Cultural and linguistic adaptation of an Augmentative and Alternative Communication system for Rioplatense Spanish

Abstract

Both oral and written communication in Spanish presents as many variants as there are countries in Latin America, and each country also presents internal variants. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems available in Spanish generally do not take these differences into account. As a result, there is a discrepancy between the linguistic variant these users hear in their daily environment and the one offered by the system, which separate them from their culture and communicative habits. These differences are usually approached as a translation problem, when in fact they compromise the naturalness of communication, linguistic identity, and cultural representation of those who use these systems.

This presentation describes the design, development, and implementation of a cultural and linguistic adaptation model that allows an AAC system to represent different variants of Spanish, both in vocabulary and in the communicator’s synthesized voice, with Rioplatense Spanish (used in Argentina) being the first variant fully developed.

The objective of this work is to generate independent modules, integrable into the architecture of AAC systems, that allow other linguistic variants to be incorporated, rather than applying one-off modifications to existing labels, so that the system’s vocabulary and voice align with the linguistic variant of the region where the user lives.

The adaptation integrates, within a single model, vocabulary and the automatic conjugation of verb forms, including those used with the pronoun vos, which is characteristic of Rioplatense Spanish. Based on this, a catalog in Rioplatense Spanish was developed, identifying and adapting the pictograms whose vocabulary differs from Peninsular Spanish.

The system automatically conjugates verbs —including vos forms— according to the pronoun selected by the user, and accompanies these adaptations with a voice output with regional pronunciation, achieving coherence between vocabulary and sound.

These variants were implemented in the SIAACom 4.0 communicator by Neufitech SRL. All functionalities operate locally, without an Internet connection, allowing use in contexts with limited connectivity. The system also includes support for incorporating new vocabulary —including verbs, which are automatically conjugated— expanding its personalization.

The technology developed can be easily adapted to other variants of Spanish, incorporating both vocabulary and synthetic voices specific to each Spanish-speaking region, such as those of Peru, Mexico, or Colombia, among others. These adaptations allow the system’s vocabulary and voice to align with the user’s linguistic variant, and constitute a concrete contribution toward a more equitable Augmentative and Alternative Communication, with the potential to reach new communities of users.