A Request for Collaboration:
Expanding NagaTranslate Together
Introduction & My Mission
Hello. I am the sole developer behind NagaTranslate, an AI-powered language platform I built to support the indigenous and regional languages of Nagaland. I started this project because I noticed a stark digital divide: while global languages are easily translated online, our beautiful local languages remain largely unsupported.
According to the Nagaland Home Department's official gazette notification, there are 19 recognised indigenous languages in our state:
- 15 Naga Tribal Languages: Angami, Ao, Chakhesang, Chang, Khiamniungan, Konyak, Lotha, Phom, Pochury, Rengma, Sumi, Sangtam, Tikhir, Yimkhiung, and Zeliang.
- 4 Non-Naga Indigenous Languages: Garo, Mikir (Karbi), Kuki, and Kachari.
Currently, NagaTranslate actively supports Nagamese, Ao (Chungli), and Sema, with the eventual dream of supporting as many of these 19 languages as possible.
I currently run a free public website at nagatranslate.in out of my own pocket as a community benefit. Even in its pilot stage, the website has seen over 400 unique visitors in the last 29 days since the initial webapp release, proving there is a massive, real demand for this technology. An Android app is also currently in closed testing for the Google Play Store.
However, this project is still in its initial stages and requires funding. AI hosting is incredibly expensive. This document is a humble request for partnership. By enrolling in one of the support tiers below, the revenue will be utilised to keep the main website free for everyday users in the future, while giving your institution dedicated, high-capacity access to my translation engines.
1. The Real-World Need
Nagaland's linguistic diversity is a treasure, but in the digital age, it can sometimes create barriers:
| The Challenge | The Impact |
|---|---|
| Government notices and official documents are primarily in English | Large portions of the rural population cannot easily access them |
| Healthcare instructions and prescriptions are in English | Patients in remote areas may misunderstand critical medical directions |
| Schools lack digital teaching materials in local languages | It is difficult to implement the NEP 2020 mother-tongue education mandate |
| Tourism operators struggle with language barriers | Missed opportunities to share our culture deeply with visitors |
| Oral histories remain undocumented digitally | We risk losing irreplaceable linguistic heritage |
My goal with NagaTranslate is to provide a practical tool to help bridge these gaps across education, healthcare, tourism, and cultural preservation.
2. What I Have Built (The Technology)
NagaTranslate is built with three main AI engines:
2.1 The Translation Engine
I fine-tuned Large Language Models on carefully curated grammar rules and vocabularies for our local languages. Currently, the system supports translating between any of the three local languages (Nagamese, Ao, Sema) AND translating to/from any of the following non-local languages:
- English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Manipuri, Nepali
Note: Translation directly between two non-local languages, like English to Hindi, is not supported. The focus is strictly on bridging local languages with the wider world.
2.2 Text-to-Speech (TTS) Engine
A custom AI model that reads text out loud naturally. This is incredibly helpful for learners and accessibility. (Currently available for Nagamese only, will expand to other languages.)
2.3 Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) Engine
Users can speak into their microphones, and the engine transcribes it into text, which can then be translated. (Currently available for Nagamese only, will expand to other languages.)
2.4 Community Feedback Loop
The website relies on the community. Users can submit corrections to bad translations, which the system learns from to improve accuracy over time.
Platform Screenshots
3. The Public Website's Limitations
I want to keep nagatranslate.in free forever for everyday users. But to manage costs, the public site has strict limits:
| Feature | Public Free Limits |
|---|---|
| Text Translation | Max 500 characters per request. Limited to 3 requests per minute, and 50 requests per day per user. |
| TTS (Audio Generation) | Max 500 characters. Limited to 2 requests per 5 minutes. |
| ASR (Voice-to-Text) | Limited to 3 requests per day per user. |
| API Integration | Not available for public use. |
For a school, hospital, or business, these limits are too strict. That is why I am offering dedicated access to institutions willing to support the project.
4. How We Can Work Together
If you choose to support NagaTranslate, your institution gets access to my engines through three options. All three options draw from the same shared institutional limit pool included in your tier.
5. Support Tiers
I have structured these tiers to make it affordable while covering the high costs of running AI servers. The limits below apply per account (for Premium Accounts) or as an overall shared pool (for API / Widget usage) per month.
Up to 25 premium accounts — or the equivalent as an overall API/Widget pool
Up to 60 premium accounts — or the equivalent as an overall API/Widget pool
Up to 110 premium accounts — or the equivalent as an overall API/Widget pool
- Personal onboarding help from the developer
- Custom vocabulary for your domain (medical, legal, school terms, etc.)
Up to 150 premium accounts — or the equivalent as an overall API/Widget pool
- Direct line to the developer for priority support and integration
- Full widget customisation and branding
6. Next Steps
This project is a labor of love for Nagaland. If you believe in this mission and could use these tools in your organisation, I would be honored to work with you. Please reach out to set up a chat or a free trial of the APIs.
Thank you for your time, your support, and your dedication to our community.
Sincerely,
Agniva Maiti
Creator, NagaTranslate