Preserving Culture: Chakma Language Joins Google Translate

The Tripura government has taken a significant step to preserve the culture of its indigenous Chakma community by deciding to include words from the Chakma language on Google Translate. This initiative aims to enable translations of Chakma content into English, Hindi, and Bengali, announced Agriculture Minister Ratan Lal Nath on Tuesday.

An advisory committee on Chakma language development made the decision, focusing on cultural preservation. The panel has collected 50,000 Chakma words and plans to gather an additional 50,000 to facilitate comprehensive translation capabilities. The move comes as part of broader efforts to commemorate Chakma language and script with a dedicated day beginning August 7 next year.

The inclusion of Chakma follows similar initiatives for Kokborok, the mother tongue of the Tripuri tribe, already present on Google Translate. The northeastern state is home to around 120,000 Chakma people, with the language being taught in 123 government schools in Tripura, attended by over 4,000 students. Ninety new teachers have been hired, and nine sub-committees are formed to further language development across tribes.

(With inputs from agencies.)