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Google Translate adds 13 more languages for a total of 103

Now you can chat with people from Ethiopia and Kyrgyzstan.

Google Translate could help connect even more people now that it's added 13 more languages to its roster. Those 13 are Amharic (Ethiopia), Corsican (Corsica island in France), Frisian (Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands), Kyrgyz (Kyrgyzstan), Hawaiian, Kurdish/Kurmanji (Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria), Luxembourgish, Samoan, Scots Gaelic, Shona (Zimbabwe), Sindhi (Pakistan), Pashto (Afghanistan) and Xhosa (South Africa). Google says all of Translate's 103 available languages cover 99 percent of the online population.

In its announcement post, the Translate team has also explained how it adds new selections. For a language to be added, it has to be written and it has to have a considerable amount of translations found online. Google scans those texts and uses machine learning to identify patterns. Even the big G's powerful machines need a human touch, though: the Translate app/service also relies on input from volunteers who translate terms and check other people's. It's been almost 10 years since Google launched the service with but a handful of options. Since then, it has expanded tremendously and (lonely hearts, take note) brought at least one couple from two different countries together.