14 DAY TRIAL // Facebook has been on somewhat of a translation war since last week but where Google attacks with brute computing force and simplicity the social website now counters with a human touch and sophistication. The search giant can handle its fair share of languages in its translation service but Latin unfortunately isn't one of them. Facebook on the other hand has unveiled a version of the site translated in the “dead” language to the delight, or horror, of students everywhere. It also added several other languages that are decidedly more “lively,” which brings the total number to more than 70.
“The experience of studying Latin can frequently seem somewhat far and away. Even the readings prescribed by Latin teachers have an air of detachment about them: Cicero and Demosthenes, Caesar and Virgil. While students of "living languages" practice on subtitled films and in conversation groups, on vacations and with exchange students, Latin scholars soak in rare living breaths of their studied language, satisfying themselves with the occasional legal phrase, nursery plant, benediction or school motto,” Elizabeth Linder wrote on the Facebook blog.
While the move is interesting, some may be wondering why Facebook would make such an undertaking. After all, besides the novelty factor, there aren't that many users who would benefit from the feature and even less may actually have a need for Facebook in Latin. But the beauty of it is that Facebook didn't need to do anything to make the site available in Latin; thanks to its crowdsourced translations program, the users did all the heavy lifting.
And, considering that Facebook even has a “pirate” language version, Latin doesn't seem that farfetched. Still, along with the dead language, the company has also announced that the site is now available in several other new languages as well like Azeri, Faroese, Georgian and Nepali. With over 70 languages available it does look like the social network may be running out of new ones to add, but the number speaks for the success of its translation program.