Breaking update! In a major technical departure, Google alerting criteria for inclusion of Low resource Languages on Google Translate.

Google has announced that it is including as many as 24 languages on its Translate app, in which three indigenous languages of the Americas figure. These languages are Quechua, Guarani and Aymara.  So now 150-108 = 3 is still better than Zero.  It was just Zero right at the beginning of this campaign in 2021.

The inclusion of these three indigenous languages makes us hope that someday in the near future, Cree-the indigenous language for whose inclusion on this Google app this petition was raised-will also make it to this list.

Although Google has yet to address the anomaly of the logic of inclusion of a language on this app, it has done away with a major criterion for inclusion of a language on Google Translate. This is what it is:

“It learns to translate into another language without ever seeing an example”


This is the first set of languages that will NOT require an example set earlier. Google says this signals a major technical departure. Here is what Google says:

“This is…a technical milestone for Google Translate. These are the first languages we’ve added using Zero-Shot Machine Translation, where a machine learning model only sees monolingual text — meaning, it learns to translate into another language without ever seeing an example.”

How does this help Cree on Google?

Earlier, in response to our petition, Google had said that Cree is considered a "low resource" language. According to Google, a low resources language is one which doesn't have enough written translations of documents in that language to populate and "train" automated translation systems that Google uses.

With this latest action of Google pertaining to inclusion of these 24 languages introducing a new trend, we are optimistic that Cree’s chances will improve, as lack of sufficient written translations of documents will not become a limiting factor for inclusion of Cree on Google Translate. 

Stay tuned for more updates. In the meantime, please continue to spread word about this petition among your contacts and help us grow the number of signers, which can give us leverage with Google and make it include Canada's highest spoken indigenous language on this app!