Māori,
including books, websites and apps.
However, this is the fi rst learning
tool to translate pictures in real-time.
It’s an evolution of the resources that
are out there,” says Mahuta.“We aim to inspire New Zealanders
to explore te reo Māori and
encourage them to add more
te reo words to their everyday
vocabularies,” adds Tara McKenty, a
creative director at Google. “It would
be amazing if, as a nation, we could
learn together through an immersive
interactive experience – one picture
and translation at a time. Just
learning a single word each day can
collectively have a huge and lasting
impact on our collective knowledge
of te reo Māori.”Results: By the end of the fi rst
24 hours, Kupu had generated
35,051 downloads, exceeding total
campaign targets by 119 percent.
After the fi rst two weeks, Kupu had
more than 120,000 downloads, two
million image translations and more
than 2.5 million audio plays (word
pronunciations) – again, far exceeding
targets. Interaction rate was 4372
percent, which means the average
user took 15 photos and played 29
audio clips. Kupu was the number
one trending app on the App Store
and Google Play, with an estimated
earned media reach of 6.4 million.
The merging of an Indigenous
language and modern technology
has enabled the delivery of a
truly innovative mobile learning
experience, which will only continue
to adapt, evolve and improve over
time, delivering even better te reo
Māori learning outcomes.