Google has expanded its language offerings in Google Translate by adding 110 new languages thanks to its Artificial Intelligence (AI) model, PaLM 2. This expansion includes languages spoken by over 614 million people, ranging from those with over 100 million speakers to small indigenous communities. The goal of Google’s efforts is to break down language barriers and make communication easier for people around the world.
In 2022, Google added 24 new languages using Zero-Shot Machine Translation technology, with the aim of reaching 1,000 languages to support the most widely spoken languages in the world. The recent announcement of the addition of 110 languages to Google Translate brings the total number of supported languages to over 600 million speakers, covering 8 percent of the world’s population.
Google’s approach to selecting new languages for inclusion in Google Translate takes into account regional varieties, dialects, and spelling standards. The company prioritizes the most widely used varieties of each language to ensure that translations are accessible to as many people as possible. This expansion includes languages like Punjabi, Nkow, Tamazight, and Tok Pisin, among others.
Google continues to work with expert linguists and native speakers to support a wide range of linguistic varieties and spelling conventions. As technology advances, Google aims to expand its language offerings even further to support more communities in their language needs. This commitment reflects Google’s dedication to helping people connect through language and communication.