Kohima, February 3: A multidisciplinary team of researchers led by Nagaland University has earned international recognition after securing the Second Prize at the AI-Powered Education Global Award 2025–2026, organised by the ASEM Lifelong Learning Hub at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. The award was conferred for the team's pioneering project titled “Preserving Heritage through Technology: A Scalable NLP Solution for Nagamese Language (NagaLangue.ai).”
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| Researchers from Nagaland University and partner institutions pose with officials at the ASEM Lifelong Learning Hub, Thailand, after winning second prize for the Nagamese AI project NagaLangue.ai. |
The achievement marks a significant milestone not only for Nagaland University but also for efforts aimed at preserving indigenous and underrepresented languages through cutting-edge artificial intelligence technologies. According to a release issued by the university, the award-winning project addresses a longstanding challenge in the field of artificial intelligence and natural language processing (NLP) — the lack of effective machine translation systems for low-resource languages.
Nagamese, a widely spoken creole language in Nagaland and parts of Northeast India, has historically received limited attention in the development of AI-based language tools. As a result, digital resources and translation systems for the language have remained scarce compared to major global languages. The NagaLangue.ai project seeks to bridge this gap by developing an advanced and scalable machine translation framework tailored specifically for Nagamese.
The research team adopted a token-augmented adaptation of the widely used mBART-50 multilingual model, introducing language-specific tokens to improve translation performance. This innovative approach significantly enhanced translation accuracy without requiring expensive architectural modifications or large-scale retraining of the model, making the solution both cost-effective and scalable.
Experimental results demonstrated substantial improvements in machine translation quality. The researchers reported that Nagamese-to-English translation BLEU scores increased from 81.25 to 85.42, indicating a marked enhancement in translation accuracy. Additionally, the model achieved up to a 40 percent reduction in accent-induced translation errors when compared to several leading multilingual translation systems, including Transformer, M2M-100, and NLLB-200 models.
Researchers noted that the technology has broad practical applications beyond language preservation. The system could be deployed across sectors such as education, digital governance, public administration, immigration services, and multilingual digital platforms. By enabling more accurate communication in regional languages, the project has the potential to improve accessibility, inclusivity, and citizen engagement in technology-driven services.
The study was led by R. Vasanthan, Associate Professor at Nagaland University, and involved collaboration among researchers from Nagaland University, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, National College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli, Central University of Haryana, and Central University of Tamil Nadu. The collaborative effort brought together expertise in artificial intelligence, computational linguistics, and language technologies.
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Academics and researchers have hailed the project as a noteworthy example of how emerging technologies can be harnessed to safeguard cultural and linguistic heritage. By combining advanced AI techniques with a strong commitment to linguistic diversity, NagaLangue.ai demonstrates that technological innovation can play a vital role in preserving endangered and underrepresented languages while promoting equitable access to education and digital resources.
The international recognition received at the AI-Powered Education Global Award further highlights the growing contribution of Indian researchers to the global AI ecosystem and places Nagaland on the map as a hub for innovative language technology research. The success of NagaLangue.ai is expected to encourage further research and investment in digital solutions aimed at preserving the rich linguistic heritage of Northeast India and other underrepresented language communities around the world.
