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Amazon wants your help teaching Alexa new languages — and it could help in its fight against Google (AMZN, GOOG, GOOGL)

Cleo is designed for people who speak a language that Alexa doesn't already understand.

  • Amazon added a new language-learning skill called Cleo to the Echo.
  • If you speak a language besides English, you can use the Cleo skill to teach it to Alexa.
  • Over time, Alexa will learn from you, eventually helping to expand its foreign language vocabulary. Right now, Alexa can speak three languages.
  • Google Assistant can currently speak more languages that Alexa, and Google expects the total to be over 30 by the end of this year.

Usually, your Amazon Echo is used to answer questions or supply you with fun facts. Now, though, Amazon wants you to teach Echo a thing or two.

Amazon introduced a new language-learning skill this week called Cleo. Built by Amazon's team of computational linguists and data scientists, Cleo is designed for people who speak a language that the Amazon Alexa smart assistant doesn't already understand.

In other words, Amazon wants you to teach Alexa new languages. It's a first for Amazon — and it may have something to do with Amazon's competition with Google.

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Compared to Google Asisstant, Alexa is behind when it comes to foreign languages.

When it comes to English, Alexa can understand accents from America, India, the UK, and Canada. It can also speak German and Japanese.

If you're willing to help Amazon out, Cleo is easy to set up and start using.

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Cleo is intended for Echo owners who speak English, but are also fluent in a second language. It's free to enable in the Alexa app — just go into the Alexa skills section, search "Cleo," and hit "enable" — and you can start using it by saying,

Alexa will then something specific, like, "Okay, think of a band you listened to growing up. Ask me to play them." Or Alexa may just ask you to say anything you like.

Cleo works similarly to other gamified language-learning apps like Duolingo. You play in rounds of five questions, and once each round is complete, Alexa will ask if you'd like to do another round. You can stop at any time.

The more you use the Cleo skill, the more badges you'll earn. Those badges will help you "climb up the ranks," although Amazon hasn't said if or how you'll be rewarded. That data will, in turn, be used by Amazon to improve Alexa's linguistic capabilities.

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