The Economic Times has posted some interesting examples of how locals from India's remote areas are using the Internet to get information in a language they understand. One example:
Quote:
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Some 1,500 km away, in the plains of a village in Gujarat’s Anand district, Yashoda Ben, an English illiterate mother of two daughters, frequents a local internet kiosk to access information on different colleges and courses, download application forms and find out about education loans for her teenager kids.
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The article mentions that
India has 3 types of Internet users:
(1) The English user (which currently represents the majority).
(2) The user who is familiar with English and a local language and where, at a click of a button, he/she can translate a web page/email into his/her language.
(3) The user that only accesses the Internet in his/her local language.
Quote:
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Today, users can search, write an e-mail or a blog, use social networking sites or even maps in local language, enabling internet to be accessed by new users. Online Transliteration tools provide alternate means of reading text, using a different script.
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To read the full article, see:
Internet's mass appeal soars on speaking local languages
We already have a number of discussions about local languages:
Indian Domains – English or Other Languages? and
Use of English Language in India.
Use of Local Languages on the Web
