Cantonese, Patois and Wolof: Google Translate learns 110 new languages
With 110 new languages, Google has announced the biggest update for its translation tool Google Translate.
With the help of AI, or more precisely the PaLM 2 language model, Google is significantly expanding the capabilities of its translator. In addition to the existing 133 languages, 110 new ones have been added. These are spoken by 614 million people and range from Cantonese to Manx, which is only spoken on the Isle of Man.
From global languages with over 100 million users to regional dialects
About a quarter of the newly added languages come from Africa, as software developer Isaac Caswell from Google's Translate team writes in an official blog post.
Caswell picks out several languages and reveals details about them. Cantonese was the most requested language for Google Translate. The problem was having enough usable training material, as the language has many written overlaps with Mandarin. The Gaelic language Manx died in 1974 on the Isle of Man with the last native speaker. However, following a revitalisation, several thousand people on the island now speak the language again.
The new languages will be available in the next few days translate.google.com and in the Google Translate apps on Android and iOS.
All 110 new languages from Google Translate
Which of the new languages are you most excited about?
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