Google launches Indian Languages tool

Google Inc. today launched Google Labs India, a version of its Google Labs platform that includes technologies to allow people in India to conduct searches and get results in their local languages, according to a Google blog post. Google has put up two technologies for testing by users on the Google Labs Web site: an Indic On-Screen Keyboard iGoogle Gadget and Google Indic Transliteration. The engineers said they are testing two technologies on Google Labs India, an Indic On-Screen Keyboard iGoogle Gadget and Google Indic Transliteration. Users can search by choosing letters from the on-screen keyboard using a mouse. They can add the gadget for their chosen language to their personalized iGoogle home pages and use it to search for content in their languages. Google Indic Transliteration allows the user to type in Hindi, a key language in India, using phonetically equivalent English text entered through an English keyboard. The content created can be used in e-mail, word processors and other applications from both Google and its competitors, Agarwal, a spokeswoman for Google India, said. Internet growth in India is expected to come from outside of cities, where many people are more at ease using Indian languages, he added.