On Google Translator it is now possible to translate into Sicilian

The well-known machine translation service, Google Translatehas recently extended its language offer by including the Sicilian dialect among the new languages. In fact, Google now offers the possibility of translating from and into this language all the languages supported by the service. This new addition represents an important step forward in the recognition and preservation of the Sicilian language.

Collaboration with the Sicilian Academy

To achieve this goal, Google Translate collaborated with the Cademia Sicilianaan association of linguists from Palermo which is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the Sicilian language. The Cademia Siciliana, founded in 2016 in Florida and in 2018 in Italy, is a kind of 'Accademia della Crusca' for Sicilian. Their goal is clear: to take care of the Sicilian language through study, research and activism.

The official announcement of the availability of Sicilian on Google Translate was made by the Cademia Siciliana itself: "After more than a year-long collaboration between Cademia Siciliana and Google, which has seen hours of work and the translation of thousands of sentences from English to Sicilian, we proudly announce that as of today the translation from and for all languages supported by Google Translate to the Sicilian language is available!".

The Cademia Siciliana has not limited itself to collaboration with Google Translate. The association has actively worked to spread the use of Sicilian in the digital sphere. "We had Sicilian added on YouTube as a subtitling language - explains the association -, and on Facebook as the language for compiling posts; we have produced the official Sicilian translation of the popular instant messaging app Telegram". Furthermore, they collaborated with Google in the realisation of Gboard in Sicilian, the Google keyboard implemented on all Android devices.

How to use Google Translate in Sicilian

1. Access to Google Translate:
   • Open the browser and visit the site Google Translate
   • You can also download the Google Translate app to your mobile device from Google Play Store (for Android) or App Store (for iOS).
2. Language Selection:
   • On the main screen, there will be two language fields: in the left field, select the language from which to translate; in the right field, select 'Sicilian' from the list of available languages.
3. Entering Text:
   • Write or paste the text you wish to translate into the left-hand field.
4. Translation:
   • Google Translate will automatically display the translation in the right-hand field.
5. Reverse Language:
   • It is possible to invert languages and translate from Sicilian into any other supported language.