Google, in partnership with the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), has launched a new AI Glossary for isiZulu, isiXhosa and Afrikaans, giving millions of South Africans the language tools to engage with artificial intelligence in their mother tongue.
The launch took place at Google’s South Africa offices in Johannesburg, where representatives from the Pan South African Language Board, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, the Department of Basic Education, the Department of Higher Education, and the SABC were joined by academics, translators, and language experts. The event included a panel discussion on how African languages can adapt alongside technology.
The glossary defines 100 standard AI terms and their meanings in each of the three languages. This project 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 for an estimated 266 million speakers of these four languages across the continent.
Among the terms defined are everyday concepts such as conversational AI – systems that simulate human dialogue through natural language processing – 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.
In Africa, English is the dominant language in technology and science, making it harder for non-English speakers to take part in conversations about new technologies. By defining key AI concepts in local languages, the glossary helps 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 highly collaborative process. Google, in partnership with Twaweza Communications and PanSALB, hosted a series of round-table discussions and workshops with linguists, lexicographers, AI experts, and academic and government stakeholders. This multi-day process ensured the terms were not simply translated, but were standardised and adapted for each language to ensure accuracy and cultural relevance.
Google Country Director, Kabelo Makwane from Google said the project shows what can be achieved when technology companies and language institutions work together. “We want everyone to have the words to understand and shape the technologies that are changing the world,” Makwane said.
PanSALB chief executive, Lance Schultz, said the partnership demonstrates how linguistic development and digital innovation can go hand in hand. “Our aim is to ensure that South Africa’s languages remain living, relevant and adaptable,” he said. “By standardising AI terms, we are helping to modernise our languages and ensure that their speakers are not excluded from the global digital conversation.”
The glossary is available immediately and will be freely accessible to the public. It will serve as a reference for anyone working in education, translation, or technology, and will support continued efforts to promote linguistic inclusion across the continent.
Google invites researchers, educators, developers, translators & interpreters, policy makers, and language enthusiasts to access the full glossary from GitHub and begin using these terms in your conversations, curricula, and technology. This is how we collectively bridge the digital divide.
