Morning:
8°c
Google adds Farsi to translator
Chris Laker19 Jun 2009
Search website Google.com added Persian (Farsi) to its Google Translate service today.
It allows opposition groups within Iran to communicate more widely with the outside world through internet and social networking sites in Persian.
A Google spokesman said: "We feel that launching Persian is particularly important now, given ongoing events in Iran.
"Google Translate is one more tool that Persian speakers can use to communicate directly to the world and vice-versa."
Today's move comes at the end of a week of protests in Iran following the disputed presidential election.
Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei confirmed the victory today of the incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and warned that if protests in favour of opposition candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi continued, Mr Moussavi risked imprisonment.
According to the website Technorati.com in 2005, Farsi tied with French as the second most blogged-in language after English.
Reader views (2)
Hi Frank I am no fan of the People's Republic of China but Google have done a good thing in this and deserve praise, where praise is due. Furthermore, if Iran can be brought in the democratic family of nations, this will increase pressure on the People's Republic of China to adopt higher standards, so this can actually help democracy in China. Seeing as you seem interested in Chinese issues, here is a video from Taiwan where Chinese culture and democracy join together, to make a free and successful nation.
Best and Warm Regards
Adrian Wainer
- Adrian Wainer, Taiwan Republic of China, 22/06/2009 17:02
Report abuse
A Google spokesman said: "We feel that launching Persian is particularly important now, given ongoing events in Iran.
Oh aren't they good people at Google. We can all now forget that they colluded with the Chinese government to perpetuate their human rights abuses by censoring access to websites proscribed by the Chinese government.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 19/06/2009 14:55
Report abuse
