Google has significantly expanded its Google Translate service, introducing support for 110 new languages, including eight from Africa.
In a recent announcement, Google emphasized its dedication to supporting underrepresented languages and enhancing communication across the African continent. The newly added African languages include Kikongo from Central Africa; Luo, Swati, and Venda from East Africa; Fon and Wolof from West Africa; and Swati and Ndebele from Southern Africa.
This expansion is part of Google’s 1,000 Languages Initiative, which leverages AI to support the most widely spoken languages globally. By breaking down language barriers, this initiative aims to foster communication and cultural exchange across diverse communities.
Previously supported African languages on Google Translate include Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Fulani, Kanuri, and Tiv.
Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s Communications and Public Affairs Manager for West Africa, highlighted the company's mission to enable global understanding and self-expression across different languages. "With the addition of these 110 new languages, including many from Africa, we’re opening up new opportunities for over half a billion people to connect and communicate," he stated.
Kola-Ogunlade also discussed the complexities of language selection, noting that many languages lack a single standard form. Google prioritizes the most commonly spoken dialects to enhance accessibility and usability.
The latest expansion utilizes the PaLM 2 large language model and builds on the 2022 addition of 24 languages using Zero-Shot Machine translation. This technology allows Google Translate to learn and support languages with closely related dialects. Native speakers played a crucial role in ensuring accuracy and prioritizing the most used varieties.
Overall, the 110 new languages added to Google Translate cater to over 614 million speakers worldwide, covering around 8 percent of the global population. This includes major world languages, the languages of small Indigenous communities, and those undergoing revitalization efforts.
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