‘Collaborate with Kannada experts for accuracy': Siddaramaiah schools Meta after being declared dead; calls it ‘very dangerous'
BENGALURU: In a classic case of lost in translation, Meta's auto translation tool "digitally killed" chief minister Siddaramaiah. Understandably furious at being referred to as "late" CM Siddaramaiah, he has asked Meta to suspend its Kannada auto-translation feature until it learns not to distort facts.
The faux pas unfolded when the chief minister's office, on Tuesday, posted a condolence message in Kannada on Facebook and Instagram, mourning the death of veteran actress B Sarojadevi. But Meta's English auto-translation read: "Chief Minister Siddaramaiah passed away yesterday multilingual star, senior actress B. Took darshan of Sarojadevi's earthly body and paid his last respects."
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Reacting sharply to the goof-up, Siddaramaiah posted on X: "Faulty auto-translation of Kannada content on Meta platforms is distorting facts and misleading users.
This is especially dangerous when it comes to official communication."
CMO: Collaborate with Kannada experts for contextual accuracy
My media adviser has formally written to Meta urging immediate correction. Social media platforms must act responsibly. I caution citizens to be aware that translations shown are often inaccurate. Such negligence by tech giants can harm public understanding and trust," the chief minister posted.
The CMO said it has sent an official email to Meta, calling for urgent intervention.
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"We have noted with concern that the auto-translation from Kannada to English is frequently inaccurate and, in some cases, grossly misleading," wrote KV Prabhakar, the CM's media adviser.
He cautioned that such bloopers could cause confusion, especially when they involve public communication, official statements or important messages from the CM or govt.
"Many may not realise that what they are reading is an automated translation rather than the original message," he added.
The CMO has urged Meta to hit the pause button on Kannada auto-translation until it improves the feature further. It also asked the tech company to collaborate with Kannada language experts and professionals "to enhance contextual accuracy" of translations from Kannada to English."
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