Google launches search engine in Polynesian language Maori
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Maori is the indigenous language of New Zealand with just over 157,110 speakers. It is also one of the official languages of New Zealand along with English and New Zealand sign language. Every year since 1975, New Zealand has marked Maori language week to celebrate the language. This year, coinciding with Maori language week, Google lauched Google Aotearoa - a search engine for the pages in Maori language.
A spokeswoman from the Maori Language Commission said 29 people had been part of the team working on the project during the last year, including three key translators. The group volunteered for the project, as part of the Google in Your Language initiative. The call for Maori translators to work on the project began in 2001 when Craig Neville Manning, Google’s Head of Engineering in New York, began coordinating with Dr. Te Taka Keegan. By 2006 over 68 per cent of the translations had been completed, and the New Zealand Maori internet Society put out the call for more volunteers.
More than 8750 words were translated as part of the project. “It is a huge resource for Maori living overseas who are raising bi-lingual children or who are developing their own proficiency,” spokeswoman for Maori language commission said. “It is reaching young people in something that is a big part of their world. It also allows fluent and native speakers to search for their content in Maori,” she added.
“The translation of the Google homepage into Maori represents the culmination of a tremendous effort on the part of the Maori language volunteers, and has provided a wonderful new way for Maori speakers the world over to connect with information and the global community online,” said Google spokesman Ashley Gorringe.
Pacific Islander community in United States is 793,162 strong and represents the smallest racial group with about 0.3% of the population.
