Vipi Radio
Google recently announced the expansion of its offline translation by adding 33 new languages, including nine African languages, to the Google Translate app on iOS and Android.
This now brings the total number of African languages supported by Google to 12.
Arabic, Swahili and Afrikaans have been supported by the Google Translate offline translation tool since 2018 when Google launched the functionality.
Nigerian languages Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba and southern African languages, Sesotho, Xhosa, Zulu and Shona, are part of the newly added languages.
Additionally, Kinyarwanda, spoken in Rwanda and other parts of East Africa and Chichewa, which is common in Malawi and Zambia, will cater for a wider audience across the continent.
According to Google, the offline feature “allows users to download the languages of interest and translate text when an internet connection is unavailable.”
The additional languages, therefore, seek to expand the usage of the feature, with the overall target being to boost multicultural inclusivity and appeal to a broader audience.
The offering will also boost global recognition and acceptance of African languages and potentially increase their use.
