Digital India gets local language booster

Global technology giants like Google and Microsoft are exploring ways to incorporate Indian languages in their products and services

At a time when global technology giants such as Google and Microsoft are exploring ways to incorporate Indian languages in their products and services, a government-run research organisation has developed a language interface that facilitates real-time translation of online content in more than 15 languages.

Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), a research organisation of the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, has developed a localisation framework that translates content from websites, applications and databases into multiple Indian languages, said Rajat Moona, director-general, C-DAC. “There is a huge government focus on e-governance. Under Digital India, the government has been talking about making digital information databases and services available to citizens... This requires massive inputs in languages, because 90 per cent of people require their local language to be able to consume that information,” explained Moona.

The Digital India initiative aims to connect 1.2 billion Indians through internet and provide government services online at an estimated investment of Rs 1.13 lakh crore over the next three to five years. “If a government website is in English, it’s a challenge to automatically translate it into Indian languages. We have been working on a mechanism that can automatically translate content into Indian languages,” said Moona.

Late last year, Google launched a virtual keyboard for Android that allows typing in 11 Indian languages. In May this year, Google released a feature called “Tap to Translate” that allows instant translation of any text on any Android app. Of the 103 languages that the feature supports globally, 10 are Indian. Google also launched voice search in Hindi and seven other Indian languages.

Microsoft, on its part, supports more than 10 Indian languages in Windows 10 OS, which was unveiled last year.

For Window 10 mobiles, the company has built phonetic keyboards for 10 Indian languages, allowing users to type on an easy-to-use QWERTY keyboard while the software automatically translates the text in the native script.

Earlier this month, C-DAC collaborated with the Election Commission to launch an application under which the enrolment forms and electoral services were made available in 15 Indian languages. These forms, which were earlier available in one official language, can now be converted into 15 Indian languages in real time.

C-DAC is also implementing the language interfacing abilities for mygov.in and farmer.gov.in. “We have been doing it in an automated manner without doing content development. Content development is being done by appropriate agencies, we only do language interface, and that is a major focus area,” Moona added.

GOING FOR THE MASS PLAY

• India is expected to have 730 million internet users by 2020, compared with 400 million at present
   
• More than 7 out of every 10 new users to emerge from rural areas
   
• Only 10% Indians understand English
   
• Regional language capabilities to help government deliver digital services to masses
  

 

CDAC has created a framework to convert content on government websites, applications and databases from English to more than 15 Indian languages in real time
 

Companies like Google and Microsoft have been working to bring Indian language capabilities in their products and services
 

In addition to Google Translate, which completed 10 years in 2016, the company has launched virtual keyboard for Android with 11 Indian languages
 

Google’s ‘Tap to Translate’ initiative features 103 languages, of which 10 are Indian