Tamil Virtual Academy develops AI-driven translation platform

CHENNAI: With current translation methods facing challenges such as delays, lack of integration and limited accuracy, Tamil Virtual University, formally called Tamil Virtual Academy (TVA), is developing an AI-driven translation platform that will transform bilingual communication. The initiative aims to impart Tamil education through the internet for the Tamil diaspora and to promote Tamil computing.

"This proposal outlines a plan to implement the Tamil Nadu – Artificial Intelligence Machine Translation Tool (TN-AIM ), an AI-driven translation platform that will transform bilingual communication across government sectors," a senior government official told DT Next.

The official claimed that TN-AIM leverages advanced technologies, including Large Language Models (LLMs) and Neural Machine Translation (NMT), to enhance the accuracy, efficiency, and security of translation services in state government operations.

Stating that the TN-AIM tool will be developed to achieve several key objectives, the official said, "Firstly, it aims to enable real-time translation, providing seamless and instant translation of official documents from Tamil to English and vice versa. Additionally, it seeks to improve communication efficiency by eliminating language barriers in government communication and enhancing workflow across departments."

He added that the new system will be designed to enhance multimodal capabilities, supporting both text and voice translation to ensure comprehensive communication coverage.

According to the official, the vital objective is enabling real-time translation, which provides seamless and instant translation of official documents from Tamil to English and vice versa.

The official further noted that the government is in the process of appointing a system implementation partner. "Accordingly, a request for proposal was floated under the tender process in this regard," hthe official said.