Is it true that Google released software that can translate Farsi to English?”
Iran elections: Google launches Farsi translation tool Google has added a Persian dictionary to its online translation service, allowing web users to translate blog posts and Twitter messages written in Farsi in to English. The tool will make it easier for web users to understand blogs, websites and messages written in Farsi by Iranians protesting the recent election results. Google Translate can now convert text from Farsi (Persian) in to English, and from English in to Persian. Google said it was working hard to quickly provide Farsi support for the other 40 languages featured in its translation service. “We feel that launching Persian is particularly important now, given ongoing events in Iran,” said Google in a statement. “Like YouTube and other services, Google Translate is one more tool that Persian speakers can use to communicate directly to the world, and vice versa — increasing everyone’s access to information.” The search giant warned that the translation service was still a
Google adds Persian to machine translation service By Martyn Williams June 19, 2009 02:25 AM ET IDG News Service – As the Internet becomes a more important path for information between Iran and the rest of the world, Google has added support for Persian to its Google Translate service. Google didn’t specifically tie the release of the service to the post-election protests that are currently gripping Iran but noted on a company blog that the release is “particularly important now, given ongoing events in Iran.” Social media has proved key in helping people communicate and get around government censorship and Google noted the service could be used to translate “Persian into English and from English into Persian — whether it’s a news story, a website, a blog, an email, a tweet or a Facebook message.” The Internet has grown in importance in recent days after foreign journalists in Tehran to cover the election were ordered home as their visas expired and those remaining were told they could
Google said Friday that it was adding Persian, or Farsi, to the languages it is able to translate to and from automatically through the Google Translate service. The company said it hoped the service, which it rushed because of the turmoil in Iran, would be used by people inside and outside of that country to communicate and stay abreast of events. The service is available at http://translate.google.com. “There is a huge amount of interest about the events in Iran,” said Franz Och, principal scientist at Google, who has been leading the development of Google Translate. “We hope that this tool will improve access to information in Iran and outside,” Mr. Och said in an interview.
