Ordinary: Secrets of Google's language system the unsung heroes of the Internet-IT-Google News

Remember early on the network can see the Chinese page, displayed some difficult or obscure words, display is a small box. The tofu in the industry, now almost not see similar problems.

▲(From left to right) yangfan Zhong Shenghua, Google engineering Director, Google Engineering Manager, Google user experience Manager Zhang Yinghui, forest, Google Product Manager, Google engineering manager Chen Yong-sheng and head of corporate communications at Google China Marsha.

But this shift is not naturally occurring. Because in the past couple of decades, a group of people silently in the background, to digital information infrastructure. NetEase technology to Google's Beijing Office, listening to Google fonts, input methods and emoji team tell these extraordinary greatness.

Google's vision of the font: "Elimination of tofu"

On the Internet, no fonts support a lot of text will not display information cannot be passed, font of all text design support is particularly important. Usually, the system does not support the characters will be displayed as small squares, or garbled, and dubbed the tofu. Google engineering manager Chen Yong Sheng said: "Google developed a font family called Noto, meaning there would be no more unrecognizable chunks (NO Tofu), you want the all languages can be displayed and a unified and coordinated look. ”

Google has invested a great deal of effort in font, integration will not only language resources also follows different text baseline and high design principles, respect different writing styles, and fonts designed for mobile devices, for users of different devices in different areas to provide a better experience.

Now, Google Noto font has support for over 100 languages, 500 languages, writing more than 110,000 characters, and free gifts to the world so that it can be installed. Google Product Manager Xiao Xiangye revealed that hundreds of millions of people around the world use Google every day Noto font. Meanwhile, Google font are also concerned about small languages to protect ecological diversity text, also Mongolian, Yi, Tibetan, Chinese ethnic minority languages and fonts, for a digital world continue Chinese language and culture.

Input power: more than 100 kinds of languages on the Internet integration

Limits of input demand comes from the keyboard, without the help of software are unable to input Chinese or other large Italian language of the text. Different languages require different input methods, so Google for different national and regional support for Internet users to provide input, through the consideration of language features in different regions for a good experience at the same time, various language and cultural exchanges over the Internet.

Ringling introduces Google Product Manager, Google IME has supported more than 100 global languages now, and continue to explore new possibilities. Starting from the different language, Google IME for a convenient and accurate input experience, such as the Google IME support 11 kinds of India main language, covering about 90% India population by mother tongue.

Google Engineering Manager Yang Fan said using Google's advanced machine learning technology, IME team convenient to parse the language model, able to quickly develop a new input method. Also in combination with other services, Google IME can provide more and better experience for the user, such as in the Gboard on iOS system can support multiple languages, and other Google products, to provide users with services such as search, GIF search and send.

Behind the Emoji: promoting gender equality and diversity

Emoji has become commonly used Internet expression, more than 90% of the online population uses Emoji. 78% of women often uses Emoji, while men are 60%. But the Emoji expression, representative of women's career and image expressions is relatively simple.

"In order to promote gender equality, Google global Unicode Technical Committee (Unicode Consortium) recommendations and launched a series of new professional Emoji pattern, and only male of occupations and activities of Emoji joined the female version, to promote gender equality, encouraging more women to try something new. "Google user experience Manager Zhang Yinghui said.

Zhang Yinghui, the "Emoji originally designed to in the message dialog, compared to traditional text or simple expressions, provides richer expressions of emotion. Google always believed Emoji should reflect our diversity, so we made a lot of attempts and effort uses Emoji to support gender equality and promotion of the diversity of the world. ”

Now, fonts, input methods, language products have Emoji for global users with a better experience, so that people can easily upload, enter the Internet, communication and creation. Google engineering Director Zhong Shenghua also pointed out that "Google wants to build a sophisticated Internet system, promoting the prosperity and development of the Internet world. From Unicode (universal codes) to Google fonts, input methods, Emoji emoticons and translation product, Google has been working. ' Organize the world's information, so that everyone can access and benefit from ', which is the Mission of Google, Google is committed to providing language products in the first place. ”

平凡亦不凡：揭秘谷歌互联网语言系统的幕后英雄 - 谷歌 - IT资讯

还记得早期在网络上可以看到中文的页面，一些比较难显示的字或冷僻的字，显示出来都是一个个小方块。这在行业内叫豆腐，现在已经几乎看不到类似的问题了。

▲（从左至右）Google工程总监钟胜华、Google工程经理杨帆、Google用户体验经理张英惠、Google产品经理林林、Google工程经理陈雍昇和Google中国的企业传播负责人Marsha。

但这个转变并不是自然发生的。因为在过去几十年里，有一批人默默的在背后，为了数码信息的全球化在做着基础建设工作。网易科技前往了Google北京办公室，听谷歌字体、输入法和emoji团队讲述这些工作平凡中的伟大。

谷歌字体的愿景：“消灭豆腐”

在互联网中，没有字体的支持很多文字无法显示，信息则无法传递，设计出支持所有文字的字体显得尤为重要。通常，系统不支持的字符会被显示为小方块，也就是乱码，又被戏称为豆腐。Google工程经理陈雍昇介绍说：“Google开发的字体家族叫做Noto，意指不再会有无法识别的豆腐块(NO Tofu)，希望让所有语言均能显示并可以有统一协调的观感。”

Google在字体方面投入了大量的努力，不仅综合各类语言资源，也遵循不同文字不同基线、字高等设计原则，尊重不同文字书写习惯，还为移动设备设计字体，为不同地区不同设备的用户提供更好的体验。

现在，Google的Noto字体已经支持超过100种文字、500种语言，编写超过11万字符，并且免费赠予全球用户，可任意安装使用。Google产品经理萧湘晔透露，每天全球有上亿人次使用Google的Noto字体。同时，Google字体也关注小语种，保护多样性文字生态，还研究彝文、藏文、蒙文等中国少数民族语言的字体，为数字世界延续中国语言文化。

输入法的魔力：让100余种语言在互联网上交汇融合

输入法的需求来源于键盘的限度，在没有软件的帮助下是无法输入中文或其他大型形意文字的语言。不同语言需要不同的输入法，因此Google为不同国家和地区的互联网用户提供语言输入的支持，通过对不同地区语言特性的考量为用户提供良好的体验的同时，让各种语言与文化在互联网上交流。

据Google产品经理林林介绍，现在Google输入法已经支持全球100多种语言，并在不断探索新的可能。从不同语言习惯出发，Google输入法为用户提供便捷精准的输入体验，比如Google输入法支持11种印度主要语言，覆盖约90%印度人口的母语。

Google工程经理杨帆表示，借助Google先进的机器学习技术，输入法团队便捷地解析语言模型，能够快速开发出新的输入法。此外结合其他服务，Google输入法还能为用户提供更多更好的体验，比如在iOS系统上的Gboard就能支持多种语言，并结合Google其他产品，为用户提供搜索、GIF搜索和发送等服务。

Emoji的背后：推动性别平等和多样化

Emoji已经成为大众常用的互联网表情，超过90%的在线人口使用Emoji。其中78%的女性经常使用Emoji，而男性则为60%。但在已有的Emoji表情中，代表女性职业和形象的表情却比较单一。

“为了推动性别平等，Google向全球Unicode技术委员会(Unicode Consortium)建议并推出了一系列新的职业Emoji图案，并在原本只有男性的职业和活动的Emoji加入了女性版本，推动性别平等，鼓励更多女性进行新的尝试。”Google用户体验经理张英惠表示。

据张英惠介绍，“Emoji最初的设计是为了在消息对话中，相较于传统的纯文字或者简单的表情，提供更丰富的感情色彩的表达。Google始终相信Emoji应该反映出我们的多样性，因此我们做出了很多的尝试和努力运用Emoji来支持性别平等和推动世界的的多样化。”

现在，字体、输入法、Emoji等语言类产品已经为全球用户带来了良好的体验，让人们可以便捷得在互联网上传、输入、沟通以及创作。Google工程总监钟胜华也指出，“Google希望搭建一套成熟的互联网语言系统，推动互联网世界的繁荣发展。从Unicode（万国码）到Google字体、输入法、Emoji表情以及翻译产品，Google一直在努力。‘整合全球信息，使人人都能访问并从中受益’，这是Google的使命，也是Google致力于提供语言类产品的初衷。”