Well, you can now brag about your knowledge of the Luo language to your friends thanks to Google Translate’s new update that is said to be its biggest ever. The translation tool has now added a whopping 110 new languages to make communication easier for everyone. The exciting move is part of Google’s grand plan to create AI that can translate all of the world’s 1,000 most spoken languages.
The new feat is driven by Google’s PaLM 2 AI, a program that Google has trained using tons of text and code. PaLM 2 understands human language so well that it can now translate between major languages and those spoken by smaller groups of people. So you can get to translate from Luo to Spanish or Portuguese and vice versa.
This update could prove to be very useful, especially during travel as you seek to connect with locals of a foreign country.
Google states that this new update will bring the voices of over 614 million new speakers. One of the biggest goals for Google Translate was to add African languages including Luo, Kikongo and many more. Others include Hindi-related tongues like Awadhi and Marwadi, as well as French creoles like Seychellois and Mauritian.
Google recognizes that translating languages isn’t easy due to regional variations, dialects, and spelling differences. Some languages, like Romani, with its many dialects, don’t have a single standard version, making translation tricky.
It will be interesting to see what other Kenyan and East African languages will be added to Google Translate in the future as the tech company looks to expand and improve the tool.
