HindiLearner News

Microsoft showcased a set of tools that help users enter Indian language text into computers easily and quickly, at the Microsoft India Development Center (MSIDC) in Hyderabad (india).

The beta version of the tools will be made available as a free download soon and will initially support the following six languages – Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu.

“There is a huge demand to consume and interact with Indian language content today. Tools that make it easy to search, communicate and create content in Indian languages are key for broader computing adoption and the tools we are showcasing today are aimed at addressing this need,” said Srini Koppolu, Corporate VP & Managing Director, MSIDC.

These tools have been engineered by the Emerging Markets Labs team of the Microsoft India Development Centre (MSIDC) and the technology can be leveraged to support other syllabic languages beyond Indian languages.These input tools use free-form transliteration. Users spell Indian language words in a natural (phonetic) way using English alphabet, which the tools transliterate into the right words in the chosen Indian language.

The US State Department funds a lot of travel programs to foster harmony amongst foreigners with Americans, and most scholarships at first glance seem to be targeting foreigners.

There, is, however, one really valuable scholarship that I just found. It includes full travel, board, education, etc. for those willing to study ‘critical languages’ intensively during the summer months. Again, I said free travel, not to mention the free career development and skills.

Critical language scholarship funds studies for students for 7-10 weeks abroad. Unfortunately, the deadline has passed to apply (November) but for students planning way ahead, this is a great opportunity to keep in mind.

Here is the list of critical language programs, and they include Arabic, Bangla/Bengali, Hindi, Punjabi, Turkish Urdu, Chinese, Korean, Persian, Russian, and Azerbaijani.

So mark your calendar for free summer travel.