Use of Local Languages on the Web

[Ceres]

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:

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.

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.

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.

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.