NAIROBI, Kenya- Google has announced its most significant language support update yet, rolling out support for 110 new languages, including Dholuo, a dialect of the Luo tribe.
This expansion is driven by advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Google’s PaLM 2 large language model, which also powers the company’s AI chatbot, Bard.
Among the newly added languages are Awadhi, Cantonese, and Marwari. But the most notable aspect of this update is Google’s commitment to African languages.
As Isaac Caswell, Google’s senior software engineer, put it, this is their “latest expansion of African languages to date.” Caswell highlighted that about a quarter of the new languages come from Africa.
The Luo people, who speak Dholuo, are part of several Nilotic ethnic groups spread across regions including Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Northern Uganda, eastern DRC, western Kenya, and parts of Tanzania.
Dholuo is spoken by approximately 4.2 million Luo people in Kenya and Tanzania. This inclusion in Google Translate is a significant step towards digital inclusivity for these communities.
AI-Powered Translation
The integration of AI in this update means that Google Translate will leverage machine learning to deliver more accurate translations.
Caswell noted that while the models might make some errors, they have been rigorously tested with native speakers.
“They are all ‘generally useful and right most of the time,’ and community members have emphasized that they are useful!” he wrote on X.
The AI technology ensures that for languages with various dialects and spelling standards, Google Translate will “tend to output the most common variety found online, but will also mix between varieties.”
This approach helps in covering a broader spectrum of language use cases.
With this update, Google Translate now supports 243 languages, marking a significant milestone in Google’s ambitious project to build AI models that can support the world’s 1,000 most spoken languages.
This move not only enhances the utility of Google Translate but also underscores Google’s commitment to fostering global communication and understanding through technology.
