I came across Script Converter which is in Google Labs with Google’s Indian domain. This looked like a great way to write using English alphabets phonetically as if writing the Indian origin language and it would convert the script. Script Converter does not translate pages and is not useful to translate websites or documents. What it does is converts the script retaining the phonetic context rather than keeping is contextual in meaning.
Script Converter supports Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. It can convert anything written in HTML. But Script Converter cannot convert text which is not HTML, for example text written with Java Script cannot be converted.
How Script Converter is useful?
- It is very useful to write a text in a different language using the English Keyboard by using phonetics. For instance to write a Hindi word you have to spell it out in English and then click on convert with the selected language and you get the word in Hindi. This is great to insert sentences in Indian languages in your messages or texts.
- The other useful application of Script Converter is that it is perfect for someone who might know how to speak the language but not necessarily adept at reading that language in its original script. For instance I am very fluent in Marathi when it comes to speaking but I am not very comfortable reading Marathi script as I have not read much of it since school. Script Converter can really help here if I came across a website with content in Marathi. I could change it to English in phonetic terms and continue reading the content.
- This is something that is quite unique with India, as most people can speak more languages than just English and might want to access information in that language but find it difficult to read the script.
This is an web application which is still in labs and hence being tested. I did not come across many instances of mistakes and seems to be quite accurate when it converts scripts from one language to another. Go ahead visit Script Converter and try it out, let me know in comments your opinions.
Script converter is good but i would prefer the following website to write my marathi blog.
http://www.gamabhana.com/gamabhana_ex/
@Kishor: Looks interesting, why don’t you review it for DW in a post
Girgit is a similar utility. It also supports Gurumukhi(Punjabi) and Oriya(Odiya) that Google script converter currently doesn’t support.
The code for girgit was released under GPL on 14-Oct-2009 and is available for review.
Compare Girgit
http://ta.girgit.chitthajagat.in/bbchindi.com
versus Google labs:
http://scriptconv.googlelabs.com/frame?ln=ta&url=http%3A//bbchindi.com
Pretty similar huh?