Now, Google translates Kannada

Internet search engine giant Google's Translate tool will now enable Kannadigas to read in Kannada anything written in German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese or 56 other languages of the world.

On Wednesday, Google research scientist Ashish Venugopal said: "You can explore the linguistic diversity of the Indian sub-continent with Google Translate, which now supports five new experimental alpha languages — Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu." The facility was hitherto available only in Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi and Malayalam.

Tech-savvy Kannadigas have welcomed the translation service. Thejesh G N, a software consultant and Internet geek, said, "I am happy that Google has added Kannada to its translation service. This opens up the whole web to people who know only Kannada. My parents can now read in their mother tongue international blogs in English, French or Chinese. The service is still not perfect but as machines learn better they will translate better."

Kannada Development Authority chairman Mukhyamantri Chandru is happy that the new service has given Kannada a global platform. He said, "It is inevitable for all of us to accept several languages in this modern world. However, if you cannot disseminate information in the language of the land it becomes very difficult to reach out to people. Google Translate in Kannada will eliminate barriers and help both Kannadigas and other language speakers."

Google Translate now supports 63 languages, including 11 newly-launched alpha languages.


Now, Google translates Kannada