The FIFA World Cup kicked off 11 days ago. Millions of visitors have flocked to Russia to support their home countries in the tournament and to enjoy the game as a whole. During the last world cup, i.e. in 2014, an estimated 3 billion people went to Brazil and a similar figure is expected to be present in Russia spread over the course of the tournament.
Such a figure of people is bound to give rise to various issues, with the language barrier probably coming on top. According to various reports, residents of various towns in Russia do not speak any language other than Russian. This gives birth to the probability of miscommunications between the natives and the visitors.
Well, Google’s much loved Translate service is apparently being utilized to counter this issue. Visitors have been using Google Translate to communicate with locals, which has sparked a 30% increase in the service’s usage. Talking about specific terms, the following words have seen exponential growth in translation frequency:
- World Cup – Jump of 200%
- Stadium – Jump of 135%
- Beer – Jump of 65%
In a statement, Google has said that a 30% increase in the usage of translation services can be seen in Russia. All of these searches are originating from mobiles, which goes on to endorse the positive utility of mobile phones. Google Translate is available in 103 languages. However, as of now, most translations are between Spanish and Russian paired with Arabic and Russian.
Another plausible reason for the increase in the usage of Google Translate is its ability to translate words and phrases without an internet connection. Earlier this month, Google released an update which enabled users to use Google translate without an active internet connection. Considering the visiting parties might not have access to international roaming and adequate local cellular connections, this feature might be vital in helping visitors communicate with locals without the internet.
