Google adds 24 new languages to its ‘Translate’ platform. 11 of them are African languages

Published

3 years ago

May 12, 2022

Tech giant Google has revealed that it has added 24 new languages, ten of which are African to its Google Translate platform.

The new includes are in Africa, including Lingala – Democratic Republic of Congo, Twi – Ghana, and Tigrinya – Eritrea.

Others are languages from Togo, Sierra Leone, Mali, South Africa, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Namibia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

Google Translate is a multilingual neural machine translation service developed by Google to translate text, documents, and websites from one language into another.

The US-based company through Isaac Caswell, a senior software engineer, Google Translate, said the new addition is aimed at helping those whose languages “aren’t represented in most technology”,

“For years, Google Translate has helped break down language barriers and connect communities all over the world …this is also a technical milestone for Google Translate,” Caswell added.

See the new languages below:

Assamese, used by about 25 million people in Northeast India
Aymara, used by about two million people in Bolivia, Chile and Peru
Bambara, used by about 14 million people in Mali
Bhojpuri, used by about 50 million people in northern India, Nepal and Fiji
Dhivehi, used by about 300,000 people in the Maldives
Dogri, used by about three million people in northern India
Ewe, used by about seven million people in Ghana and Togo
Guarani, used by about seven million people in Paraguay and Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil
Ilocano, used by about 10 million people in northern Philippines
Konkani, used by about two million people in Central India
Krio, used by about four million people in Sierra Leone
Kurdish (Sorani), used by about eight million people, mostly in Iraq
Lingala, used by about 45 million people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo,
Central African Republic, Angola and the Republic of South Sudan
Luganda, used by about 20 million people in Uganda and Rwanda
Maithili, used by about 34 million people in northern India
Meiteilon (Manipuri), used by about two million people in Northeast India
Mizo, used by about 830,000 people in Northeast India
Oromo, used by about 37 million people in Ethiopia and Kenya
Quechua, used by about 10 million people in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and surrounding countries
Sanskrit, used by about 20,000 people in India
Sepedi, used by about 14 million people in South Africa
Tigrinya, used by about eight million people in Eritrea and Ethiopia
Tsonga, used by about seven million people in Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe
Twi, used by about 11 million people in Ghana

The new additions make it 133 the number of languages it can interpret using its algorithms.

Related Topics:Featured Google Google Translate

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Fintech startup DigMo launched in Zambia to gamify financial planning

Published

16 minutes ago

November 24, 2024

Isaac Dachen

DigMo, a gamified fintech startup which helps users to build wealth tools from low to middle-income earners, has been launched in Zambia.

CEO of the DigMo Group, Sylvia Brune, who made the announcement, says the platform which is licensed by the Bank of Zambia to operate a wallet, offers a secure, free digital money account with a special account for users to play a financial planning game which incentivises customers to get started putting money away for the future.

“By giving customers the chance to win big rewards, DigMo is encouraging sustainable habits,” said Brune.

She stated that with an initial rollout in Zambia, DigMo wallet’s first offering, Save to Win, will make putting money away regularly, easy and rewarding with no fixed costs or fees.

“DigMo Save to Win allows users to start with small amounts – from just ZMW10 (US$0.37) – for the chance to win prizes of up to ZMW500,000 (US$19,000).

“We are committed to financial planning innovation for low and middle-income earners across Africa. To achieve this meaningful impact, we approach this like a game studio – where we constantly create and test many new products until we find those with an outsized impact,” Brune said.

“If we just take existing products and make them more affordable or accessible, it is unlikely that we can dramatically change behaviours.

“To succeed, we have engaged directly with users, observing and learning from them to develop DigMo, a solution that will dramatically improve their financial well-being and meet their unique needs,” she added.

Tech

Kenya’s startup BuuPass partners with GiftPesa to launch digital travel vouchers

Published

1 day ago

November 23, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Kenyan digital ticketing and transportation management solutions startup, BuuPass, has entered into a partnership with fintech company, GiftPesa, to introduce digital travel vouchers ahead of the holiday season.

In a statement by BuuPass cofounder and CEO, Sonia Kabra, the move will offer a more flexible and convenient way for Kenyans to manage and gift travel arrangements during the bustling holiday period.

“We’ve noticed a growing demand for digital solutions in the travel industry, especially during peak periods like the holiday season,” said Kabra.

“This partnership with GiftPesa enhances the travel experience for our customers, offering them a convenient way to send travel tickets as gifts and have a safety net for unconfirmed travel dates.

“Unlike traditional paper vouchers that can expire or get lost, GiftPesa vouchers are valid for 12 months and can be redeemed in parts at over 3,000 outlets across the country.

“This flexibility allows recipients to use the vouchers for multiple trips or select their preferred destination, making travel more accessible,” she added.

Founded in 2016 by Kabra and Wyclife Omondi, BuuPass is a leading B2B2C mobility marketplace that enables users to search, compare, and book travel tickets via web, app, or USSD, while its SaaS platform helps bus operators manage their operations, inventory, and sales.

GiftPesa, on the other hand, is a fintech startup that provides businesses and individuals with a platform for creating digital vouchers.

The partnership between the two companies will introduce digital travel vouchers, helping users manage and gift travel arrangements during the bustling holiday period.