I have a new Octy III Elegance with Amundsen SatNav (SD version 5E… 0045 ECE 2015).  I bought my LHD car in France as I live here – but have set the SatNav with an English female ‘voice’. 

 

The streets and built-in POIs seemed accurate over last week’s tour round the Auvergne – but the digitisation of the name phonetics is awful and perhaps dangerous. 

 

For instance if told to get onto “… the road to Aris…” then looking for the road signs on the roundabout as well as counting for the third exit…  It is hard work locating Paris to turn off safely…

Imagine how badly Le Puy-en-Velay was pronounced –  there are numerous errors.

 

Have any of you heard similar errors in any male/female digitisation in English, French, etc? 

 

What can one do about it?

 

John

I live in Switzerland & have the navigation set to English & I have the same problems with the pronunciation of the French or German named streets.

I don't think there are any option to pronounce the street names in the local language.

    e.g. Language in English but Street Names in French

 

However, I guess for many people pronouncing the street names as you would say it in English would be useful.

e.g.

   If you are on holiday in Ukraine you would have a better chance of understanding the street names if they are read with English phonetics instead of Ukrainian??

Around the topic.

Using a Garmin in french when renting a car in the US is quite funny...

Each time a road/street is called a Drive (Dr.), the lady in the GPS names it as a 'Docteur'.

Took me a few minutes the first time before realizing they had not named the entire area roads after their famous physicians.

Edited 24 June, 201510 yr by JPH0091

I find the Amundsen cannot pronounce place names and street names correctly in the UK either. Same with the voice activation on the phone, it can't pronounce names. It is often incomprehensible.

Ours can't say 'thirty' correctly in A38, but can manage much more complicated strings!

It can't say airport either. Comes out as aeroroport :-)

I'm sure mine used to pronounce "Derby" as "Darbeh" - local phonetics?

 

It was pretty useless in France though - I muted the voice in the end..

I'm sure mine used to pronounce "Derby" as "Darbeh" - local phonetics?

 

lol. Eh up Duck, weer in Darbeh..

I must check out how she gets on the next time I go to Auchtermuchty.  My Chelmsford-born aunt still can't pronounce it despite living in Scotland for over 50 years!

Try Finzean ("fingin ") or ravenstruther (" renstrie')

Sent from my XT1039 using Tapatalk

.... Milngavie ("Mulguy"), Strathaven ("Strayven") or one that caught me out south of the border - Ulgham ("Uffam") !

I heard someone on BBC Scotland mangle forfar and Kirkcaldy this week. Amundsen has no chance

Sent from my XT1039 using Tapatalk

Never tried Cholmondeley either..

Hi all - returning to this topic... How about asking Skoda for the source code for the SatNav?  Then some useful nerd could plug in the voice from Amazon.

See - http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2486826,00.asp

 

At the same time the new App could allow on a less hassle way of adding POIs, fixed camera data and warning sounds.  That would make the supplied kit much more acceptable and remove the need for the dash-GPS.

 

Any further ideas?   John

Ours can't say 'thirty' correctly in A38, but can manage much more complicated strings!

Thaarity?

Yep, mine does that too.

Still the female voice sounds quite filthy if I'm honest.................

I love the way it says "prepare to turn half left" or "in half a mile prepare to go straight ahead" like you have to prepare yourself to do nothing

This is the end of my chat on this topic unless other UK Octavia III purchasers wish to continue...  

 

For instance - have any of you complained about the pronunciation of the SatNav to Skoda UK?

 

I have had a conversation with Skoda UK (in English as I am British and I wished to write clearly).  Skoda UK have now refused to continue the conversation as follows (hence my ending the forum thread) -

 

Thank you for your email dated 16 July 2015 regarding your ŠKODA Octavia.

I refer to my last email to you dated 14 July 2015 where I state “Therefore, I can only advise that you discuss this issue with
your local ŠKODA Dealer in France.”

As you have purchased the car in France and it is registered in that Country, then ŠKODA UK can not get involved in any
discussions relating to an issue you have with your vehicle.

This can only be handled via your French Retailer so I have to confirm that we are unable to offer you any further assistance on
this problem. I am sorry if my response is not what you had anticipated.

Thank you once again for contacting ŠKODA UK Customer Services.

 

>>> So - bye from me to you all, John

While the pronunciation isn't brilliant, it doesn't stop me understanding what's been said, and certainly isn't worth making a complaint about.

Well.... I have recently been to Switzerland, Spain and Portugal and as usual wandering about France.  

I still can't make out what is said when town names or street names are uttered - especially the long involved Spanish ones!

 

Maybe my maps upload to the 2016 version might have cured the issue.  One hopes...

Although I can understand what the sat nav means, the pronounciation of certain names does make me laugh at times.
A road near me is called Lochdochart Rd.  Both 'ch's are the typically Scottish back-of-the-throat sounds, but the sat nav prounouces it as "Lotch Doo Chart". Eh? 

Directed to 'Glew' Airport whilst in Glasgow last weekend then noticed that the adjacent road sign was abbreviated to Glw Airport....

Mine talks about the best football team in the world being at Burn lee instead of what it should be.