By Sarah-Claire Jordan
This is an update on what is going on in India in terms of mobile language support and localization. We last talked about it in this article back in April, but now there is more to share. Since then, the proposal that was drawn up has been approved and will go into effect very soon. The deadline for manufacturers to ensure that all of their smartphones support English, Hindi, and at least one local language is July 1, 2017.
Along with this, smartphones must also have a panic button application installed as well as a GPS feature, and reading support for all of India’s 22 recognized languages. Together, these are all features of a larger plan set in motion by the Indian government called the National Digital Literacy Mission. The main idea of this is to encourage literacy in the realm of IT in India, focusing especially on those who live in rural areas. Many government services are also to be easily accessed via mobile phone, which is a great help for those who are in remote areas.
The idea of providing support in so many different languages is daunting enough. However, remember that the 22 recognized languages of India don’t all use the same script. Developers and manufacturers will have to provide support for all scripts as well, to ensure that speakers of any language can easily use their devices in their native language. This is good news for any translators who have experience with mobile translation, however.
This affects more than just smartphone manufacturers. Any company or developer that creates apps, software, or anything at all that, in the end, is to be used on a smartphone, has to also consider what they need to do in order to keep up with the changing linguistic tides. If an app developer that is creating an app to be used by Indian customers doesn’t provide the right kind of support for all languages, they risk more than just failure in the commercial sense, but also might run into issues with the Indian government itself.
In the end, this will give translators of Indian languages and Indian localization experts a huge boost. India might also see an increase in the overall digital and IT literacy of its population, especially the rural sector. This is very important, as India has one of the best IT industries in the world and needs to make sure it will be able to maintain that. Helping rural citizens to have better access to government services, and the rest of the Internet, will only help in terms of bettering standards of living and job opportunities, among other things.
Hopefully, the country with one of the largest populations on Earth will be able to solve some of its problems while simultaneously ensuring that one of its most successful industries continues to flourish in the future.