Google Translate adds Inuktut in both Inuit writing systems

On 17 October 2024 Google Translate added Inuktut, spoken by about 40,000 Inuit in Canada, in both writing systems with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami's help. Two translators find it helpful for simple text.

  • 1 for a person

    Two professional translators find the service helpful for single words, quick translations and proofreading, a convenience, and say that complicated text still needs a person.

  • Not rated society

    ITK expects the service to help revitalize and promote Inuktut, and no source measures an effect on the language.

Depth runs from 1, a small gain, to 5, a life saved.

Status
Realized benefit.
Evidence

foundstudiedreportedclaimed

Three independent news reports support the benefit.

Size

0.52 =1+4+4+420×3+510

Scale1The deepest rating above
Reach4The service covers Inuktut, which Statistics Canada data put at roughly 40,000 speakers in Canada. Source
Duration4Inuktut has stayed on Google Translate since October 2024, and the app's App Store listing still carried it on 2 November 2026. Source
Distribution4The benefit reached Inuktut speakers in Canada, a group that CBC News describes as often overlooked by the tech sector. Source
Probability3Realized.
Frequency5Google Translate is an online service available at any time, and a translator uses it whenever she researches words or proofreads. Source
The system’s part
Not isolated. Google says that the model draws on its PaLM 2 large language model and that it will still make many mistakes. Two translators report that it handles simple text and mistranslates idioms. No source measures use or accuracy, so what the system contributed beyond availability is undocumented.
Learns from data

Shown. Google says that the Inuktut translation rests on its PaLM 2 large language model and that the project depended on enough online Inuktut text to train a model.

“Recent technological advances, including leveraging the power of our PaLM 2 large language model, have helped us improve translation quality and expand Google Translate to hundreds of new languages” Source

Later
Persisted, 2 November 2026. Google's App Store listing for Google Translate, checked on 2 November 2026, still lists Inuktut in Latin and syllabic scripts among the languages that the app translates.

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Type of benefit
Increased Inclusion
System
Google Translate Inuktut text translation (PaLM 2 based)
Made by
Google, with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami advising on quality and script
Used by
Google (public users of Google Translate)
Where
Inuit regions of Canada (Nunavut, Nunavik, Nunatsiavut and the Inuvialuit region)
Date
Kind
Program
Broad benefit
Culture, Accessibility
Collections
Cross-border benefits

Sources

  1. News report, by authors with no tie to the system.

    Hobson B / The Canadian Press (2024). Inuktut becomes 1st Indigenous language spoken in Canada to be on Google Translate. CBC News, 17 October 2024.

    There are roughly 40,000 Inuktut speakers in Canada, data from Statistics Canada suggests.

  2. News report, by authors with no tie to the system.

    Williams K (2024). 'My name is Jeannie and I am from Inukjuak': Inuktitut translators try out Google Translate. Nunatsiaq News, 29 October 2024.

    She uses Inuktut translation services like Google Translate or Microsoft Translator when researching uncommon words or proofreading, and said they're helpful for a quick translation.

  3. News report, by authors with no tie to the system.

    Williams K (2024). Google Translate adds Inuktut language to its online service. Nunatsiaq News, 17 October 2024.

    This marks the first Indigenous language in Canada to be added to the platform.

  4. Press release, by the makers.

    Caswell I (2024). Google Translate Learns Inuktut. Google Canada blog, 17 October 2024.

    We're thrilled to announce that Inuktut, the language spoken by over 39,000 Inuit in Canada, is now available - making it the first Canadian Indigenous language on the platform.

  5. Other, by the makers.

    Google LLC (2026). Google Translate, App Store listing with the languages that the app translates. Checked 2 November 2026.

    Indonesian, Inuktut (Latin), Inuktut (Syllabics), Irish, Italian

Details

AI system

Workflow

Google found enough clean, well-written Inuktut text online to train a usable model, which it says Cree lacked. Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami reviewed translation quality and supplied a converter so that both writing systems could be supported.

Follow-up

Conditions for replication

Users must check anything complicated with a fluent speaker, as both translators advise. Output follows the dialects in the training text, so a sentence may read differently from local usage.

The entry

Sector

Language technology / Indigenous languages.

Purpose

Google built the Inuktut model so that Inuit and others can translate written Inuktut to and from English in Google Translate, in both writing systems.

Cite this benefit

Peter H. Vartanian. (2026). Google Translate adds Inuktut in both Inuit writing systems (AIBD-1225). Artificial Intelligence Benefits Database. https://petervartanian.xyz/aibd/records/AIBD-1225.html (archived at https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/AADSII)

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