Google to host hackathon to promote Indian language apps

NEW DELHI: Google India will host a two-day Hackathon and workshop in Bangalore on February 21-22 focused on designing and creating Android applications in Indian languages.

The event, which is expected to see about 100 developers participating, is open to both amateur and professional developers.

The aim is to promote regional languages and develop applications for Internet users who communicate and understand only their native language with a view to encouraging more users to come online, Google said in a statement.

"The next 300 million Internet users in India won't use English. That's why we're working on enabling the Internet in Indian languages, which is the key to driving growth," Google India Managing Director Rajan Anandan said.

Google will host workshops covering the technical process of enabling apps in Indian languages and monetisation potential of language apps.

The sessions will also cover business aspects of enabling existing Android applications in multiple languages and how that can further the reach and monetisation potential of the apps for the developers.

The objective of the sessions is to enable better understanding of the growing Internet user base in India and the opportunity it represents for the developers and help them to build valuable skills, Anandan said.