The challenge of languages

It is fantastic that Google is putting all its might to get free wi-fi across India and its first step in that direction would begin at select railway stations, eventually bringing even the remotest station under internet coverage. Initially, it will be free but for it to become self sustainable, surely after a certain period of time, internet access will cost and that could pose a huge challenge.

Another big challenge for Google would be the sheer number of languages being spoken in India. Not all are well versed in English and neither are all good at Hindi. Each state villagers are comfortable in their own native language. So they will understand and will be able to exploit the true value of the web only if it is accessible in their own language.

UNESCO has put out a report stating that as internet spreads its tentacles, moving away from cities, the people who will log on would most likely be those who come from poorer backgrounds and less likely to know English. So as Google gets into rural India, the challenge will indeed be huge – how to get so many different languages going.