Google Translate has added Cantonese, a widely spoken Chinese dialect, to its service, making it available for users to translate between 243 languages. This latest expansion marks the addition of support for 110 new languages, thanks to the use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technology implemented by Google.
Users can now write or speak in Cantonese and have the text or speech translated by Google Translate, offering a convenient tool for communication between different language speakers. Cantonese has been a highly requested language for the service, as it poses challenges due to its similarities and differences with Mandarin in terms of writing, grammar, and structure.
Google leveraged its large language model (LLM) PaLM 2, launched over a year ago, to efficiently learn closely related languages like Cantonese. This technology advancement has been part of the ongoing race in the industry to enhance AI tools, with Google introducing Gemma 2 LLM to researchers and developers as a second-generation lightweight model.
In addition to Google’s efforts, Microsoft is also working on adding advanced capabilities to its Edge browser, while introducing new features to the Chrome mobile browser. These features include shortcuts to local search results, personalized search suggestions, trending recommendations, and live sports updates, enhancing the overall user experience.
While Google Translate is not the only service offering Cantonese support, being popular among Internet users in Hong Kong, it provides a valuable resource for communication in this region. Other services like Bing and OpenAI’s LLMs also offer Cantonese translation tools, showing the demand for language diversity in AI-based services.
Apart from Cantonese, Google Translate also introduced support for other languages like Punjabi (Shahmukhi), spoken in Pakistan, and languages related to Hindi, Awadhi, and Marwadi. This continuous expansion of language support reflects the commitment of tech companies to bridge communication barriers worldwide and provide inclusive services for users across different linguistic backgrounds.
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