SINGAPORE - Readers of Malay-language newspaper Berita Harian (BH) will now be able to instantly translate the news into English, with help from a new, easy-to-use translation tool.
With the tool, available on both the desktop and mobile versions of the BH website, readers need only highlight text from news articles to get them translated.
The idea for the translation tool was conceived and developed by a team from Singapore Press Holding's (SPH) Digital Media Products and SPHTech that manages the BH website.
Mr Azhar Kasman, a senior product manager with SPH and part of the team that developed the translation tool, said: "When we spoke to BH's primarily bilingual readers, many of them told us that they found it difficult to understand certain words and phrases because of the higher standard of Malay used in our reports.
"In this case, a Malay dictionary wouldn't solve the problem, as many of our bilingual readers are more comfortable speaking and reading in English than in Malay. We decided that a translation tool would be more useful."
The translation tool makes use of the Google Translate application programming interface and works across different Web browsers.
While readers can already start using the tool on the BH website, an onboarding feature will be rolled out in the coming weeks to inform them of the website's new translation capability and how to use it.
This translation capability also means that even non-Malay speakers can read the news on BH.
The launch of the translation tool marks the latest in a string of digital initiatives that BH has been rolling out over the past year.
In May last year, BH launched its podcast #NoTapis, which translates to "no filter", discussing issues close to the heart of the Malay community.
The podcast averages 12,000 downloads a month and has close to 15,000 listeners, half of them aged between 17 and 37.
BH has also been tapping social media to engage audiences, hosting shows that candidly cover current affairs on Facebook Live twice a month.
Just recently, BH launched the BM Show on Facebook and Instagram.
In February this year, BH also revamped its website to make it easier for users to navigate.
The revamp saw its monthly page views increase more than twofold, from less than a million monthly page views to an average of more than two million each month.
The number of users who go on the website has also increased, from roughly 350,000 users before February to more than 500,000 monthly now.
Mr Muhammad Nazri Hadi Saparin, assistant to the editor at BH, said introducing the tool was part of the newspaper's role in preserving and developing the use of the Malay language in Singapore.
"The tool will also be useful as we increase and enhance our outreach and engagement with young readers online through our BH schools initiative," he added.
