The Reading / Listening - Google Translate - Level 5

Google added 24 languages to its translation service, bringing the total number to 133. Google Translate is an indispensable tool. It conveniently and quickly translates vocabulary and texts into other languages. The 24 new languages are spoken by more than 300 million people. Among them are indigenous languages of the Americas. Google started its first translation service in 2006. It has continually added to the number of languages. Google said it still has a way to go. There are 7,000 languages worldwide that Translate doesn't translate.

Translate needs a large amount of linguistic data to support a language. Google explained how new technology helped to add the new languages. It said: "Up until a couple of years ago, it simply was not technologically possible to add languages like these, which are what we call a low resource – meaning that there are not very many text resources…for them." Google hopes to support languages used by large populations. It also wants to provide assistance for indigenous languages that are often overlooked by technology.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Google Translate - Level 4 or  Google Translate - Level 6

Sources
  • https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/11/google-translate-adds-24-new-languages-including-its-first-indigenous-languages-of-the-americas/
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-61416757
  • https://www.engadget.com/google-translate-24-language-expansion-171810853.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. bringing the total number
  2. Translate is an indispensable
  3. translates vocabulary
  4. Among them are indigenous
  5. started its first
  6. It has continually added
  7. Google said it still has
  8. There are 7,000 languages
  1. to the number
  2. and texts
  3. worldwide
  4. to 133
  5. a way to go
  6. languages
  7. translation service
  8. tool

Paragraph 2

  1. a large amount
  2. Google explained how new
  3. Up until a couple
  4. it simply was not technologically
  5. languages used by large
  6. provide
  7. indigenous
  8. often overlooked
  1. of years ago
  2. assistance
  3. possible
  4. by technology
  5. of linguistic data
  6. languages
  7. technology helped
  8. populations

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Google added 24 languages (1) ___________________ service, bringing the total number to 133. Google Translate is an indispensable tool. It conveniently (2) ___________________ vocabulary and texts into other languages. The 24 new languages are (3) ___________________ than 300 million people. Among (4) ___________________ languages of the Americas. Google started its first translation service in 2006. It has (5) ___________________ the number of languages. Google said it still has a (6) ___________________. There are 7,000 languages worldwide that Translate doesn't translate.

Translate needs a large amount (7) ___________________ to support a language. Google explained how new technology helped to add the new languages. It said: "Up (8) ___________________ of years ago, it simply was not technologically (9) ___________________ languages like these, which are what we call (10) ___________________ - meaning that there are not very many text resources...for them." Google hopes to support languages used by large populations. It also (11) ___________________ assistance for indigenous languages that are (12) ___________________ technology.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Googleadded24languagestoitstranslationservice,bringingthetotaln
umberto133.GoogleTranslateisanindispensabletool.Itconveniently
andquicklytranslatesvocabularyandtextsintootherlanguages.The24
newlanguagesarespokenbymorethan300millionpeople.Amongthe
mareindigenouslanguagesoftheAmericas.Googlestarteditsfirsttran
slationservicein2006.Ithascontinuallyaddedtothenumberoflanguag
es.Googlesaiditstillhasawaytogo.Thereare7,000languagesworldwid
ethatTranslatedoesn'ttranslate.Translateneedsalargeamountofling
uisticdatatosupportalanguage.Googleexplainedhownewtechnology
helpedtoaddthenewlanguages.Itsaid:"Upuntilacoupleofyearsago,it
simplywasnottechnologicallypossibletoaddlanguageslikethese,whic
harewhatwecallalowresource-meaningthattherearenotverymanyte
xtresources...forthem."Googlehopestosupportlanguagesusedbylar
gepopulations.Italsowantstoprovideassistanceforindigenouslangua
gesthatareoftenoverlookedbytechnology.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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