International conferences: SPbU’s scientists
The conferences are vital in research as it gives an opportunity to share new ideas and discuss advances in science. Today it is a rare occurrence to have a conference without SPbU, and SPECOM, an international conference with a specific focus on interdisciplinary integrated research, is not an exception.
September 2017, the University of Hertfordshire (UK) has hosted the International Conference on Speech and Computer (SPECOM) that focuses on computer speech processing. Regularly held since 1996, the conference has brought together the leading experts in philology, mathematics, and IT to name but a few.
SPECOM discusses the most urgent issues in science and engineering, said Vera Evdokimova, a philologist.
“The reports mainly focus on computer speech processing, multimodal interfaces and applied systems for telecommunication, robotics, intelligent and cyberphysical environments”, — said Vera Evdokimova, who added that the programme committee comprised such an outstanding researcher as SPbU’s Prof Pavel Skrelin.
The conference brings together scientists from various areas.
SPbU’s Associate Prof Vera Evdokimova
For several years, Vera Evdokimova has been delivering her reports at the conference and actively engaged in the programme committee. This year, her report focuses on automatic phonetic transcription in the Russian language.
“What we are writing is transferred by the programme into the way how we speak. The moduls is important in speech recognition systems when a computer recognizes what we are talking and producing a speech signal. The automatic transcription technology works with both correctly pronounced and mispronounced words or with how people often pronounce them”, — said Vera Evdokimova.
As a result, we developed software that translate written texts into a form in which speech sounds are represented.
SPbU’s Associate Prof Vera Evdokimova
SPECOM is not the only international research event with a specific focus on phonetics and speech technologies, said Vera Evdokimova.
“We have some regular prestigious events in the scientific community. For example, International Congress of Phonetic Sciences held every four year. Nevertheless, it remains one of the most important events on phonetics”, — said Vera Evdokimova.