Adi Vaani Translation Tool
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has introduced the Beta version of Adi Vaani, an AI-based translation tool, to support and preserve tribal languages.
Key Features
- Developed by a consortium led by IIT-Delhi with BITS Pilani, IIIT Naya Raipur, and tribal research institutes in Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Meghalaya.
- Translates between Hindi, English, and various tribal languages.
- Aims to digitize and preserve tribal languages.
Current Capabilities
- Translates Bhili, Gondi, Santali, and Mundari languages.
- Bhili is widely spoken in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli by over one crore people.
- Future support planned for Kui (Odisha) and Garo (Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura).
Population and Language Statistics
India has a Scheduled Tribe population of 10.45 crore according to the 2011 census, with 461 tribal languages and 71 distinct mother tongues.
- 82 languages are considered vulnerable.
- 42 languages are critically endangered.
Development and Training
- Corpus creation involved over 250 native speakers, educators, and community leaders.
- Collaborators translated NCERT books, folklore, and other materials into tribal languages.
Educational Integration
- Includes tribal language primers for foundational learning.
- Primers developed by NCERT and Central Institute of Indian Languages for 117 languages, including 89 tribal languages.
Impact and Benefits
- Enhanced implementation of government schemes at the grassroots level.
- Improved access to educational materials with OCR tools.
According to Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the tool will be pivotal in improving educational access and governmental initiatives in tribal regions.
