San Francisco, CA – [Current Date] – iNaturalist, the globally recognized citizen science platform for documenting biodiversity, has significantly enhanced its accessibility by introducing support for 16 languages. This expansion aims to foster a more inclusive adn collaborative environment for naturalists worldwide.

The newly added languages include Macedonian, Russian, Ukrainian, Kazakh, Hebrew, Arabic, Marathi, Tamil, Kannada, Thai, Japanese, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), and Korean. This move is expected to empower a broader range of users to contribute their observations and engage wiht the iNaturalist community, regardless of their native tongue.

iNaturalist, a joint initiative of the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society, relies on user-submitted observations to build a thorough database of the planetS flora and fauna. The platform allows individuals to upload photos or sounds of organisms they encounter, which are then identified by the community and experts.

The addition of these languages is a direct result of community efforts, with volunteers contributing to the translation of the iNaturalist interface. The platform encourages further participation in its translation efforts through a dedicated portal, inviting users to help make iNaturalist accessible in even more languages.

This multilingual expansion is poised to accelerate the pace of biodiversity revelation and data collection, providing valuable insights for researchers, conservationists, and educators across diverse geographical regions. Users can select their preferred language directly through their account settings on the iNaturalist website.