Google is introducing a range of new Indian language-specific features across its various products, as more non-English speakers come online in the country.
“In just the last two years. India has added 400 million new Internet users from rural India. Every new user coming online is an Indian language user, and we are committed to play a part†said Sanjay Gupta, Country Head and VP, Google India.
The search giant is making it easier for consumers to toggle their search results between English and four Indian languages including Tamil, Telugu, Bangla and Marathi. This comes nearly four years after it had introduced this ability for the Hindi language.
ETtechIt will also start showing relevant content in Indian languages even if the local language query is in English, for bilingual consumers. The feature is expected to roll out over the next month in five Indian languages including Hindi, Bangla, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu.
Apart from this, Google Maps will enable users to change their Maps experience to nine Indian languages, by going to the app’s settings and changing the app language. This will allow consumers to search for places, get directions and navigation, and interact with the Map in their preferred local language.
This ability was first introduced in Google Assistant and its content recommendation platform Discover last year. Google said that more than 50% of the content currently viewed on Google Discover is in Indian languages while a third of Google Assistant users in India are using it in an Indian language. Queries in Indian languages have also doubled since the feature was introduced, it said.
Another noteworthy feature called Homework Help, allows students to learn how to solve complex math problems like quadratic equations using Google Lens. Students can take a photo of the problem using Lens from the Search bar in the Google app and browse through step-by-step guides and videos that explain the solution.
When your kid has a math problem, rise to the equation.Nidhi Gupta, Sr. Product Manager, Google India, talks abou… https://t.co/C7Lky86f2b
— Google India (@GoogleIndia) 1608185026000
The tech giant has also introduced a new language model that aims to specifically address concerns around Indian language understanding of computer systems, in a bid to help researchers, students, and startups keen on building local language technologies.
