Google Translate adds 110 new languages including Bikol, Hiligaynon, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, Waray

Raffy PedrajitaJuly 2, 2024Last Updated: July 2, 2024

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With its most recent and extensive language expansion, Google Translate—one of the most widely used translation tools in the world—further reduces barriers to communication for millions of users. The service now offers 110 additional languages thanks to the ground-breaking PaLM 2 big language model.

With this update, 133 languages are now available, giving over 660 million individuals access to information and connections in their mother tongue.

Google’s state-of-the-art AI model, PaLM 2, is very good at learning closely related languages. This enables Google Translate to serve a greater number of communities by bridging the gap, such as:

Regional Filipino languages: Bikol, Hiligaynon, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, and Waray are among the other regional languages from Luzon and the Visayas that Google Translate now supports.
Major world languages: Cantonese was one of the most important languages added. The language was one of the most requested to be included to Google Translate, with over 100 million speakers. Tok Pisin, the creole of Papua New Guinea, and the Shahmukhi variation of Punjabi, the most spoken language in Pakistan, have also been added.
Indigenous languages: The volunteer community made substantial contributions to more obscure and isolated languages as NKo and Afar, which are spoken in some parts of Africa.
Revivalized languages: Google Translate now supports languages that were in danger of disappearing, like Manx, a Celtic language that is currently seeing a rebirth.

With the goal of supporting the most widely spoken languages worldwide, Google’s 1,000 Languages Initiative has taken a major step forward with this expansion. Google Translate now has the greatest range of African languages to date, with 25% of the new additions coming from the continent.

In order to provide a thorough experience, Google emphasized integrating the most widely used variants, such as Southern Vlax Romani, while introducing components from other dialects. Constant improvement is ensured by the company’s continual cooperation with native speakers and linguists.