Google has announced the expansion of its NotebookLM Audio Overview feature, which transforms documents into engaging, podcast-style conversations, to include over 50 languages, including Afrikaans and Swahili.
NotebookLM is an AI-powered learning assistant that helps users better understand complex information by grounding responses in their materials — whether that’s lecture notes, PDFs, research reports, or web content.
Read: Google Unveils New AI-Powered Note-Taking Tool
Enhanced by the April rollout of Gemini 2.5 Flash in NotebookLM, the feature is now faster, smarter, and more natural-sounding, even allowing users to ask follow-up questions to the podcast hosts for deeper understanding.
“In Africa, where learning often happens across multiple languages, this update can make a real difference,” said Nanjala Misiko, Head of B2C Marketing at Google Africa. “Whether it’s a student revising notes in Swahili or a teacher preparing summaries in Afrikaans, we’re excited to help more people access and understand information in a way that truly works for them.”
NotebookLM is helping bridge that gap. Students preparing for exams, entrepreneurs reviewing research, or content creators scripting ideas can now listen to summaries in their own language, turning information into something more engaging and accessible.
People can now also set an “Output Language” in NotebookLM settings — making it easy to switch between languages and receive both audio and text responses accordingly. For example, a student in Dar es Salaam could upload English biology notes but choose to hear the overview in Swahili. Similarly, a teacher in Cape Town preparing materials for diverse classrooms can offer summaries in both English and Afrikaans.
