LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 25:4 April 2025
ISSN 1930-2940

Editors:
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         T. Deivasigamani, Ph.D.
         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Managing Editor & Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.

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Localization Advantage for Indian Languages: A Brief Case Study of Tamil Trends

S Winston Cruz, M.Phil.

Abstract

Considerable number of Indian languages and their users are making their presence felt on the world wide web, be it content generation, content communication, ecommerce exchanges etc. A KPMG report in 2017 brought the much needed focus on the formidable presence of Indian languages in the internet space. It threw light on the fledgling Indian language user base. The report was a revelation and tacitly called for awareness and development of necessary tools and websites with multilingual capabilities in the Indian scenario. There was a natural insistence on establishing standards and implementing localization prominently that appeared as postscripts to this proposition. The scenario we have today is much bigger than what had been imagined or predicted about ten years ago, thanks to COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns and work/study from home restrictions catapulted the Indian languages everywhere on the internet. Online retailers and OTT platforms grabbed the opportunities. Though the trends have always been visible on various frontiers, the role played by localisation has not been elaborately studied. This study, traces some of these trends in Indian languages, particularly Tamil, that have leveraged the devices and opportunities. I will jot the trajectory by multiple markers, especially, by some of the initiatives of the software giants which may give some insights into what lies in the future for Indian languages.

Keywords: localization, Indian languages, Tamil, internet, ICT

I. Introduction

‘We are in the middle of information era and change was disruptive and big…Future is coming sooner than anticipated’ -- - Prime Minister of India, quoted on Digital India website.

The internet has become a route for achieving social and economic prospects for many nations. These countries aim at improving education, healthcare, banking, business opportunities, and communication using Information and Communication Technology (ICT). India as a nation has taken up e-governance as a potential tool for implementing its governmental schemes as well as improving the general standards of life. India launched the Digital India programme in 2015 with an aim to digitally empower the society and place the knowledge economy in an upward trajectory. Even before this, many private players had identified the Indian market as one their major focus areas not just for increasing their consumer base, but for expanding even their production base. The idea of ‘the biggest democracy’ caught up fast. Growing population, which was a concern for the government, was seen as an opportunity by the private companies.

The number of languages too, which has been considered as an impediment to development by some, was viewed by the private agencies as multiple paths and as new openings for reaching consumers. They considered it an efficient marketing strategy to use all the available options rather than making the public restrained to discomfort.

The private players did not have any restrictions like the Government which has different criteria like official languages, State languages, languages defined by populations or communities etc. For instance, when the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India starts developing a language tool, it has to make sure that the project covers all official languages. Any government schemes and projects through the Ministry of Education, GoI, like the National Translation Mission or the Bharatavani must consider all the 22 languages listed in the VIII Schedule of the Constitution of India first and then move to the other languages.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

S Winston Cruz, M.Phil.
Research Scholar, Department of Linguistics
Kuvempu Institute of Kannada Studies
University of Mysore
Mysuru - 570006
icruz.swc@gmail.com
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