Google Translate has been helping people understand different languages for nearly 20 years. It now supports 133 languages, thanks to various methods developed over time.
Recently, Google Translate has added support for 110 new languages, making a total of 243 languages available. This big update was possible because of their advanced AI model, PaLM 2.
Isaac Caswell, a Senior Software Engineer at Google Translate, mentioned in a blog post that these new languages cover around 614 million speakers, which is about 8% of the world’s population. The newly added languages range from widely spoken ones like Cantonese to less common ones involved in revitalization efforts.
The PaLM 2 AI model was especially helpful for adding closely related languages, such as Marwadi and Awadhi, which are related to Hindi. Cantonese, a highly requested language, was also added. Its close relation to Mandarin made it a challenge, but the AI model managed to handle it.
Punjabi, the main language of Pakistan, was included too. About 25% of the new languages come from Africa, including Wolof, Venda, Swati, Nko, Luo, Kikongo, Ga, and Fon.
With 243 languages now supported and over 500 million people using the service daily, Google Translate is a key tool for breaking language barriers. Thanks to advanced AI, we can expect even more improvements and additions in the future.
