Santali Machine Translation Guide: Best Translation Engines, CAT Tools, Browser Add-ons and Android Apps

Last updated: 26 October 2026

The internet contains an enormous amount of information in many western languages like English and other languages. But how can Santali speakers access this information in their mother tongue? How can students translate study materials, teachers prepare learning resources, and translators work more efficiently in Santali (Ol Chiki)?

Machine translation (MT) can help bridge this gap. Although Santali is still an underserved language in language technology, several tools and research projects now offer ways to translate between Santali and other languages.

In this guide, we will explore machine translation engines, learn how to use them step by step, compare their advantages and limitations, discover browser extensions and Android applications, and learn how to use Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools for Santali translation.

Whether you are a student, teacher, researcher, translator, developer or language enthusiast, this guide will help you choose the right tools for your work. This blog is specially created for my Santali friends who want to learn their mother tongue but, for various reasons, never had the opportunity to do so. It's never too late to reconnect with our language, culture, and roots!

1. What is machine translation?

Machine translation is the process of using computer software or artificial intelligence to translate text from one language into another.

For example, you may have an English paragraph that you want to read in Santali. Instead of translating every word manually, you can enter the paragraph into a translation engine and receive a Santali translation.

Think of a machine translation engine as a helpful first-draft assistant. It does the initial work, but a human translator must check whether the result is correct, natural and culturally appropriate.

Machine translation can help with:

Reading educational materials and online articles.
Understanding websites written in other languages.
Preparing the first draft of Santali translations.
Translating software interfaces, documents and subtitles.
Supporting Santali language learning and digital content creation.
Creating draft translations for books and public-domain resources.

Important: Machine translation is not always accurate, especially for languages with limited training data. Always review important translations before publishing or sharing them.

2. Machine translation engines you can try for Santali

Below is a practical comparison of translation services and projects worth exploring. Language support, available features, quality and usage limits can change, so test the specific language pair you need.

Google Translate

Website: https://translate.google.com/

Google Translate added Santali in its 2024 expansion of supported languages, including 7 new Indian languages - Awadhi, Bodo, Khasi, Kokborok, Marwadi and Tulu. Isaac Caswell, a Senior Software Engineer at Google Translate, explicitly spearheaded the expansion of under-represented languages. He personally "built transliteration tools—which map words from an alphabet so you can read and pronounce them—alongside Santali activists" to bring the language to the platform (Read more: Google India Blog). The integration of the Ol Chiki script (the writing system for Santali) was also the result of a massive crowdsourced push by a dedicated group of independent digital volunteers and activists (such as R Ashwani Banjan Murmu (Santali Wikipedia Admin), Ramjit Tudu (Ol Chiki tech founder) and others) who worked closely with the project since 2019. Also, Google crowdsource influencers Bijendra Hansdah and Prasanta Hembram (me) are still motivating more people to use Google products. They all helped in bringing Santali to Google translate. It was a team effort that made this possible.

Well, Google Translate is one of the easiest starting points for everyday translation. Google offers Santali in Ol Chiki and a Latin-script option. The service also provides mobile applications and features such as voice input or audio playback where available (voice feature is still in beta).

How to use it

Open Google Translate.
Select your source language, such as English or Hindi.
Select Santali as the target language.
Choose the available script or language variant that suits your needs.
Type or paste your text into the input box.
Read the result and check it against your knowledge of Santali.
Copy the translation and edit it if necessary.

Advantages

Easy for beginners to use.
Convenient for short text and everyday questions.
Available on the web and Android.
Useful as a first translation to compare with other tools.

Limitations

It may misunderstand idioms, cultural expressions, grammar or context.
Long passages may need to be divided into smaller sections.
Voice, camera and document features may differ by platform and language.
Do not assume that every browser or extension supports full-page translation into Santali simply because Google Translate supports Santali text.

Google introduced Santali among the languages added in its 2024 expansion. See Google's announcement.

AI4Bharat and IndicTrans2

Project: https://github.com/AI4Bharat/IndicTrans2

Anuvaad : https://anuvaad.bhashini.gov.in/text-to-text-translation

AI4Bharat is a research initiative associated with IIT Madras that develops language technology for Indian languages. Its IndicTrans2 project supports translation involving Santali in Ol Chiki, identified by the model's language code sat_Olck.

IndicTrans2 is especially interesting for researchers, developers, translators and people who want to build language technology for Santali.

So long they use to have an online interface for testing IndicTrans2 model, which was quite buggy. But now they have created a new website called BHASHINI ANUVAAD, give it a try. Santali is supported in text-text, text-speech, speech-speech and speech-text. Just select the language and start translating.

If you have programming knowledge, you may proceed below:

How to try it (Developers)

Open the IndicTrans2 project page.
Find the project's demo or Hugging Face interface.
Select the appropriate source and target languages.
Select Santali in Ol Chiki when available.
Enter a short sentence or paragraph.
Generate the translation.
Compare the output with a human translation or another engine.

Advantages

An open-source research project.
Designed to support Indian language translation.
Useful for experimentation, language research and application development.
Can be used as a foundation for further work on Santali translation.

Limitations

A research model may require more technical knowledge than a simple translation website.
The availability of hosted demos can change.
Translation quality depends on the language pair, subject and input.
Running the model yourself may require suitable hardware and software setup.

Sarvam Translate

Website: https://www.sarvam.ai/

Documentation: https://docs.sarvam.ai/api-reference/text/translate-text

Sarvam Translate supports English and all 22 scheduled Indian languages, including Santali. It is particularly relevant for people who want to experiment with translation through a web interface or build translation applications using an API. According to official Sarvam blog, Santali translation is working well for small sentences, and not ready for translating paragraph and structured documents (More info: Sarvam Blog).

An API is a way for one program to request a service from another program.

Non-technical users can also try Indus, a Made-in-India AI chat application available on the Google Play Store, to explore Sarvam AI's language technology through a simple, user-friendly interface. Instead of dealing with APIs or complicated technical setups, you can interact with the AI by asking questions and exploring supported Indian languages. It's a convenient option for beginners who want to experience AI-powered language tools on their Android phones.

How to use Sarvam translate using Chat app (Indus) :

1. Go to https://indus.sarvam.ai/

2. Give prompt to translate:

Translate, these sentences in Santali langauge:

Hello

Good morning

How are you ?

What did you eat today ?

Good Night

It will think for a while and give you output:

I have pasted the results below:

ᱱᱚᱸᱰᱮ ᱨᱳᱢᱟᱱᱟᱭᱤᱡᱽᱰ ᱯᱟᱲᱦᱟᱣ ᱥᱟᱶᱛᱮ ᱚᱞ ᱪᱤᱠᱤ ᱛᱮ ᱥᱟᱱᱛᱟᱲᱤ ᱵᱷᱚᱨᱥᱚᱱ ᱠᱚ ᱮᱢ ᱮᱱᱟ:

**ᱡᱚᱦᱟᱨ** — ᱡᱚᱦᱟᱨ (Johar)᱾ ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱫᱚ ᱥᱟᱱᱛᱟᱲᱤ ᱨᱮᱱᱟᱜ ᱥᱟᱫᱷᱟᱨᱚᱱ ᱡᱚᱦᱟᱨ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ, ᱡᱟᱦᱟᱸ ᱫᱚ ᱫᱤᱱ ᱨᱮᱱᱟᱜ ᱡᱟᱦᱟᱸ ᱚᱠᱛᱚ ᱨᱮᱜᱮ ᱵᱮᱵᱷᱟᱨᱚᱜᱼᱟ᱾

**ᱥᱟᱹᱜᱩᱱ ᱥᱮᱛᱟᱜ** — ᱥᱟᱜᱮᱱ ᱥᱮᱛᱟᱜ (Sagen setag)᱾

**ᱪᱮᱫ ᱞᱮᱠᱟ ᱢᱮᱱᱟᱢᱟ?** — ᱪᱮᱞᱮ ᱢᱮᱱᱟᱢᱟ? (Chele menama?)

**ᱛᱮᱦᱮᱧ ᱪᱮᱫ ᱮᱢ ᱡᱚᱢ ᱠᱮᱫᱟ?** — ᱛᱮᱦᱮᱸᱧ ᱟᱢ ᱪᱮᱫ ᱡᱚᱢ ᱠᱮᱫᱟᱢ? (Tehen am ched jom kedam?)

**ᱥᱟᱹᱜᱩᱱ ᱧᱤᱫᱟᱹ** — ᱥᱟᱜᱮᱱ ᱧᱤᱫᱟᱹ (Sagen nida)᱾

ᱢᱤᱫᱴᱟᱹᱝ ᱠᱟᱛᱷᱟ ᱫᱤᱥᱟᱹ ᱫᱚᱦᱚ ᱞᱟᱹᱠᱛᱤ: "ᱡᱚᱦᱟᱨ" ᱫᱚ ᱤᱧᱟᱜ ᱯᱟᱹᱛᱭᱟᱹᱣ ᱢᱮᱱᱟᱜᱼᱟ, ᱟᱨ ᱥᱮᱛᱟᱜ, ᱧᱤᱫᱟᱹ, ᱛᱮᱦᱮᱧ, ᱡᱚᱢ ᱟᱨ ᱟᱢ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱟᱹᱲᱟᱹ ᱵᱟᱪᱷᱟᱣ ᱫᱚ ᱥᱴᱮᱱᱰᱟᱨᱰ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ᱾ ᱠᱩᱠᱞᱤ ᱨᱮᱱᱟᱜ ᱜᱨᱟᱢᱟᱨ ᱫᱚ, ᱮᱱᱛᱮ ᱨᱮᱦᱚᱸ, ᱴᱚᱴᱷᱟ ᱟᱨ ᱨᱚᱲ ᱞᱮᱠᱟᱛᱮ ᱵᱷᱮᱜᱟᱨ ᱜᱮᱭᱟ — ᱢᱚᱭᱩᱨᱵᱷᱚᱸᱡᱽ, ᱫᱩᱢᱠᱟᱹ ᱟᱨ ᱵᱤᱨᱵᱷᱩᱢ ᱥᱟᱱᱛᱟᱲᱤ ᱨᱮᱱᱟᱜ ᱢᱩᱪᱟᱹᱫ ᱫᱚ ᱵᱷᱮᱜᱟᱨ ᱜᱮᱭᱟ, ᱟᱨ "ᱪᱮᱞᱮ ᱢᱮᱱᱟᱢᱟ?" ᱫᱚ ᱤᱧ ᱡᱚᱛᱚ ᱠᱷᱚᱱ ᱵᱟᱹᱲᱛᱤ ᱚᱞ ᱟᱠᱟᱱ ᱨᱩᱯ ᱤᱧ ᱧᱮᱞ ᱟᱠᱟᱫᱟ᱾ ᱡᱩᱫᱤ ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱠᱚ ᱪᱷᱟᱯᱟ ᱥᱮ ᱯᱟᱲᱦᱟᱣ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱪᱟᱞᱟᱜ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ, ᱮᱱᱠᱷᱟᱱ ᱟᱢᱟᱜ ᱴᱚᱴᱷᱟ ᱨᱮᱱ ᱢᱤᱫᱴᱟᱹᱝ ᱟᱹᱫᱤᱵᱟᱹᱥᱤ ᱦᱚᱲ ᱴᱷᱮᱱ ᱢᱤᱫ ᱫᱷᱟᱣ ᱯᱟᱲᱦᱟᱣ ᱚᱪᱚᱭ ᱫᱚ ᱱᱟᱯᱟᱭᱚᱜᱼᱟ᱾

So, you can translate using chat method in Santali.

You can try Sarvam translation model in ANUVAAD BHASHINI:

Go to https://anuvaad.bhashini.gov.in/text-to-text-translation
Select source language - Your preferred language, and target language Santali
Select model Bhashini-Sarvam-Translate v1 and translate

How to use Sarvam Translate (Developers)

Visit Sarvam's website or developer documentation.
Find a translation interface or application that provides access to the model.
Select the source and target languages.
Enter your text and request a translation.
Review the result before using it.

For developers, the API can be integrated into websites, mobile applications or translation workflows.

Documented text limit: Sarvam Translate v1 accepts up to 2,000 characters per request. The Mayura v1 model has a separate limit of 1,000 characters per request. These are API input limits, not a guarantee that a translation of that length will be complete or accurate.

Advantages

Explicit support for Santali.
Useful for building translation applications.
Provides a documented API.
Supports bidirectional translation between English and Santali.

Limitations

The standard Sarvam Translate model is designed for formal-style output.
Its documentation warns that translation quality can vary by language.
Long documents may require a different workflow or multiple requests.
API use requires an API key and is subject to the applicable pricing and service limits.
Sarvam's published evaluation notes lower quality and occasional incomplete output for some document translation tasks involving Santali.

For developers, see the text translation API reference.

Wikimedia MinT

Website: https://translate.wmcloud.org/

MinT is a machine translation service associated with the Wikimedia movement. It is relevant to people working with Wikipedia, Wikisource and other open-knowledge projects. It can translate files in many formats including JSON, Wikitext.

Its purpose is to help people translate content using available machine translation models. Supported language pairs and models can vary.

Their is also an Android application called MinT tranlsate :

Mint Translate: Text Translator is a utility app designed for translating text across multiple languages via typing, copying, or using on-screen selection tools.

Key Features of MinT android app

Multi-Language Translation: Supports typing or copying text to translate between various languages.
Quick Text Selection: Allows you to select text within other apps and choose Mint Translate directly for quick translations.
Voice Integration: Includes speech-to-text capabilities and read-aloud functionality for translated audio.
History Management: Saves previous translations and search history with options to review, search, or swipe to delete items.

How to try it

Open the MinT website.
Choose a source and target language.
Check whether the desired Santali language pair is available.
Enter a short sentence or paragraph.
Generate the translation and inspect the output.
If you are working on a Wikimedia project, check whether MinT is available in that project's translation workflow.

Advantages

Relevant to open knowledge and Wikimedia contributors.
Can help prepare draft translations.
Useful for experimenting with supported translation models.

Limitations

Not every language pair is necessarily available in every interface.
Some models may produce better results than others.
It is not a substitute for proofreading or subject-matter expertise.

TexTra

Website: https://mt-auto-minhon-mlt.ucri.jgn-x.jp/

TexTra is a multilingual machine translation service developed by Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT).

It is worth exploring for multilingual research and translation workflows. It uses IndicTrans2 model, which support Santali language.

General use features of TexTra:

Microsoft Office add-ins: Translate Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations into Santali, where supported by the selected translation engine.
Browser add-ons for Firefox and Chrome: Translate selected text and look up word meanings while browsing the web, helping Santali speakers understand online content.
CAT tool integration: Use compatible machine translation and dictionary lookup services in professional translation tools such as SDL Trados Studio to translate and review Santali content, where the required language pair is supported.
TexTra Clipboard: A desktop utility that helps translate text copied to the clipboard. Copy text from an application, translate it using a supported service, and review the result in Santali, if the required language pair is available.

TexTra: Build Better Machine Translation for Santali

TexTra offers Web APIs for machine translation, dictionary lookups, terminology searches, and finding similar sentences. Developers can use these APIs to build tools that support Santali translation, and code samples in different programming languages help them get started.

Think of TexTra as a student who learns from a collection of bilingual textbooks. If you provide suitable English–Santali translations and terminology, you can use these resources to customise translation for a particular subject, such as education, healthcare, or software. This is especially useful for Santali translators who want to maintain consistent terminology.

Translate and Edit Websites Without Complicated Installation

TexTra also provides a Translation Editor that lets users load a website URL or a Microsoft Word document, view its layout, machine-translate the content, and edit the result.

Imagine translating a Santali educational website: instead of copying every paragraph into a separate translation box, you can load the website into the editor, inspect its text alongside its design and images, and correct the machine-generated translation where necessary.

The general workflow is:

Choose a website: Enter the URL of the page you want to translate.
Load and translate: The editor loads the page and displays the machine-translated content in a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) format, where supported.
Review and edit: Correct the title, paragraphs, and terminology to make the translation accurate and natural in Santali.
Compare both languages: Use the bilingual table, where available, to compare the original text with the translated text.

This approach is particularly helpful when translating websites where images, headings, and page layout provide important context.

Note: Machine-translated text should always be reviewed by a proficient Santali speaker before publication.

How to use it

Open the TexTra service portal.
The portal will be displayed in Japanese, change language to English by selecting the language dropdown option from the top right corner.
Create a username and password to login, so simply login if you already have one.
Select text translate feature and model.
Select a supported source and target language pair.
Enter the text you want to translate.
Generate the translation, you can even donate your translation for improvent.
Compare the output with another engine.
If you plan to use it with a CAT tool, check the available API, account and integration requirements.

Advantages

Useful for multilingual experimentation.
May fit research-oriented translation workflows.
Worth testing when comparing translation alternatives.
You can donate translation to improve the model.
CAT integration for OmegaT, SDL Trados Studio etc.

Limitations

The availability of Santali and individual language pairs must be checked.
Service access, API availability and usage conditions may change.
Do not assume that it uses a particular underlying model without checking the current documentation.

Apertium

Website: https://www.apertium.org/

Beta: https://beta.apertium.org/

Apertium is an open-source, rule-based machine translation platform. Unlike systems that primarily learn translation patterns from large datasets, a rule-based system uses linguistic rules and dictionaries.

The English–Santali (English–Ol Chiki) language pair is available in beta, making it an interesting project for Santali speakers, language researchers, translators, and open-source contributors who want to explore and improve machine translation. I'm also a maintainer and contributing to English-Santali pair, feel free to open a pull request in Github.

How to try it

Visit the Apertium website.
Select the English–Santali language pair, if available in the current interface.
Enter a short English sentence.
Generate the Santali translation.
Review the output carefully, checking word forms, grammar, and sentence structure.

Advantages

Open-source technology that encourages community contributions.
Apertium Beta Interface website is translated to Santali language.
Useful for linguistic research and Santali language development.
Can be improved by developing dictionaries and grammatical rules.
May support offline translation when the required software and language data are installed.
Offers an opportunity for Santali speakers to contribute to language technology.

Limitations

The English–Santali pair is still in beta, so translation quality may be limited.
Missing vocabulary and grammatical rules can cause errors. It only supports number, names of months, week, day translation from English.
Rule-based translation may struggle with ambiguous words, idioms, and sentences that require broader context.
The output should be reviewed by a proficient Santali speaker before publication.

Help improve Santali translation: If you know English and Santali, consider exploring Apertium's open-source project and contributing linguistic knowledge, vocabulary, or corrections to help improve the English–Santali translation pair.

MyMemory

Website: https://mymemory.translated.net/

MyMemory is a translation memory service that draws on multilingual translation resources. It is important to distinguish a translation memory from a neural machine translation engine: a translation memory retrieves previously stored translations, while a machine translation model generates new output.

MyMemory may be useful in workflows where its supported language pairs and available data match your needs.

How to use it

Open the MyMemory website or consult its translation API documentation.
Check whether your required language pair is available.
Enter a short sentence or query the supported API.
Review any returned translation suggestions.
Verify the meaning and grammar before reusing the result.

Advantages

Useful for discovering existing translation examples.
Can complement a CAT tool.
An API may be useful for developers.

Limitations

Coverage and the quantity of useful translation data vary by language pair.
A translation memory may return no useful match.
API limits and usage policies can change.

Do not assume that an API endpoint returning a result guarantees good Santali coverage. Test it with real examples.

Other services to explore

The following services may also be useful, but you should verify current Santali support and the precise features available before relying on them.

Glosbe: https://glosbe.com/ — useful for dictionary-style lookups and translation examples. Check whether the entries match your intended meaning and regional usage. It is a crowdsource platform, where anyone can contribute to dictionary.
Glosbe Translate: https://translate.glosbe.com/en-sat/— Uses Facebook NLLB model to power the engine, it supports Santali.
Kagi Translate: https://translate.kagi.com/ — Supports Santali.
MachineTranslation.com: https://www.machinetranslation.com/ — Supports Santali, as a native speaker, based on the below source I can confirm that most of the models were making errors and only Gemini, deepseek, claude, chatgpt were giving better results than other models.
Devanagri translator: https://www.devanagari.co.in/ — This is a basic demo for AI-Translation powered by Devnagri's NMT Engine. Don't know which model they are using but, it needs a lot of improvements, Santali is supported.
Anything Translate: https://anythingtranslate.com/ — investigate its current Santali language options and test the output before use.

A service advertising support for many languages may use different models for different pairs. Always test the actual Santali output rather than relying only on a product description.

3. Which translation engine should you choose?

There is no single engine that is best for every Santali translation task. The best choice depends on what you want to translate, how much text you have, and how much time you can spend reviewing the result.

Your task	Recommended starting point	Why
Quick everyday translation and chat AI	Google Translate and ANUVAAD (Bodhi) / Sarvam AI chat and Gemini chat	Simple web and mobile interface
Research on Indian-language translation	AI4Bharat / IndicTrans2 / ANUVAAD (Bodhi)	Open-source models and research resources
Building a translation application	Sarvam	API or model-based development options
Wikipedia and open-knowledge work	Wikimedia MinT, where available	Relevant to Wikimedia translation workflows
Exploring linguistic rules	Apertium (beta)	Open-source, rule-based approach
Reusing previous translations	A CAT tool with a translation memory	Helps maintain consistency across projects
Translating a website	Textra	Convenient for reading online material
Translating a long document	OmegaT + Sarvam or Google Translate	Better control over segments and revisions

These are starting recommendations, not a universal ranking of translation quality. Compare outputs using sentences whose correct Santali translations you already know.

4. How to translate a complete web page into Santali

Suppose you want to read an English educational website in Santali. You do not want to copy every paragraph separately.

Start with the browser's built-in translation feature, if it offers the target language you need. In Chrome, for example, you can open the page, use the translate option in the address bar or page menu, and select a target language if it is available.

However, support for Santali text translation does not automatically mean that full-page browser translation into Santali is available. Browser translation languages depend on the browser and its translation service.

If Santali is not listed as a target language, try this alternative workflow:

Open the webpage in your browser.
Copy the important paragraph or section.
Open Google Translate or another engine that explicitly supports the required language pair.
Paste the text and select Santali.
Translate one section at a time.
Compare the result with the original.
Continue with the next section.

For a long article, divide it into logical sections instead of translating the entire page as one large block. This also makes proofreading easier.

My practical recommendation: Use a browser translation feature for convenience when it supports the language pair. If it does not support Santali as a full-page target, use a text translation engine and translate the page section by section.

5. Browser add-ons for Santali translation

Browser extensions can make translation easier by allowing you to select text, open a translation popup or translate a selected section without repeatedly switching tabs.

An important point: an extension provides an interface to a translation service; it does not automatically add Santali support to that service.

Simple Translate

Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/simple-translate/

Chrome: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/simple-translate/ibplnjkanclpjokhdolnendpplpjiace

Simple Translate allows users to translate selected or typed text through supported backends, including Google Translate and DeepL API.

How to use it

Install the extension from your browser's official extension store.
Open its settings.
Choose the available translation provider.
Set the source and target languages, where supported.
Select a passage on a webpage and use the extension's translation option.
Check whether Santali is available through the chosen backend.

Advantages: Convenient for selected text, quick lookups and repeated translation.

Limitations: Its available language pairs depend on the backend. The extension's listing does not guarantee that every backend supports Santali.

Browser translation built into Chrome

Chrome provides webpage translation through its built-in browser functionality. The Google Translate extension is no longer the mechanism for translating entire pages in current Chrome versions.

Try the page translation feature first, but check whether Santali is actually available in the target-language list. If not, use a Google Translate web. I have manually tested and Santali is not added to the list of applications.

Choosing an extension safely

Before installing any translation add-on:

Read its permissions and privacy policy.
Check which translation provider it uses.
Confirm that the provider supports Santali.
Avoid sending confidential or personal documents to unknown services.
Remember that translation extensions may transmit selected text to an external service.

You can also bookmark your favourite translation websites instead of installing an extension. For many beginners, this is the simplest approach.

6. Use CAT tools for professional Santali translation

Machine translation is not the only technology translators should explore. Another important category is Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools.

A CAT tool helps a human translator work efficiently by dividing a document into manageable segments, storing previous translations, maintaining terminology and helping keep wording consistent.

Think of a CAT tool as a translator's organised workshop. The machine translation engine is one of the tools on the workbench, while the human translator remains responsible for the final result.

What is the difference between MT and CAT?

Feature	Machine translation engine	CAT tool
Main purpose	Generates translated text	Helps organise and manage translation work
Example	Google Translate, IndicTrans2	OmegaT
Translation memory	Not necessarily included	Usually a central feature
Terminology management	Depends on the service	Often available
Human editing	Recommended	Part of the normal workflow
Can use an MT engine?	It is the engine	Yes, when a compatible integration is available

OmegaT: a useful CAT tool to explore

Website: https://omegat.org/

OmegaT is a free, open-source CAT tool that supports structured translation projects. It is useful for translators working on software, documents, books and other text-based projects. I personally use it for translation. Their are some known font display issues for language with non latin script still majority of the work will get done.

How to start translating with OmegaT

Download and install OmegaT from its official website.
Create a new translation project.
Select the source and target languages available in your installation.
Import a supported document or a collection of text files.
Translate each segment in the editor.
Save your translations in the project's translation memory.
Generate the translated files when the project is complete.

For Santali, use the correct language and script settings wherever the software supports them. Make sure your fonts display Ol Chiki correctly.

How to connect machine translation to a CAT tool

The precise steps depend on the engine and the CAT tool. A typical workflow is:

Open OmegaT and your translation project.
Check the machine translation plugins or integrations available in your version.
Review the integration's documentation to confirm support for the chosen engine (ex. Google Translate, Mymemory, TexTra etc.).
Configure any required API key, endpoint or connection details (MyMemory provide more api usage if logged in with email).
Open a segment in the translation editor.
Request a machine translation if the integration supports it.
Review and edit the suggested translation, save glossary.
Save the final, human-reviewed translation in your project.

Do not assume that every online translation website can connect directly to OmegaT. Some services need an API, a plugin or a compatible endpoint. Some may not offer a suitable integration at all.

Matecat: A Free CAT Tool for Santali Translators

Website: https://www.matecat.com/

Official user guide: https://guides.matecat.com/

Matecat is a free, web-based Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tool designed to help translators work more efficiently. It supports more than 200 languages and a wide range of document formats, including Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. Santali is listed among its supported languages. Read Matecat's supported languages and formats.

What is Matecat, and how can it help Santali speakers?

Imagine you are translating a 100-page English educational book into Santali. If you translate everything manually, you may have to type the same sentence or technical term many times. You might also use different Santali words for the same concept in different chapters.

Matecat works like a translator's digital notebook. It divides a document into smaller segments, suggests previously translated sentences through a Translation Memory (TM), and can provide machine translation suggestions when a compatible engine is available.

For example, if you translate the same sentence in several chapters, Matecat may suggest your earlier translation. You can reuse it or edit it instead of starting from scratch.

Remember that Matecat is a CAT tool, not a single translation engine. Its usefulness for Santali depends on the available machine translation providers, language pairs and translation resources.

How to use Matecat for English-to-Santali translation

You do not need to install desktop software to start using Matecat. You need a web browser and an internet connection.

Step 1: Open Matecat

Visit https://www.matecat.com/ and start a new translation project.

Step 2: Select the languages

Choose English as the source language and Santali as the target language, if the combination is available in the language selector. Confirm that the selected language and script are appropriate for your project.

Step 3: Upload your document

Upload a supported file, such as a Word document, or another compatible file containing the content you want to translate.

Analyze

Volume analysis is done and click on Translate

click on translate

Step 4: Configure your project

Review the project settings. You may be able to select a machine translation provider and configure a translation memory or terminology resource. Check whether the selected provider supports English–Santali before expecting automatic translation suggestions.

Step 5: Translate segment by segment

Matecat divides the document into manageable sections. Review each source segment and enter or edit its Santali translation. Use machine translation suggestions or translation memory matches when available, but do not accept them blindly.

Step 6: Review and export

Proofread the translated text for meaning, grammar, terminology and Ol Chiki rendering. When the project is complete, generate and download the translated document in the supported output format.

For detailed instructions, see the official Matecat guide.

Advantages of Matecat for Santali translation

Free to use: You can create translation projects online without purchasing a standard desktop CAT-tool licence.
Supports many file formats: Useful for translating educational materials, reports, documents and other content.
Translation memory: Helps reuse previously translated sentences and maintain consistent terminology.
Machine translation integration: Can provide automated suggestions when a compatible engine supports the selected language pair.
Terminology resources: Helps translators organise language resources for recurring terms.
Useful for teams: Translation resources can be shared with collaborators when configured appropriately.
No complicated installation: Beginners can start in a browser.

Limitations and disadvantages

Machine translation is not guaranteed: Although Santali is listed as a supported language, individual MT providers may not support the English–Santali pair.
Human proofreading is essential: Automated suggestions and previously stored translations can contain errors.
Internet access is normally required: Matecat is primarily an online service.
Privacy needs attention: Matecat offers public and private translation memories. Check your project settings carefully because translations saved to the public memory may be accessible to other users. Use an appropriate private resource for confidential work.
Learning takes time: Beginners must learn how to manage segments, translation memories, terminology and project settings.
Script display needs checking: Ensure that Santali text displays correctly in Ol Chiki and that the exported document preserves the intended script.

Who should use Matecat?

Matecat is worth exploring if you are a Santali translator, student, teacher, researcher or software localisation contributor working on lengthy documents or recurring translation projects.

For a single sentence, a simple translation website may be easier. For a book, a collection of educational materials or a software translation project, a CAT tool can help organise your work and reuse previous translations.

My recommendation: Try Matecat with a small English–Santali document first. Confirm that Santali is available as a target language, inspect the machine translation options, and test whether the chosen provider actually generates Santali output. If automatic translation is unavailable, you can still investigate using Matecat's editing and translation-memory features for human translation.

By combining CAT tools with human expertise and suitable machine translation engines, Santali translators can build consistent terminology resources and help improve the availability of digital content in their mother tongue.

Which engine is best for CAT tools?

For CAT work, the best engine is one that supports your language pair, offers acceptable quality and can be integrated reliably into your workflow.

For quick manual translation: Google Translate is an easy starting point.
For Indian-language research and experimentation: Explore IndicTrans2 and available interfaces built around it.
For API-based workflows: Investigate Sarvam Translate and its documented request limits.
For linguistic experimentation: Explore Apertium if the relevant language pair is available.
For consistency across a large project: Use a CAT tool's translation memory alongside whichever compatible MT engine you choose.

A CAT tool can be more valuable than repeatedly pasting paragraphs into a website when you are translating a book, a software interface or a large collection of documents. It helps you organise the work, remember previous decisions and reduce inconsistent terminology.

7. Android apps for Santali translation

Many Santali speakers use Android phones as their primary way of accessing the internet. Translation apps can help students, teachers, researchers and everyday users translate text without sitting at a computer.

Google Translate

Website: https://translate.google.com/

Google Translate is a convenient starting point for everyday text translation.

How to use it

Install or open Google Translate.
Choose your source language.
Choose Santali as the target language.
Type or paste the text.
Read and copy the result.
Where supported, experiment with voice input, camera features or audio playback.

Check which features are available for Santali in your current app version. Features offered for major languages may not be available for every language.

Translate You

Project: https://github.com/you-apps/TranslateYou

F-Droid: https://f-droid.org/packages/com.bnyro.translate/

Translate You is an open-source Android translation app that offers multiple translation providers. Its documented integrations include Wikimedia MinT, Apertium, Glosbe and other services.

How to use it

Install the app from a trusted source.
Open the app and review its available translation providers.
Choose a provider that supports your desired language pair.
Select the source and target languages.
Enter your text and request a translation.
Compare the output with another engine if accuracy matters.

Advantages: Multiple providers in one interface, open-source development and a convenient way to experiment with translation alternatives.

Limitations: Not every provider supports every language. Availability may change, and the app's own supported-language count does not guarantee Santali support in each engine.

Screen translation applications

Apps such as EverTranslator ScreenTranslate and Instant Translate On Screen are designed to help translate text visible in other applications, often by using screen overlays or optical character recognition (OCR).

OCR means converting text in an image or on a screen into computer-readable text.

These apps may be useful when reading a website, a scanned document, an image or text that cannot be copied normally.

Before relying on one for Santali, check:

Whether the app can recognise Ol Chiki text correctly.
Whether the OCR engine supports the script and font used in the image.
Whether the translation backend supports Santali.
Whether the app sends screen content to an external server.
Whether its current version still provides the advertised features.

A screen translation app does not necessarily have its own translation engine. It may use OCR to extract the text and then send that text to another translation service.

8. How to get better Santali translations

No matter which engine you choose, the quality of your input and your proofreading process can make a big difference.

Use complete sentences

A single word may have several meanings. A complete sentence gives the engine more context.

Instead of entering an isolated word, include the sentence in which it appears.

Translate shorter sections

Very long text can exceed a service's input limit or lead to incomplete output. Divide the material into paragraphs or logical sections and retain the original order.

For services with documented limits, check the current documentation before submitting large amounts of text.

Check the script

Santali can be represented in different scripts, but Ol Chiki is especially important for Santali-language digital content.

Make sure the output uses the script you intend to publish. If a translation appears in another script, do not assume that it is automatically a correct Ol Chiki translation.

Compare two or more engines

When a sentence is important, translate it with two services and compare the results.

Do not simply choose the longest or most fluent answer. Look at meaning, grammar, terminology and the naturalness of the Santali expression.

Maintain a terminology list

For a book, website or software project, maintain a list of approved Santali terms. Reuse these terms consistently and record decisions that may be useful in future translations.

A CAT tool can help manage terminology and reuse previous translations.

Ask a knowledgeable Santali speaker to review important work

For educational resources, public notices, research, cultural material and published articles, human review is especially valuable.

Machine translation can assist the process, but it cannot guarantee that a sentence sounds natural to Santali speakers from different regions or communities.

9. Who can benefit from these tools?

Students: Translate study materials, understand unfamiliar passages and build vocabulary. Check the original text rather than treating every output as a correct answer.

Teachers: Prepare draft learning materials and explore ways to explain concepts in Santali.

Translators: Use MT for first drafts, CAT tools for consistent terminology, and translation memories to reuse approved translations.

Researchers: Compare engines, evaluate translation quality and study the challenges faced by low-resource languages.

Software localisation contributors: Use CAT tools to translate interface messages, maintain consistent terminology and review changes across software projects.

Bloggers and content creators: Translate drafts of articles, descriptions and educational posts, then edit them before publication.

Developers: Experiment with available APIs and open-source models to create translation tools for Santali speakers.

10. Important limitations and responsible use

Machine translation is a useful technology, but it has limitations that every user should understand.

Accuracy: A fluent-looking translation can still contain mistakes.
Cultural context: Proverbs, idioms, traditional expressions and culturally specific terms may be translated incorrectly.
Dialect and terminology: A word that is familiar in one community may not be the preferred term in another.
Long text: Some services impose character or request limits, and long translations may be incomplete.
Script rendering: A correct translation may not display properly if the required Ol Chiki font is missing.
Privacy: Online services may process the text you submit. Avoid sending confidential material unless the service's privacy and security terms are appropriate.
Changing support: Language pairs, features, free quotas and API access can change over time.

Always distinguish between a service's stated language support and the quality of its actual translations. A model may support Santali but still perform poorly on a particular subject or sentence.

A bonus tip: How I generated the AI image of students using AI

I had given this prompt to generate the image in Gemini:

generate image of man and women students, in their traditional attire, using machine translation tools using samartphone and laptop to understand santali language , dont write anything in text form in image , the image should be text free,

I have added text free because AI is generating wrong text in Santali language.

Conclusion: Help build a better digital future for Santali

Machine translation can help Santali speakers access knowledge, learn new things and create more content in their own language. Google Translate, AI4Bharat's IndicTrans2, Sarvam Translate, Wikimedia MinT, Apertium and other services provide different opportunities for translation and experimentation.

For everyday use, start with a simple translation website. For research, compare the outputs of different engines. For larger translation projects, learn a CAT tool such as OmegaT and develop a reusable terminology list and translation memory. On Android, try a suitable translation app and verify that the selected provider supports Santali.

Most importantly, machine translation should be treated as an assistant, not as the final authority. Human translators, teachers, researchers and native speakers are essential for improving the accuracy and naturalness of Santali translations.

By testing these tools, documenting their limitations and sharing corrections, we can help improve the digital resources available to Santali speakers.

Now I have a question for you!

Which machine translation engine or app do you use for Santali, and why do you prefer it? Do you prefer Google Translate, AI4Bharat, Sarvam Translate, MinT, Apertium or another tool? Have you tried using a CAT tool such as OmegaT for Santali translation?

Share your experience, the language pairs you use, and any problems you have encountered. Your feedback may help other Santali speakers find better tools and encourage further development of Santali language technology.