Microsoft showcases Indian language tools

Hyderabad, Nov 26 : Microsoft showcased a set of tools that help users enter Indian language text into computers easily and quickly, at the Microsoft India Development Center here on Wednesday.

The beta version of the tools will be made available as a free download soon and will initially support the following six languages – Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu.

These tools have been engineered by the Emerging Markets Labs (EM Labs) team of the Microsoft India Development Center (MSIDC) and the technology can be leveraged to support other syllabic languages beyond Indian languages, said a company release issued Wednesday night.

These input tools use free-form transliteration. Users spell Indian language words in a natural (phonetic) way using English alphabet, which the tools transliterate into the right words in the chosen Indian language. For example, one can type “bharat mein anek bhashaen boli jati hain” to get भारत में अनेक भाषाएँ बोली जाती हैं. In addition to desktop and web versions, visual keyboards for all supported languages are also available.

“There is a huge demand to consume and interact with Indian language content today. Tools that make it easy to search, communicate and create content in Indian languages are key for broader computing adoption and the tools we are showcasing today are aimed at addressing this need,” said Srini Koppolu, Corporate VP & Managing Director, MSIDC.

“The desktop version is unique among the free-form transliteration offerings in the market today, in that it enables the user to enter Indian language text directly into any application running on Microsoft Windows, such as Microsoft Word or Windows Live Messenger. The web version allows the user to enter text on any web page without requiring software download. The visual keyboard enables users who are not familiar with English alphabet to visually select and directly enter Indian language characters.” added Srini.

These Indic language input tools have been engineered by the EM Labs team whose work is focused on increasing the reach of computing in emerging markets. The diverse needs/ wants of consumers in these markets, their affordability levels and the language barriers pose significant challenges to computing adoption. Innovation in technology and business models is the key to unlock the potential of these markets. Microsoft continues to drive various initiatives across the world in this regard.

Through the insights gained by being in one the largest emerging markets, the EM Labs team at MSIDC creates such tools and technologies and contributes to the overall Microsoft efforts in increasing computing adoption.