Google Translate Expands Language Support to 110 Languages
Image Credits: Google
Google recently announced that it has expanded its translation service to support 110 languages, covering over 614 million speakers worldwide. This achievement was made possible through the company's PaLM 2 AI model, which powers translations.
The newly added languages include Afar, Cantonese, Manx, Nko, Punjabi (Shahmukhi), Tamazight (Amazigh), and Tok Pisin, among others. According to Google, these languages are at varying stages of usage, with some having 100 million speakers while others are no longer actively spoken but are being preserved.
When adding support for a language, Google considers regional variations, dialects, and different spelling standards. For instance, Romani is a language with many dialects across Europe, and Google's models produce text closest to Southern Vlax Romani, a commonly used variety online, while also incorporating elements from other dialects like Northern Vlax and Balkan Romani.
This expansion is part of Google's initiative to support 1,000 languages through AI, which was announced in 2022. In the same year, the company added support for 24 languages spoken by over 300 million people using its one-shot model.
In comparison, Apple's translation app, which recently added support for Hindi, currently supports around 20 languages.
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