Cortana: world traveler

As everyone’s favorite personal digital assistant debuts in new countries around the world, we find out how Cortana is being customized for each individual region and culture.

Cortana has been helping to manage the lives of Windows Phone users in select countries (such as the UK, China, and U.S.) for over a year now.

Soon, with the launch of Windows 10, she’ll be traveling to new destinations, including France, Italy, Germany, and Spain. In the coming months, she’ll also be available to customers in the Windows Insider Program in Japan, Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico, and in English in India.

As a seasoned world traveler, Cortana is sensitive to the local customs and culture of the places she visits. Extensive research has been done in each market on speech recognition training, local language models, and functionality so that Cortana fits local residents’ needs and expectations for a digital assistant.

Cortana’s personality is customized for each country, with voice talent to match. For example, Cortana exhibits a dry British wit in the UK and has a fun and playful demeanor in China.

In Japan, where a high level of politeness is valued, Cortana will even bow by default.

Read here on Blogging Windows for more information on how Cortana brings cultural savviness to new markets.

How can Cortana make your life better? Let us know in the comments below.