Google, in partnership with the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), has launched an artificial intelligence (AI) glossary for isiZulu, isiXhosa and Afrikaans.
This comes as the world commemorates International Dictionary Day, which is celebrated annually on 16 October.
In a statement, Google says the glossary aims to give South Africans the language tools to engage with artificial intelligence in their mother tongue.
It defines 100 standard AI terms and their meanings in each of the three languages.
Among the terms defined are everyday concepts such as conversational AI and hallucination, which describes instances where AI tools generate information that sounds credible but is incorrect. Other entries, like active learning and noisy data, explain how machines are trained and refined through interaction and information filtering, reads the statement.
Google SA country director Kabelo Makwane comments: “We want everyone to have the words to understand and shape the technologies that are changing the world.”
The African continent is a multilingual melting pot, with as many as 3 000 languages spoken. For example, South Africa has 12 official languages, but only one in 10 South Africans speak English at home – the language that dominates the internet.
English is also the dominant language in technology and science across the continent.
Google says the glossary looks to close this gap, giving people the words to engage confidently with emerging technologies and supporting developers, educators, translators and everyday users alike.
The glossary was developed through a collaborative process. Google, in partnership with Twaweza Communications and PanSALB, hosted a series of roundtable discussions and workshops with linguists, lexicographers, AI experts, and academic and government stakeholders.
This multi-day process was to ensure the terms were not simply translated but were standardised and adapted for each language to ensure accuracy and cultural relevance.
The project also builds on earlier work to produce a Swahili version in East Africa, and is part of a broader collaboration between Google and African partners to make digital innovation more inclusive and bridge the digital divide, according to the statement.
PanSALB chief executive Lance Schultz says the partnership demonstrates how linguistic development and digital innovation can go together. “Our aim is to ensure South Africa’s languages remain living, relevant and adaptable.
“By standardising AI terms, we are helping to modernise our languages and ensure their speakers are not excluded from the global digital conversation.”
The glossary is freely available to the public.
Share