Google for India 2019: Google Lens, Bolo App Gets Additional Indic Language Support

Google has announced additional Indic language support for Google Lens and the Bolo app users at the Google for India event today. Google Lens can now translate text in Tamil, Telugu, and Marathi, while Bolo has added support for Bangla, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. Users can now make use of these additional Indic languages support to translate and read out loud. Furthermore, Bolo app team has also expanded its content pool by partnering with publishers like Chota Bheem and Katha Kids as well.

Starting with Lens, Google has now added support for three additional Indic languages – Tamil, Telugu, and Marathi. Users can now search for information, ask questions and translate text by pointing their phone's camera at posters, signs, books, or pamphlets. Lens should be able to translate the text to these new additional languages easily. Google Lens is also able to translate text in the same font, font size, and colour to make it a more seamless and less jarring experience, and it also reads it out loud, for users who aren't able to read.

Furthermore, the Bolo app launched earlier this year also gets additional Indic language support. The new languages include Bangla, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. As mentioned, the speech-based reading-tutor app, aimed at rural kids, is also expanding its content pool by partnering with publishers like Chotta Bheem and Katha Kids. Since launch, Bolo has managed to already help 800,000 young Indians to read stories more than three million times and speak half a billion words.

Alongside, Google also expanded language support in the Discover news feed app. It introduced support for Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, and Malayalam, and confirmed that Oriya, Urdu and Punjabi support will follow soon.