I’m a german native speaker. What do I need to do, to communicate in german with my echo? Is it “just” to translate the utterances?
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During my researches in the code (index.js, config.js, helper.js), I found some places where translation needs to be done. I’m no programmer so it seems to heavy for me, not to break the code.
In german echo skills there are LITERALS not supported, which means the LITERALS should be substituted by Custom Slots, isn’t it? Regarding to the docs this should be possible.
A further question: in the code there are roller shutter mentioned, but never used for the utterances. This let me realize, that the Action is just ON or OFF at the moment. Do you plan to extend the Actions by at least UP and DOWN.
In german language there are synonyms for ON like ein and an, even UP (auf, rauf, hoch) and DOWN (zu, runter) have synonyms. Is it possible to have a mapping from more synonyms to one single Action?
I mean
auf or raus or hoch means Action UP
ein or an means Action ON
Besides of all my thoughts, thank you so much for your great work and I’m looking forward to speak with my echos in german (soon?) 
If you decide to support a german version as well, I could support you with the regarding texts. Just let me know … unfortunately that’s all what I’m able to do.
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From what I read here
https://developer.amazon.com/public/solutions/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/docs/steps-to-create-a-smart-home-skill
and looking at the diagram here
https://developer.amazon.com/public/solutions/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/overviews/understanding-the-smart-home-skill-api
I think the skill should react on the german utterances from the referecene
https://developer.amazon.com/public/solutions/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/docs/smart-home-skill-api-reference
At least I’m quite sure that this translations don’t have to be done in the code.
My echo dot is just on it’s way and I’m curious to see who to get the skill working with german.
Perhaps someone may confirm, if I’m right, or what exactly has do be done, to get it working with german. I think I should be able to contribute to the code if necessary.
Thanks
Someone posted a few videos on youtube to show the integration of amazon echo in openhab witch german language.
But I don’t know how he did it exactly.
I am still waiting for my echo. 
He doesn’t use this Echo skill, but the HUE emulation (New Binding: Hue Emulator - Amazon Echo integration). You can see this because he says “schalte AN” to the rollershutter. This is some kind of workaround, because the HUE emulation doesn’t officially support rollershutters (“fahre hoch”, “fahre runter”).
How he did this exactly is mentioned here (also in german…):
http://onesmarthome.de/smart-home-openhab2-sprachsteuerung-konfiguration/
Is there any chance to skip the Nginx instance and connect the NodeJS application to myopenhab.org instead which is linked to the local oh instance anyway?
I have translated some parts of the echo skill into German. Perhaps you want to have a look at it her https://github.com/phprehl/alexa-ha/tree/MultilanguageSwitch/CustomSlots
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Hi Philipp,
it looks quite perfect. I made some additions, but how can I contribute them. I’m not a experienced github user and it seems for me to complicated to get the necessary experience just for this one file. Can I send you a PM with this lanuageGER.js file and maybe some comments.
BTW: do you use this already and how does it work? Are you satisfied with the recognition of the actions?
Do you need to say “Alexa, sage openhab schalte das Licht ein” or is it just “Alexa, schalte das Licht ein”?
Regards,
Michael
I did not understand the whole github pull-request-thing either at the beginning.
You can use the GitHub-Website to edit files directly in the browser.
GitHub will automatically creatze a form of the project in your account and after saving you will be ask to contribute your change via pull-request.
However, it is worth leaning and understanding git.
That might be feasible for single text files. But for actual code you have to ensure everything is compiling (and working!) that you send to the project. Manual changes have the tendency to fail due to typos or missing parts.
To make the maintainers and suers happy you should always stick to the workflow, this makes live much easier for everybody.
Hi
Have managed to moved from the HueEmulation to the Alexa OpenHab skill. Was a pretty easy process.
However, after a few days of using, i’m finding the behaviour less responsive…
Using HueEmulation everything was pretty instant. Ask for lights, on they go. On a very rare occasion i got a 'i’m having trouble finding lights named xxxx" from Alexa, but it was not often.
Using the new Alexa Skill, everything was working fine. But I’m getting “I’m having trouble finding lights named XXXX” quite often. But the stranger part of this is that sometimes, a min or two later, the lights switch on anyway.
Then, everything is fine…
Anybody else experiencing this issue? Could be that I need to hop to myopenHAB.org service which I didn’t have to do with the Hue Emulation. So it’s an extra step, so another thing that may/may-not be responding at the time.
Anybody else?
Pete
Hi Pete,
I’ve experienced the same behaviour. That’s why I moved back to HUEemulation, which is quite reliable. Nevertheless I’m continously watching the alexa skill developments and hope to switch back to the skill soon. At the moment the HUEemulation and the skill don’t have big differences in features, so there is for me no need to use the skill.
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Thanks. I may do the same, but will continue to test when the family not in and switch back I think this skill is going to be great, just need to bed down. We can all help testing it and giving feedback!
Pete
@PeteW & @staehler67 - Where are you running the Alexa HA service/endpoint? Is it a server/VM or low powered device? I have also experienced this from time to time but it comes and goes. No rhyme or reason but I would point my ‘development finger’ at Amazon’s endpoints based on what I have seen to date. They do have occasional service issues and increased latencies which may result in the described behavior - requests intermittently fail or take additional time to execute. I will say that I have NOT experienced the extremely slow command execution issue @PeteW described though - that one is new to me. Please share any and all details around that over PM or on the GitHub issue tracker.
This issue is certainly a priority for me as development resumes; know I aim to get this one solved one way or another. The Hue Emulator in terms of latency has a clear advantage - its communicating over the local network whereas AlexaHA is a custom skill it has to use the cloud based endpoints. Numerous points of failure or latency along the way. And of course there are no issue with using both the Hue Emulator and Alexa HA at the same time (I do!)… But I always prefer Alexa HA so I have clear audible feedback with each command.
Thanks all for your inputs here! Please keep 'em coming
@Philipp_Prehl - thanks a bunch for taking the time to introduce german translations for AlexaHA. I am excited to get this merged into the project and pave the way for other languages as well!
Cheers,
.
Switching lights with a cloud service is a no no for me. Lights should be super responsive. And in a home automation setup you shouldn’t rely on a cloud service at all if possible. Remember what you get with this skill is:
Local voice > Amazon voice recognition > local Echo > Amazon cloud > myopenhab cloud > local Echo > openhab > local command
If anything is just a bit delayed in this chain, your command fails or is executed terribly delayed.
You should have a super reliable and fast internet connection if you want to use this skill.
@d0t I assume the problems by amazon as well. I run my openhab on a VM and for test on a raspi3. There was no difference.
I’ve enriched @Philipp_Prehl patch with some additional translations but am not in the place to “github” this. Is there another way to forward this file to you?
Hi @d0t I’m now just using the Amazon Echo OpenHab skill. So no additional installed component from my end. I’m running OpenHab itself on a Pi, but that’s never had a performance issue.
Agree that the extra ‘hops’ are likely to cause issues. I’ve got great superfast-broadband here, but I think the issue will be more around latency and WiFi/Broadband quality. If there’s any drops, then it’s not going to communicate with the cloud. However, that’s the same issue for Alexa itself, as it needs the net available to work.
Having said that, the last couple of days its not been a problem. Which makes me think it might be a quality issue on my wifi/broadband as the HueEmulation has always been ok. Doesn’t that need internet connection too though…
Pete
Ah…not sure I’ve posted in the right place - sorry if that is the case…as I’m using the Alexa Skill…