A Kitchen That Talks Teaches French

Zhao Ting

A “talking kitchen” teaches students how to cook French and speak French. Researchers at New Castle University in the United Kingdom have developed the French Digital Kitchen. Professors Paul Seedhouse and Patrick Olivier led the project.

Professor Seedhouse told us on Skype that it works like a satellite navigation system in a car. PAUL SEEDHOUSE： “The set may speak to you and it tells you， for example， to turn left. And if you turn left then it continues with the program. If， for example， you turn right， then its a mistake， so it loops back and it gives you further instructions.” The kitchen equipment and tools use motion sensor technology similar to the Nintendo Wii game system. The sensors help a computer guide the students through instructions in French. PAUL SEEDHOUSE： “The system can tell whether you have done what you were asked to do or not. So lets say， for example， the system tells you to take some butter so it can tell where the butters being moved. The sensor in the knife not only knows that the knife is moving， but it also knows what motion the knife is making. So it can detect whether the knife is slicing， whether its scraping or what. And so it doesnt go on to the next stage of the program unless youve done what it senses youve done.” Students can ask the computer to repeat the instructions or translate them into English. There are vocabulary lessons before and after the cooking.

Professor Seedhouse became interested in the idea after he visited a talking kitchen designed for a different purpose. PAUL SEEDHOUSE： “It was actually for communicating with people who suffer from dementia. And so， for example， it can speak to those people and it can tell them， for example， that theyve left the oven on and they should switch the oven off.” He says the French Digital Kitchen turns the process of learning language into a real-life experience. PAUL SEEDHOUSE： “Here youre taking it out of the classroom and you are actually using the language to produce something which you can eat at the end of it. Its very enjoyable.”

But the idea-known as task-based language learning required a few changes as the researchers were designing the system. PAUL SEEDHOUSE： “For example， weve found that we put a sink full of water， right， and as soon as people have finished cooking with an instrument， they throw it in the water. And for us thats deadly because the digital sensors were immediately ruined by being in the water. Okay， so-so you have to take actions so that you dont have water in the sink and you tell people not to throw them in the sink.”

The system could be available for sale by the end of twenty twelve. Adding the technology to a new kitchen could add an estimated ten to twenty percent to the building costs. The system could also be added to an existing kitchen. The researchers are also developing portable versions. And the European Union has given them money to begin programs in six other languages， including English， Italian and Spanish.

一個会谈话，会教法语的厨房（译文）

厨房教学生们如何烹制法国菜和法语。在英国纽卡斯尔大学的研究人员已经开发出了法国式数字厨房。保罗·斯德瓦和帕特里克·奥利维尔教授创立了这个项目。

斯德瓦教授在Skype网络电话上告诉我们，它的工作原理就像汽车上的卫星导航系统。保罗·斯德瓦说：“该系统可能对你说话，它会告诉你，例如，左转。如果你向左转，它就会继续程序。如果，例如，你向右转，那就错了，所以它会转回并给你进一步的指示。”厨房设备和工具使用运动传感器技术类似于任天堂游戏系统。传感器帮助计算机用法语指导学生。保罗·斯德瓦说：“这个系统可以辨别出你是否做了让你做的或者没做。比如说，系统告诉你要带黄油，这样系统就知道黄油被移动到哪儿。刀中的传感器不仅知道刀在移动，而且知道刀在做什么运动。所以它能检测出刀是切，是刮还是什么的。因此，如果你做地不对，它就不会进入程序的下一阶段。”学生可以要求计算机重复指令或将它们翻译成英语。烹饪前后有词汇课帮助学生们完成这个任务。

斯德瓦教授参观了一个能说话的厨房后，开始对这个想法感兴趣。他说：“这实际上是方便同那些患有痴呆症的人沟通。例如，它可以告诉那些人，离开烤箱的时候，烤箱还在工作，就告诉他们，关掉烤箱。”他说，法国式数字厨房把学习语言的过程变成了一种真实的体验。斯德瓦教授说：“在这里，你把所学的知识搬出教室，你实际上运用语言生产最后自己可以享用的物品。它令人非常愉快。”

但这个想法-称为任务型语言学习法要求研究人员设计系统时做些改变。保罗·斯德瓦说：“例如，我们发现，把一个洗涤槽装满水，只要有人完成了烹饪，就把设备扔在水里。对我们来说，这是不好的，因为数字传感器在水中立即不能用了。好吧，所以你要采取行动不必在水槽中放水，你告诉人们不要把设备扔到水槽中。”

该系统可以在2012年底前出售。将该技术用到一个新的厨房就增加百分之十至二十的成本。该系统还可以添加到现有的厨房中。研究人员还在开发便携式版本。欧盟已经给他们资金，开始使用其他六种语言，包括英语、意大利语和西班牙语来研发它。

【作者简介】Zhao Ting， Zhangjiakou University.