Google translates Gmail to 12 languages, asks for volunteers to target 144 more

April 23, 2005

Google has translated its email service, Gmail, into 12 languages, and it has put up a form that allows the public to volunteer to translate the Gmail interface into 144 more languages. Available for its first year with an English interface only, Gmail now appears in 13 languages:


 * Chinese (2 variants, "Simplified" and "Traditional")
 * Dutch
 * English (2 variants, US and UK)
 * French
 * German
 * Italian
 * Japanese
 * Korean
 * Portuguese
 * Russian
 * Spanish

While most of the languages listed in the volunteering form are old, three are relatively new: Borkborkbork, Klingon, and Esperanto. Additionally, the form lists Pig Latin, which is a method of rearranging words to obscure a language, rather than a language in itself.

Google has also recently introduced a feature known as "My Search History," which allows users to record their searches. Use of the search history requires that the user have and log in to a Google or Gmail account.

Languages into which the Gmail interface may be translated: