New ShakeSpeak App Lets Shakespeare Fans Text Like the Bard

LONDON, April 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

VisitLondon.com and Swiftkey team up to celebrate Shakespeare's legacy as part of Fans of London campaign

Watch Famous actor Simon Callow surprise Shakespeare super fan on stage at The Globe

A new app which adds a Shakespearean touch to your text messaging, has been launched today to celebrate the 400^th anniversary of the Bard's death and as part of a tourism drive for the capital, called 'Fans of London'.

Working with VisitLondon.com, the official visitor guide for the capital, ShakeSpeak has been developed by software company SwiftKey, best known for their language prediction app. By analysing the Complete Works of Shakespeare they developed an app that helps turn your text messages into Shakespearean prose by predicting the playwright's best known phrases.

Swiftkey's app, which is available to download free of charge, allows you to simply type the first word or two of a famous Shakespearean quote and the technology will do the rest. For example:

To be or not to be, that is the question
That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet
All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players

And in order to make your text messages as authentic as the Bard's language, Swiftkey's analysis of the Complete Works of Shakespeare recommends using 'Thou', 'thee' and 'thy' in your text messages, as these three words are among the most frequent Shakespeare uses compared to how we speak today.*

The launch of the ShakeSpeak app is part of the Fans of London tourism campaign from VisitLondon.com, which is supported by the GREAT Britain Campaign, British Airways and Hilton. Fans of London celebrates the blockbuster events taking place across the capital this year, including the 400^th anniversary of Shakespeare's legacy, and the first ever exhibition on the Rolling Stones, EXHIBITIONISM.

Lori Jones, a dedicated Shakespeare super fan, was flown to London as part of the campaign. Lori was surprised on stage by classical actor Simon Callow, who conducted a voice workshop with her in the Sam Wanamaker playhouse.

Actor and director Simon Callow said: "After all this time, Shakespeare's works are still relevant to us all, and it's a delight to know that his legacy is still very much alive in London - the calendar of events to honour the Bard this year is truly spectacular."

Chris Gottlieb, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer for London & Partners, said: "The legacy of Shakespeare lives on in London and in this commemorative year, there is so much to see and do across the capital for fans such as Lori - from exhibitions, special performances and quirky adaptations."

ShakeSpeak is available to download on Android from 9am BST on 7th April for smartphones and tablets on Google Play (search ShakeSpeak).

For the chance to win a trip to London go to http://www.visitlondon.com/fans

SOURCE London & Partners

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