Google offers Filipino translation service

MANILA, Philippines - Global search engine Google, Inc. announced Thursday a new service that can translate 34 foreign languages into Filipino. In a statement, Google said it could now translate Web pages in English, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Dutch, among others, into the local vernacular. "At Google, we believe that the Internet is about enabling access to the world’s information — all the world’s information, regardless of language," Derek Callow, marketing manager of Google Southeast Asia, said in a statement Thursday. "Today’s launch of Google Translate in the Filipino language makes it easier for millions of Filipino-speaking Internet users all over the world to search and access much more Web content in their own local language," he added. People may now use Filipino keywords to search for Web pages published in 34 languages and have the results automatically translated back into the Filipino language, the statement said. Web pages in Filipino can now also be translated into any of the languages supported by translate.google.com.ph Web site. The service was also launched for other countries in Southeast Asia. "Google Translate also allows Internet users to contribute to the improvement of translations to and from the Filipino language," Mr. Callow said. When users come across an inaccurate translation, the tool allows them to suggest a better translation than that offered by the system, he pointed out. — Paolo Luis G. Montecillo, BusinessWorld