google_transliterationI have held the view that we need to promote Urdu computing and Urdu on the internet with extensive research and development and practical implementation with more and more content put online that is localised and based on Urdu. Here is Google Labs with a fantastic service called “Indic Transliteration“.

Google Indic Transliteration offers an option for converting Roman characters to the Urdu characters. This lets you type Urdu words phonetically in English script and still have them appear in their correct alphabet. Note that this is not the same as translation — it is the sound of the words that are converted from one alphabet to the other, not their meaning.

For example, typing “shukriya” transliterates into Urdu as:

Source: Google Indic Transliteration FAQ’s

I tested the service by typing in the line “Mera Naam Ammaar hai” and this is what I got:

میرا نام عمار ہے

میرا نام عمار ہے!

The transliteration will attempt to match the sounds of the letters as accurately as possible between the two alphabets. However, if you find that it is incorrect, you can fix it.

Source: Google Indic Transliteration FAQ’s

The transliteration service also comes equipped with a complete on-screen keyboard for more control over the choice of alphabets for certain words which has been a major stumbling block in the development of Urdu language computing.

For now, this service only works on Internet Explorer 6.0 and/or higher on Windows (preferably Windows XP), and Firefox 1.5 and/or higher on both Windows and Linux.

Interestingly, this Urdu project is part of the Google INDIA Labs project.

I believe it is a very good initiative and we need more and more of such inititatives coming from the local Pakistani software industry. It is benefitial for one and all – and those who invest in it. More urdu content online and more urdu based desktop applications would mean more accessibility to the masses in Pakistan, those who cannot read and write English.

Happy Browsing!