Have you considered using AI (Gemini) for foreign language indexing?
I started indexing just a few weeks ago. Initially I was frustrated because there were no English source documents to index.
Previously I have used several AI chatbots for various purposes. So I decided to see if Gemini (https://gemini.google.com/) could help with indexing a foreign language (Brazil: Portuguese). Note: I do not speak Portuguese. Result: I was pleasantly surprised, and yes, it can read handwritten text!
Here's what I do:
A) bring up entire document on computer screen (zoom in/out).
B) use windows Snipping Tool app to "snip" image of full document relating to "primary".
C) save image as jpeg to computer (default example: Screenshot 2026-05-14 173435.jpg)
D) access AI such as Gemini. Another AI such as ChatGPT or Grok may also work.
E) click on "+" to add image to "Ask Gemini" box.
F) copy (ctrl-c) & paste (ctrl-v) something similar to the following into question box with primary name added at the end:
for FamilySearch indexing, please translate attached document and provide the following: 1- list all names in doc separating each by given name and surname. 2- for each name also show gender and relationship to primary.
4- give birth and death place for parents on doc, if available. 5- Is this record primarily about: <insert primary name> |
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Use information provided by AI to complete Indexing information. If additional data is needed or if you disagree with AI, just ask AI. Example questions: 1) If you think AI translated a name incorrectly, offer your suggestion and see response. 2) if not listed, ask AI if document shows birth and/or death place of parents? 3) ask AI where in document it shows death date of primary (for highlighting).
For each new name/document, I strongly suggest starting a "New Chat". This makes it easier to page up & down in the chat to find information as well as avoid confusing the AI. It may make things easier if you create a simple login for the AI. It will then keep track of all your chats for a fixed period of time. As of this moment Gemini does not charge for usage. Of course this could change at any time.
Give it a try 🙂
Answers
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Just did this. Worked as described - love it!
Been thinking this would be a natural extension of AI tools. Glad to see it progressing.New FS 'Full Text Search' is good, alows a user to search un-indexed records & documents. However in Source Linker sometimes you get a foreign language source doc, and I don't speak or read old German, and I'd like to know what all of it says.
So - trusting our indexer's for the critical information; good and fine. Being able to read the whole document & look for extended family, occupation, other particulars = very helpful.
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@Jack Hern I don't think we should ever trust indexing to the point where we don't actually check the image if available, whatever language is involved. Indexing is surely aimed at giving us the best possible chance of locating documents, not at replacing the documents themselves in source decision making, and it will not necessarily get the critical information you refer to completely correct, whether the indexing process is manual, automated, or borrowed from a third party such as FMP or Find a Grave.
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AI helped me come up with a better list for submitting to the AI after attaching a document:
Act as an expert paleographer and genealogy indexer for FamilySearch. Please analyze the attached image and provide the following:
1. LINE-BY-LINE TRANSCRIPTION AND TRANSLATION
Rules for Formatting:- Count the exact number of physical lines of text on the page (skipping blank lines).
- For every single line, provide a sequential line number at the start.
- For each physical page, restart sequential line count at 1.
- Display the original transcribed text exactly as written in the document.
- Directly underneath the transcription, provide the English translation for that specific line.
Example Format:
Line 1
Original: [Transcribed line text here]
Translation: [English translation of that line here]2. PRIMARY PERSON(S)
- Who is the primary person (or persons, if a marriage) this record is about?
3. FULL NAME AND RELATIONSHIP TABLE
- Show all listed names as given names & surnames (with prepositions) with gender and relationship to the primary person, EACH IN SEPARATE COLUMNS.
4. DEATH & BURIAL INFO
- Give the death date, death place, and burial place of the primary person (state "N/A" if not mentioned in this record type).
5. BIRTH INFO
- Give the birth place and birth date of the primary person (state "N/A" if not mentioned in this record type).
6. ASSOCIATED PLACES
- Give the birth and/or death places for others mentioned (such as parents or spouses), if available.
Always remember and never forget to double check the transcription because sometimes the scribe uses confusing language which the AI interprets incorrectly. In this case, if you point this out to the AI, it will correct it's mistake. In other cases, the AI used to initially "auto-index" the document was incorrect.
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Continuing to use the script above to index foreign language documents. it is working very well. AI, Gemini in this case, is not perfect and I have to ask followup questions, but it sure is nice using the AI to translate entire documents, like a death cert, and give the requested details in order to update the information pulled by the initial AI processor. I hope more people find out about this method since there doesn't appear to be any English documents available to index. I'm just not sure how to spread the word.
However, perhaps some in charge have a different perspective.
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IMPORTANT NOTE: I have tried other AI chatbots. From my experience, Gemini is the only one at this point that does an excellent job of transcribing and translating handwritten documents … and without charging at this point in time. However, I suspect in the future other AI's will get catch up and Gemini will start requiring you pay for its services. In fact, today, I challenged Grok to improve to come up to speed with Gemini.🙂
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