Berlitz empowered 500,000 language learners using Azure AI Speech

Founded in 1878 by Maximilian Berlitz, Berlitz is a language education company that has been at the forefront of language learning for 145 years. In a departure from traditional grammar-based approaches, Berlitz pioneered the immersive method of language instruction, which is now considered the most effective way to learn a language. With over 100 physical locations across more than 70 countries, 7,000 employees, and an online presence, last year Berlitz taught over 500,000 people how to learn a new language. With Azure AI Speech, Berlitz offers a more personalized and effective learning experience for its diverse range of customers.

“Our mission is to transform lives through the power of language and culture. By enabling effective communication, we aim to broaden horizons and connect people across the world.”

Curt Uehlein, Chief Executive Officer, Berlitz

Meeting the Growing Demand for Flexible Language Learning

Berlitz serves a diverse range of customers including adult consumers, corporate clients, schools, and government organizations. Known primarily for language training services, Berlitz also offers cultural education products and business training programs.

In recent years, Berlitz experienced a growing customer demand for flexibility in their learning process. Berlitz was quick to recognize this trend and knew they needed to develop a product that would allow learners the freedom to take lessons at their own pace and practice online in between high-quality lessons with Berlitz instructors. Simultaneously, Berlitz set a new goal to train tens of thousands of people who were unable to take private or group lessons. They began exploring ways to leverage technology for the scalable delivery of language training.

Azure AI Speech Helps to Enhance the E-Learning Experience

As one of Berlitz's key teaching principles is to maximize students' speaking time during lessons, the brand sought a technology that would allow them to maintain this practice even in an e-learning environment. When Berlitz began their search for technology vendors, they quickly discovered that despite the potential of classic speech-to-text functionality, it was not suitable for their needs. Most notably, they encountered issues with accuracy, particularly for learners with various accents and dialects. Instead, they needed a system that could accurately assess pronunciation and provide feedback accordingly. This realization led them to adjust their approach and seek out alternative technologies that were better suited to their requirements. Berlitz turned to Microsoft to inquire about Azure AI, specifically Azure AI Speech and its pronunciation assessment capabilities.

“We conducted research to determine the best speech-to-text solution for our needs. Our primary criterion was to find a solution with the lowest number of false negatives, meaning it would reject the fewest acceptable answers. We compared several options, and Microsoft Azure was the most capable of accurately identifying what the student was saying. This was crucial for us, as it was the main aspect we needed from the technology.”

Nicolas Potel, Director of Learning Experience, Berlitz

Scaling to Reach Tens of Thousands of New Language Learners

Today, Berlitz offers language instruction in almost 50 different languages, including English, French, German, and Spanish. By incorporating Azure AI Speech’s pronunciation assessment, Berlitz has been able to ensure that its students enjoy a better overall learning experience. The use of this technology has significantly reduced student frustration and enabled them to make progress more easily, ultimately leading to greater success in their language learning journey.

Berlitz has also leveraged Azure AI Speech Studio and Azure AI Speech text-to-speech capabilities. By generating high-quality voices through these tools, they were able to present learners with a diversity of native accents and speaker profiles for a fraction of the time and cost of hiring traditional voice actors. Paired with real instructors in videos, this resulted in a more engaging experience that helps learners establish a human connection.

Furthermore, this solution enabled them to offer language training to adult learners who previously didn't have access due to budget constraints, scheduling conflicts, time limitations, or location barriers. This expanded their audience to a much larger segment of potential learners and catered to the needs of their large corporate and government clients who requested flexible yet rigorous training programs.

“To the broader benefits to the business, the Azure AI solutions have been instrumental in launching new products that have enabled the company to serve tens of thousands of new customers. Without these solutions, this level of expansion and reach would not have been possible.”

Tim Jordan, Senior Vice President of Product & Customer Experience, Berlitz

Additionally, leveraging technology and AI has allowed Berlitz to significantly reduce their product development costs and improve speed to market in bringing new products and languages within their portfolio. This has enabled the team to reinvest in other areas of product innovation and improve customer support.

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