Google AI Breathes New Life Into Endangered Languages
A Digital Lifeline for Endangered Tongues
Imagine a world where thousands of unique voices, each carrying centuries of stories and culture, are fading into silence. This isn't a dystopian future; it's a present-day reality, with nearly 40% of the globe's 7,000 languages facing extinction. In a groundbreaking effort to combat this loss, Google Arts & Culture is leveraging the power of AI to create a digital lifeline for these precious languages.
Meet Woolaroo Your AI Language Guide
The initiative, named Woolaroo, is an innovative AI experiment that transforms your smartphone into a window to other cultures. First launched in 2021, Woolaroo allows you to simply snap a photo of your surroundings, and through the magic of image recognition and AI, it instantly provides you with the names of those objects in one of 30 endangered languages. The project has recently been enhanced with Google's Gemini AI to provide richer context and understanding.
This powerful tool was not built in isolation. It's the result of a deep collaboration with global partners and the language communities themselves, who have provided essential, expertly curated translation data and audio recordings to ensure the experience is both accurate and authentically interactive.
A World of New Languages to Explore
The latest update significantly expands Woolaroo's linguistic library, adding 10 new languages from across Africa, as well as new additions from Brazil, Mexico, Turkey, and Scotland. Alongside the translations, the partner communities have also shared captivating stories, offering users a deeper dive into the cultures behind the words.
Voices from Around the Globe
Explore some of the beautiful words and cultures now featured in Woolaroo:
Anyan afọng idem is the Ibibio word for dress. Ibibio is spoken by the Ibibio-Efik people in southern Nigeria and parts of Cameroon. Photo: Iquo DianaAbasi
Gàire is the Scottish Gaelic word for laugh. Scottish Gaelic is most commonly spoken in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Photo: Sabhal Mòr Ostaig
Íchakpà is the Ekpeye word for road. Ekpeye is a distinct language spoken by the Ekpeye people in Rivers state, Nigeria. Photo: Angelo Chiacchio
Pena is the Sateré-mawé word for feather. The Sateré-Mawé language is spoken by Indigenous groups in the Middle Amazon River area. Photo: Joede Michiles
Muzisiyeni is the Lazuri word for musician. The Laz people are found around the Eastern Black Coast Mountains of Turkey and Georgia. Photo: Ismail Avci Bucaklisi
Maamea ya'arime is the Yaqui word for craft. The language is known as Jiak noki, which means “Yaqui speak.” Photo: ISC
Buonjo is the Luo word for smile. The Dholuo language from Kenya and Tanzania is characterized by a rich linguistic structure. Photo: Angelo Chiacchio
Hulushitee is the Ga word for sunrise. Ga is a Kwa language spoken in Ghana, primarily in and around the capital of Accra. Photo: Angelo Chiacchio
Join the Preservation Effort
Technology offers a unique opportunity to document, share, and celebrate linguistic diversity. You can play a part in promoting language preservation by exploring these incredible cultures and sharing the experience with others.
Discover the world in a new way by trying the experiment at goo.gle/woolaroo and explore more stories on Google Arts & Culture.
