Chaitanyya S Deshpande: Google, Microsoft and Ogale!

Adv Vidayanand Ogale has developed a comprehensive translation tool on his own. Named as ‘Nagpur’, this tool can translate any English data into eight Indian languages near-accurately. The one-of-its-kind, this fully Indian translation tool can bring revolution.

Adv Vidyanand Ogale at his in-house software lab which consists of only one PC.

Without studying even ABCD of software development, Adv Vidayanand Ogale has developed a comprehensive translation tool on his own. Named as ‘Nagpur’, this tool can translate any English data into eight Indian languages near-accurately. This is a result of ceaseless 21 years of effort by Adv Ogale. The one-of-its-kind, this fully Indian translation tool can bring revolution in Software world. Adv Ogale, now 65, wants to transfer this technology to appropriate institution.

If you type or copy-paste this text in Google translate window or Microsoft translation tool, you can get its world-to-word translation into Hindi or some selected regional Indian languages. However, the most common experience is that real meaning is lost during translation because the software is unable to understand the clause, diction and language dialect.

Imagine a tool enriched with thesaurus, which can provide nearly perfect translation of the given data, that too instantly, with a speed of around 10,000 to 22,000 words per minute! Not only this, but the tool can also translate data from Indian languages to English. Moreover, if attached with phonetic gadget, it can instantly speak out the translated version of the data you have selected. And finally, the tool which directly reads from the paper or screen, and starts translation even without cut-copy-paste work!

Well, all this seems to be imaginary to all of us as we are mostly dependent on Google or Microsoft for translation. But, meet this 65-year-old software-passionate Vidyanand Ogale. An advocate by profession, Oagle has little academic qualification of software development field. But, his passion for the same has earned him a rare mastery over the complicated techno-art. After spending more than two decades with his computer and his master-mind, Adv Ogale has developed a comprehensive translation tool that gives the most correct translation of English text into Marathi. Notably, this is the same task on which the government-funded giants like CDAC are working with country’s best PhD holder engineers and scientists from last thirty years.

“When I approached Dr Vijay Bhatkar (then CDAC chief and maker of Super Computer) with my software in 1990s, he was astonished to see the effectiveness. We discussed several plans to make it more inclusive. However, the large scale research and production is yet a distant dream,” Adv Ogale said. Like a good lawyer, he produces papers and correspondence for his each and every claim. And when he moves towards his computer screen and starts the software, one demands no further proof.

Just copy and paste data from any website and type the command. Hardly a few seconds, gets the data converted into nearly perfect Marathi, in Devnagari text. “This is possible because I have entered the dictionary data of more than 7,000 pages for Marathi language in the database of this software. Moreover, the grammar details, diction, and other special details have also been added. With the same formula, we can develop the other wings of the tool. However, it needs the experts of that respective languages to participate in,” Ogale said. In fact, the man has already learned basics of eight Indian languages and has the basic (beta) version of his tool ready for these languages, too. Still, according to him, around 25 per cent work is yet to be done.

Now, at 65, Ogale wants some young and eligible software enthusiast to handle the further responsibility of his software. This work is the lifetime achievement for Ogale. His two sons, working as software engineers in USA are proud of their father, but they don’t have much to do for his software.

“I would like to transfer the technology to appropriate institution for appropriate price. I would like to meet Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan who is quite techno-savvy and can understand the importance of this software. Similarly, I am trying to meet Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, who is quite determined for such activities. Or finally, I would like to speak to HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, who is quite articulate in technical matters,” Ogale said. He has already started correspondence with the three dignitaries he wanted to meet.
Twenty-two years of his journey is full of different types of experiences, both good and bad. However, Ogale is still optimistic about the software that can change the way of writing Indian languages on Internet.

Ogale can be contacted on 08975467360 or 08237881032