Google I/O 2022: Assamese finally added to Google Translate
Guwahati: Google announced that Assamese along with seven other Indian languages, including Mizo and Meiteilon from Manipur had been added to Google Translate on Wednesday night.
Officials at Google stated that Sanskrit was the most requested language among the 24 new languages introduced to Google Translate in the most recent update.
Google employees further added that the first languages from northeast India are also being added.
Sanskrit, Assamese, Bhojpuri, Dogri, Konkani, Maithili, Mizo, and Meiteilon (Manipuri) are the eight new languages added to the total of 24.
This brings the overall number of Indian languages supported by the service to 19.
The statement was made late Wednesday night at the annual Google conference I/O.
The languages are listed below, and the statistics are based on Google’s global popularity estimates.
- Assamese, is used by about 25 million people in Northeast India
- Aymara, used by about two million people in Bolivia, Chile, and Peru
- Bambara, used by about 14 million people in Mali
- Bhojpuri, used by about 50 million people in Northern India, Nepal, and Fiji
- Dhivehi, used by about 300,000 people in the Maldives
- Dogri, used by about three million people in Northern India
- Ewe, used by about seven million people in Ghana and Togo
- Guarani is used by about seven million people in Paraguay and Bolivia, Argentina, and Brazil
- Ilocano, used by about 10 million people in Northern Philippines
- Konkani, used by about two million people in Central India
- Krio is used by about four million people in Sierra Leone
- Kurdish (Shoran), used by about eight million people, mostly in Iraq
- Lingala is used by about 45 million people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Angola and the Republic of South Sudan
- Luganda, used by about 20 million people in Uganda and Rwanda
- Maithili, used by about 34 million people in Northern India
- Meiteilon (Manipuri), used by about two million people in Northeast India
- Mizo, used by about 830,000 people in Northeast India
- Oromo is used by about 37 million people in Ethiopia and Kenya
- Quechua, used by about 10 million people in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and surrounding countries
- Sanskrit, used by about 20,000 people in India
- Sepedi, used by about 14 million people in South Africa
- Tigrinya, used by about eight million people in Eritrea and Ethiopia
- Tsonga, used by about seven million people in Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe
- Twi, used by about 11 million people in Ghana
People from Assam found it difficult to convert into and out of Assamese before the recent declaration. The majority of individuals used the Bing translator, but with the new addition, it is hoped that more people would be able to use it.