Google adds Tulu to its translation services, community says it is a great honour

Vartha Bharati | 29-06-2024 | 22:38:00 IST

Mangaluru: In a significant stride towards preserving and promoting regional languages, Google has added Tulu to its translation services.

Tulu joins 110 new languages on Google Translate from June 27, marking a historic moment for the millions of people who speak this language. This addition allows users to easily translate Tulu words and phrases, enhancing the accessibility and understanding of this cherished language.

The Tulu-speaking community, which has long sought greater recognition for their language, is celebrating this achievement as a major honour, especially since Tulu is not officially recognised in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

While the initial translations for Tulu on Google Translate may contain some errors, the system is expected to improve over time. Users are encouraged to provide accurate translations in the feedback section to help refine and enhance the service's accuracy.

Google's inclusion of Tulu leverages advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology. This involves a statistical-based method that relies on large amounts of data. For Tulu, approximately 2 million translated sentences, including nouns and verbs, were fed into the system, allowing the machine to learn and improve its translations progressively.

Expressing satisfaction over the new global acclaim of the Tulu language, Tharanath Gatty Kapikad, president of Karnataka State Tulu Academy, told PTI that the Tuluva people must make extensive use of this new global service and take forward the literary heritage of Tulu language.

He said it is natural that there could be some misgivings in translating from one language to another. In such cases, he advised the Tuluvas to use the feedback button on Google translator to correct such misgivings.

Former Karnataka Chief Minister M Veerappa Moily had been a strong votary of inclusion of Tulu language into the Eighth schedule of the Constitution and had taken a delegation to meet various Central leaders to include Tulu language into the Eithth Schedule.

He expressed happiness over the new global recognition given to Tulu language by Google through creating a translation interface with other languages. That means Tulu has gained much more ground on a global scale.

Even non-Tulu speakers in Karnataka may have encountered Tulu phrases through popular Kannada movies such as 'Ulidavaru Kandanthe,' 'Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana,' and 'Kantara,' as well as the Hindi movie 'Welcome.' Despite some initial challenges and the need for ongoing refinements, the inclusion of Tulu in Google Translate is a milestone. It paves the way for greater preservation and broader usage of the language. This global recognition not only brings pride to the Tulu-speaking community but also ensures that Tulu remains relevant and vibrant in the digital age.

Tulu has a script of its own but not popularised. The Dharmasthala Museum for art has displayed Tulu script.

Efforts are on at the national level to include Tulu into the Eighth Schedule of the constitution. Tulu is also a language of entry for TOEFL examination.

Kuppam University in Andhra Pradesh has a chair for Tulu development. Tuluva scholars like Prof. Viveka Rai, late Amrut Someshwara and late K S Haridas Bhat recognised Tulu as one of the 'Pancha Dravida Bhasha' - Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Tulu.

Get all the latest, breaking news from Mangaluru and Dakshina Kannada in a single click. CLICK HERE to get all the latest news from Mangaluru.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.

Comments

comments powered by Disqus.

Take it in writing, INDIA will defeat BJP in Gujarat in coming assembly election: Rahul Gandhi

02-07-2024 ¦ 02-07-2024 IST

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi | PC: PTI

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi adopted an aggressive stance during his maiden speech in the Lok Sabha on Monday, July 1. In his address, Gandhi raised multiple issues, from the NEET examination to matters of religion, and launched a sharp attack on the central government. He also openly challenged the Modi government regarding the upcoming assembly elections in several states.

Gandhi asserted that the INDIA alliance, which includes the Congress and other opposition parties, would secure a victory in the forthcoming Gujarat assembly elections. "You can take it in writing that the opposition INDIA alliance is going to defeat you (BJP) in Gujarat," he declared.

Highlighting economic concerns, Gandhi criticized the government's demonetization policy and the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). He claimed these measures were implemented to benefit billionaires at the expense of small industrialists. "Ask any small industrialist why demonetization was done? They will tell you that all this was done to help billionaires. I went to Gujarat and spoke to a textile owner. When I asked him why demonetization and GST were introduced, he clearly said that GST was brought to help billionaires because Narendra Modi works for billionaires," Gandhi said.

During his remarks, a BJP member interrupted Gandhi, questioning his visits to Gujarat. This was a pointed reference to Gandhi's defamation case in a Gujarat court, which had previously led to his two-year imprisonment sentence and temporary disqualification as an MP. Responding to the interruption, Gandhi reaffirmed his commitment to Gujarat, stating, "I keep going to Gujarat and this time I will defeat you in Gujarat. You can take it in writing that the opposition INDIA alliance is going to defeat you in Gujarat."