Semnani (Latin script) Speech to Text: A Complete Guide
Semnani Speech‑to‑Text: Transcribing a Lesser‑Known Iranian Language
Semnani (also spelled Semmâni) is one of the minority languages of Iran, belonging to the Caspian branch of Northwestern Iranian languages. It is spoken mainly in the city of Semnan and surrounding villages like Sangsar, Lasgerd, and Sorkheh. Although it has a rich oral tradition — including folktales, poetry, and proverbs — its speakers are increasingly shifting to Persian. Accurate speech‑to‑text for Semnani can help document and revitalize this linguistic heritage.
Where Is Semnani Spoken?
Semnani is concentrated in Semnan Province, about 200 km east of Tehran. The number of speakers is estimated between 80,000 and 100,000, though many are bilingual in Persian. The language has several dialects:
- Biyabunaki – spoken in Biyabunak and Afar
- Sangsari – in Sangsar (Mahdishahr)
- Lasgerdi – in Lasgerd
- Sorkhei – in Sorkheh
Each dialect has distinct phonological and lexical features. For example, Sangsari retains the old Iranian /θ/ (like English "thin") in some words, while other dialects have shifted to /s/.
Why Accurate Transcription Matters
Semnani is an endangered language with limited digital presence. Without speech‑to‑text tools, oral recordings remain inaccessible to researchers and the community itself. Automatic transcription can:
- Produce searchable archives of native speech
- Generate subtitles for local videos and podcasts
- Help create teaching materials for language classes
- Support linguistic research on dialect variation
Most commercial transcription services — such as Google Speech‑to‑Text, Rev, and Sonix — do not support Semnani at all. Even Whisper, a popular open‑source model, shows poor performance because Semnani was not part of its training data.
Challenges in Transcribing Semnani
Three major challenges affect ASR accuracy for Semnani:
1. Lack of Training Data
Publicly available transcribed Semnani speech is scarce. Speechyou addresses this by using a combination of related Iranian languages (Persian, Mazandarani, Talysh) and fine‑tuning on a small curated Semnani corpus. The model learns to map Semnani phonemes to Latin letters.
2. Phonemic Vowel Length
Semnani distinguishes between long and short vowels — a feature that many ASR systems overlook. For instance, mâr (snake) vs. mar (I die) differ only by vowel duration. Speechyou’s encoder includes temporal convolution layers that capture length contrasts, resulting in better than 95% word accuracy on clear recordings.
3. Dialectal Variation
A word pronounced in Biyabunaki may sound quite different in Sangsari. Speechyou offers dialect‑specific profiles that adapt the language model to local phonetic patterns. Users can select the dialect variant during transcription to improve results.
Use Cases for Semnani Speech‑to‑Text
Podcasts and Local Media: Create Latin‑script subtitles for Semnani‑language YouTube channels or community radio. Export in SRT/VTT format.
Academic Fieldwork: Linguists can transcribe interviews and field notes instantly, saving hours of manual work.
Accessibility: Provide text alternatives for Semnani speakers with hearing impairments.
Oral History Preservation: Record elders telling traditional stories and obtain searchable transcripts for cultural archives.
Language Learning: Generate transcriptions of spoken sentences for learners to see the written form in Latin script.
Content Creation: Convert spoken poetry or monologues into written posts for social media.
How Speechyou Handles Semnani
Speechyou’s Semnani model (xsm_Latn) outputs Latin‑script transcription, ideal for linguistic annotation and sharing. It supports all major dialects and provides real‑time processing for short clips. The Solo plan includes unlimited transcription, making it affordable for individual researchers and community members.
To get started, upload an audio or video file and select Semnani as the input language. The AI will transcribe the speech and allow you to export as plain text, SRT, or VTT. Whether you are preserving a vanishing dialect or making Semnani podcast content accessible, Speechyou gives you the tools you need.
