Bhubaneswar: With an increased focus on the use of Odia language online and in official communication, web-based tool developed by engineers from the state, helps users to create and edit Odia and Hindi texts online without installing any software. The tool, Swalekh Padhas been available free of charge since Thursday.
“Since the advent of the internet, there has been a demand for tools tailored to native languages. The existing tools do not provide an intuitive text editing experience. Due to incorrect cursor behavior and script semantics, if a user wants to change the spelling of an Odia word, he or she has to delete the entire word instead of just correcting the typo,” said Vivekananda Pani, co-founder, Reverie Language Technologies.
“As part of the campaign to strengthen linguistic equality online, Swalekh Pad enables native language publishers, content creators and government officials to use fonts of their choice and ensure that the reading experience is not compromised,” Pani added.
Currently, documents use Unicode-based fonts, which in most cases are OpenType. The options with OpenType fonts are limited because font designers cannot create many styles as the format is too complex and requires significant technical skills beyond their design abilities.
“This has hampered the development of Indian fonts in Unicode, leaving authors with only a handful of options. As a result, most Indian documents are created using outdated fonts and published in PDF format, which limits usability. Swalekh Pad ensures the use of both Unicode and non-Unicode fonts where they can be used like English,” he explained.
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Starting Thursday, Odia internet users can easily write, edit and share Odia texts without the need for any external tools using Swalekh Pad. Developed by Odia engineers, this web-based tool simplifies content creation and editing. It also supports both Unicode and non-Unicode fonts, accommodating native language publishers and government officials who previously faced technical challenges.
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