Great news for Google Translate users: the app will soon support 110 new languages. Previously, Google Translate offered 133 languages, so this update nearly doubles its language library.
Google’s recent blog post explained that AI models, specifically the PaLM 2 large language model, enable these additions. The new languages include Afar, Cantonese, Manx, NKo, Punjabi (Shahmukhi), Tamazight (Amazigh), and Tok Pisin, among others.
Afar is spoken in Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. Cantonese, highly requested, is now included. Manx, from the Isle of Man, and NKo, a standardized form of West African Manding languages, are also new additions. Punjabi (Shahmukhi), written in the Perso-Arabic script, is widely spoken in Pakistan. Tamazight (Amazigh) is a Berber language from North Africa, and Tok Pisin is an English-based creole from Papua New Guinea.
About 25% of the new languages are from Africa, marking Google’s largest African language expansion. These include Fon, Kikongo, Luo, Ga, Swati, Venda, and Wolof. Google notes that these new languages represent over 614 million speakers, covering around 8% of the world’s population. Some languages have over 100 million speakers, while others are spoken by small Indigenous communities or are being revived.
PaLM 2, the updated Pathways Language Model, enhances multilingual expertise, coding capabilities, and reasoning abilities. This model helps Google Translate learn related languages more effectively. Google has also collaborated with expert linguists and native speakers to support a wider range of language varieties and spelling conventions.
Through the 1,000 Languages Initiative, Google aims to build AI models that support the 1,000 most-spoken languages worldwide. This initiative reflects Google’s commitment to expanding language support and improving translation services globally.
