The Power of Speechmatics

Automatic speech recognition technology is easily one of the coolest and most helpful advancements the world has seen in a while. From helping to make tech more accessible, to powering businesses and education, there’s no limit to its impact. But what tech goes into such an empowering tool, and how could you contribute to this? Enter Speechmatics!

With over 48 languages covered, Speechmatics is dedicated to understanding every voice. Their technology comprises the majority of the global population’s native languages – with unsurpassed accuracy – and they’re adding to this list all the time! We sat down with Tudor, a Software Engineer at Speechmatics, to find out what it’s like working there.

Having started with a degree in Physics, and ventured into a Philosophy of Physics Masters, it’s no surprise that Tudor always had the aim of being a physicist. However, after experiencing work as a technology consultant, he soon realised how much of an impact working in tech could make on the world, especially for a company like Speechmatics. Tudor joined the Cloud team and has focused on delivering Backend services ever since. Here we get the inside scoop on working life, what the culture is like and what to expect. Let’s get started!

How is the work that you’re doing at Speechmatics helping to impact people and why is this important to you?

Being on the Cloud Team, we focus on making our product as simple as possible to use. We have the option of deploying on-premises in various ways, so our customers can choose whether to interact with the cloud or not.

The reasons why people use us are vast, but what is clear is that if you can transcribe automatically without humans doing it, you can make the process more efficient and accessible. For example, if you have plenty of old videos from years ago archived from a TV channel, our transcriptions services will help to index all those videos, allowing you to be able to search amongst them quickly without extensive human labour and time.

It makes that knowledge instantly more accessible for everyone and streamlines often arduous processes such as stenography in legal systems. I really enjoy seeing how we help people – it’s genuinely rewarding to see that it has such an immediate impact!

Why did you make the move to Speechmatics?

Being able to trace the impact of my work directly was a huge draw when I joined the team at Speechmatics. I wanted an opportunity to help others, and I’ve definitely seen that ethos echoed here. I spoke with someone at Speechmatics and then researched the company and the role, and we aligned quite well. After being at a bigger, more corporate company, Speechmatics was like a breath of fresh air.

I discovered quite quickly that they were more benefits that I hadn’t been expecting, especially post-COVID. Getting to know my colleagues and having a sense of community was an unanticipated benefit, but one that I’ve found to be very pleasant. I’d definitely recommend joining to other engineers.

What are some of your biggest highlights and challenges during your time at Speechmatics?

One of the developments that I found interesting to work on was an update to our Real-time SaaS. Real-time Saas allows people to talk into a microphone and it will transcribe straight away (instead of recording speech and uploading the whole thing).

There was a plethora of people involved in this and it had its times where it was difficult to organise, but with good communication and a unifying goal, we were able to get this out.

Also, we have just released the first version of our translation release, which we’re hoping that lots of people use, and can’t wait to see the impact this will have going forward.

What are some of your favourite things about Speechmatics?

Firstly, the office – we get free food and drinks, which is always a good idea in my opinion, I like that there are a lot of events to go to, and they’re quite different too. One time we did a Crystal Maze Challenge, and that was a lot of fun. We have Joiners Drinks (non-alcoholic too!) so that new joiners can get to know the rest of the company.

Another thing I like is the hybrid working. I enjoy going into the office but a lot of my colleagues work from home, and that’s totally fine. The company is designed to integrate the two, and if you do work remotely, you’re provided with a budget for setting up remotely, such as monitors, laptop stands, etc.

The general atmosphere is trying to help people get the work done well, whilst maintaining a social vibe which I think is pretty cool. If I’m honest, there are too many things to list!

And that’s it!

It’s a very exciting time to be a part of the team at Speechmatics, as they continue to forge ahead with understanding every voice. If you’re interested in joining Tudor along with his other colleagues then make sure to sign up to hackajob here or log in here, where you can be matched with them.