Today’s new Google trick

Google will take Latin transliterations of search terms in languages with non-Latin alphabets, and return results in those languages’ alphabets, with search terms properly highlighted.

For example, I was looking up the song Kalasnjikov, and results include the Serbian Wikipedia entry on Михаил Калашњиков, and the Hungarian Wikipedia entry on the gun designed by Kalašnjikov.

The results are different than a search for Калашњиков, so I’m guessing those results above are due to links being labelled with the transliteration as opposed to Google automatically searching for Калашњиков and Kalašnjikov when I had typed Kalasnjikov (which is reasonable), but I’m impressed that the search term highlighting still works. I’d love to know if this works when searching on transliterations of words from non-European languages, too.

Now if only I read Serbian or Hungarian, that would actually help me. Hmm, perhaps only nerds would find this interesting.

Okay, here’s a more useful Google trick: Google maps now includes routing information for the AMT (who run Montreal-area commuter trains). It’s a nice addition to the trip planner from the people who run buses and the métro. Take that, Toronto: you have no trip planner. We have two!

Update: Google isn’t smart enough to highlight გილოცავთ დაბადების დღეს in a search for gilotsavt dabadebis dghes. Oh, well.