Google wants to take down the language barriers across the globe. The company today announced the largest expansion ever to its translation service, Google Translate. The company is adding a staggering 110 new languages to the translator, powered by PaLM 2 large language model.
With these new additions, Google Translate now boasts support for over 1,000 languages. This update empowers over 614 million people worldwide, opening up translations for around 8% of the world’s population, informs the company.
“Google Translate breaks down language barriers to help people connect and better understand the world around them. We’re always applying the latest technologies so more people can access this tool: In 2022, we added 24 new languages using Zero-Shot Machine Translation, where a machine learning model learns to translate into another language without ever seeing an example. And we announced the 1,000 Languages Initiative, a commitment to build AI models that will support the 1,000 most spoken languages around the world,” Isaac Caswell, senior Software Engineer at Google Translate wrote in a blog post.
The new additions encompass a diverse range. From widely spoken languages like Cantonese and Punjabi (Shahmukhi) to lesser-known tongues like NKo and Tamazight, Google Translate is embracing the world’s rich linguistic tapestry.
A key driver of this expansion is Google’s powerful PaLM 2 large language model. PaLM 2’s ability to efficiently learn related languages has been instrumental in bridging the gap between languages with shared roots. This is particularly beneficial for regions with numerous dialects, such as the Hindi language family.
This expansion aligns perfectly with Google’s ambitious 1,000 Languages Initiative, a project dedicated to developing AI models that support all the world’s most spoken languages.
