Google Translate Expands to 110 New Languages with AI-Powered PaLM 2
Google Translate, a vital tool for communication across languages, has just received a significant boost. The company has announced the addition of 110 new languages to its translation platform, bringing the total number of supported languages to over 130. This expansion is made possible by Google’s cutting-edge Large Language Model (LLM), PaLM 2.
Google Translate logo
The new languages added to Google Translate include Cantonese, Punjabi (Shahmukhi), and NKo, among others. Notably, about a quarter of the new languages come from Africa, representing 614 million speakers worldwide. This update is a significant step towards bridging the language gap and facilitating global communication.
According to Google, PaLM 2 has been instrumental in enabling Translate to learn languages more efficiently. The model’s ability to recognize patterns and relationships between languages has allowed it to learn languages that are closely related to each other, such as Hindi and its variants, Awadhi and Marwadi.
“As technology advances, and as we continue to partner with expert linguists and native speakers, we’ll support even more language varieties and spelling conventions over time.” - Isaac Caswell, Senior Software Engineer, Google Translate
This update is part of Google’s broader effort to create AI models that can support the 1,000 most common languages spoken globally. The company’s 1,000 Languages Initiative aims to make language translation more accessible and accurate for people around the world.
Language translation
Google Translate’s last major update was in May 2022, when it introduced Zero-Shot Machine Translation. This technology allows the model to learn new languages without requiring examples. The latest expansion is a testament to Google’s commitment to improving language translation and breaking down language barriers.
Google Translate app
With this update, Google Translate is poised to become an even more essential tool for people communicating across languages. Whether you’re a traveler, a business professional, or simply someone looking to connect with others across the globe, Google Translate is an indispensable resource.
Language diversity
As language technology continues to evolve, it will be exciting to see how Google Translate and other language translation tools adapt to meet the needs of an increasingly interconnected world.
