Google Translate Adds Support for 110 New Languages With the Assistance of AI

Google Translate got a big update on Thursday and will now support an additional 110 languages. The new languages ​​were added with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). The tech giant used its in-house Large Language Model (LLM) PaLM 2, and it was particularly effective at learning those languages ​​that were related to each other or were a regional dialect of a language. Among the new additions, the Indian regional languages ​​Awadhi and Marwadi have also been added to Google Translate.

Google Translate gets 110 new languages

In a blog post, the company said it's the biggest expansion Google Translate has ever received. Previously, the translation tool supported a total of 133 languages. After the expansion, the number rises to 243 languages. In November 2022, Google announced its 1,000 languages ​​initiative. Under the initiative, the company committed to building AI models to support the 1,000 most spoken languages ​​worldwide. The 110 new languages ​​are part of this initiative.

To choose the new languages, Google prioritized the most widely used varieties of each language. Citing an example, he said that when considering the Romani language, which has many dialects in Europe, the AI ​​model chose the South Vlax Romani language, which is a commonly used variety online. The choice was also dictated by the availability of text on which to train the AI ​​model.

Some of the notable new features are as follows. Cantonese has finally been added. Google says it was one of the most requested languages ​​for Google Translate. Afar, a tonal language spoken in Djibouti, Eritrea and Ethiopia was also added after the company found contributions from the volunteer community. In particular, a quarter of all new languages ​​are from Africa.