Text Translation API | Sarvam API Docs

Translation Types

English to Indic

Translate from English to various Indian languages with support for different translation modes.

Indic to English

Convert Indian languages to English with high accuracy and natural output.

Indic to Indic

Translate between different Indian languages while preserving context and meaning.

Translation Modes

Formal

Highly professional, uses pure language forms. Ideal for official documents and legal papers.

Classic-Colloquial

Balanced mix of languages, slightly informal. Perfect for business emails and general communication.

Modern-Colloquial

Casual and direct style with mixed language. Best for chatbots and social media content.

Code Examples

Basic Translation

Advanced Options

1 from sarvamai import SarvamAI
2 
3 client = SarvamAI(
4     api_subscription_key="YOUR_SARVAM_API_KEY"
5 )
6 
7 response = client.text.translate(
8     input="Hello, how are you?",
9     source_language_code="en-IN",
10     target_language_code="hi-IN",
11     speaker_gender="Male"
12 )
13 
14 print(response)

API Features

Translation Options

Multiple Indian languages support
Three translation modes
Gender-specific translations
Code-mixed text support

Output Formats

Multiple script options
Native/International numerals
Customizable formatting
Transliteration support

Advanced Features

Automatic language detection
Context preservation
Entity handling

API Response Format

Field	Type	Description
`request_id`	string	Unique identifier for the request
`translated_text`	string	Translated text in the target language
`source_language_code`	string	Detected or provided source language (BCP-47 format)

Supported languages:

mayura:v1: bn-IN, en-IN, gu-IN, hi-IN, kn-IN, ml-IN, mr-IN, od-IN, pa-IN, ta-IN, te-IN
sarvam-translate:v1: All mayura languages + as-IN, brx-IN, doi-IN, kok-IN, ks-IN, mai-IN, mni-IN, ne-IN, sa-IN, sat-IN, sd-IN, ur-IN

1 {
2   "request_id": "20241115_12345678-1234-5678-1234-567812345678",
3   "translated_text": "नमस्ते, आप कैसे हैं?",
4   "source_language_code": "en-IN"
5 }

More Response Examples

With Roman Script Output:

1 {
2   "request_id": "20241115_12345678-1234-5678-1234-567812345678",
3   "translated_text": "namaste, aap kaise hain?",
4   "source_language_code": "en-IN"
5 }

With Native Numerals:

1 {
2   "request_id": "20241115_12345678-1234-5678-1234-567812345678",
3   "translated_text": "मेरा फोन नंबर है ९८४०९५०९५०",
4   "source_language_code": "en-IN"
5 }

Auto-Detected Source Language:

1 {
2   "request_id": "20241115_12345678-1234-5678-1234-567812345678",
3   "translated_text": "Hello, how are you?",
4   "source_language_code": "hi-IN"
5 }

Error Responses

All errors return a JSON object with an error field containing details about what went wrong.

Error Response Structure

1 {
2   "error": {
3     "message": "Human-readable error description",
4     "code": "error_code_for_programmatic_handling",
5     "request_id": "unique_request_identifier"
6   }
7 }

Error Codes Reference

HTTP Status	Error Code	When This Happens	What To Do
`400`	`invalid_request_error`	Missing required parameters or malformed request	Check `input`, `source_language_code`, `target_language_code`
`403`	`invalid_api_key_error`	API key is invalid, missing, or expired	Verify your API key in the dashboard
`422`	`unprocessable_entity_error`	Text too long or unsupported language pair	Keep text under 1000 chars (mayura:v1) or 2000 chars (sarvam-translate:v1)
`429`	`insufficient_quota_error`	API quota or rate limit exceeded	Wait for reset or upgrade your plan
`500`	`internal_server_error`	Unexpected server error	Retry the request; contact support if persistent

Example Error Response

1 {
2   "error": {
3     "message": "Input text exceeds maximum length of 1000 characters for mayura:v1",
4     "code": "unprocessable_entity_error",
5     "request_id": "20241115_abc12345"
6   }
7 }

Error Handling Code Example

1 from sarvamai import SarvamAI
2 from sarvamai.core.api_error import ApiError
3 
4 client = SarvamAI(api_subscription_key="YOUR_SARVAM_API_KEY")
5 
6 try:
7     response = client.text.translate(
8         input="Hello, how are you?",
9         source_language_code="en-IN",
10         target_language_code="hi-IN"
11     )
12     print(response.translated_text)
13 except ApiError as e:
14     if e.status_code == 400:
15         print(f"Bad request: {e.body}")
16     elif e.status_code == 403:
17         print("Invalid API key. Check your credentials.")
18     elif e.status_code == 422:
19         print(f"Invalid parameters: {e.body}")
20     elif e.status_code == 429:
21         print("Rate limit exceeded. Wait and retry.")
22     else:
23         print(f"Error {e.status_code}: {e.body}")

Check out our detailed API Reference to explore Translation and all available options.

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