Latest news with #Kannada-speaking
The Hindu
a day ago
- Business
- The Hindu
KDA for Kannada information boards at tourist places, monuments
Chairman of Kannada Development Authority (KDA), Purushottama Bilimale, on Tuesday, said that they are asking district administrations in the State to set up display boards with basic information in Kannada at tourist places and monuments. Addressing the press in Udupi, Mr. Bilimale said that there were many tourist attractions in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts that lacked Kannada information boards highlighting the significance of those places. Many such places had boards only in English, he added. 'Let there be boards in Kannada, English and Hindi,' he said. The KDA addressed the matter in a meeting with Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in New Delhi on December 17, 2024. The Union Minister was apprised of the need to display boards in regional languages, Mr. Bilimale said. Mr. Bilimale said that during his meeting with the district administration in Udupi on Tuesday, he drew the attention of both the tourism department and the Deputy Commissioner to the display of Kannada boards. The Deputy Commissioner was asked to hold meetings with pro-Kannada organisations at least once in two or three months, he said. Kannada Bhavan in Udupi Mr. Bilimale said that Udupi city is likely to get a Kannada Bhavan. It required 11 cents of land to build the bhavan. The proposal to construct the building has been pending for three years. Once the Udupi Urban Development Authority gives its approval, the proposal is likely to be a reality. Constructing the building might cost ₹5 crore, he said. He said that KDA has apprised the Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, of the need to post Kannada-speaking staff in bank branches throughout the State. The KDA chairman said that government schools in the State have been instructed to register their land in their names with the RTCs to prevent encroachments. In Udupi district, eight such schools will have to get their RTCs.
New Indian Express
5 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Meta apologises, fixes Kannada translation glitch after Siddaramaiah raises concern
BENGALURU: A day after the Chief Minister's Office raised concern over auto translation from Kannada to English, Meta (Previously Facebook) acknowledged the glitch, apologised, and claimed to have fixed the issue. The CM had stated that the faulty auto-translation of Kannada content on Meta platforms is distorting facts and misleading users. Siddaramaiah in his 'X' handle stated that on July 15, he paid his respects to the mortal remains of the late B Saroja Devi, a moment of deep personal and public sorrow. A post about this was shared in Kannada from the official Facebook page of Chief Minister of Karnataka. 'Unfortunately, some people saw a wrong English translation of that post by default on their Facebook feed. The post was written only in Kannada. No English version was posted, and no auto-translation was added or requested from our side,' he stated. Siddaramaiah pointed out that Facebook's translation feature shows up on user feeds based on their settings, and content creators have no way to disable or control the auto-translation feature on viewers feed. 'In many cases, Facebook shows auto-translated versions of posts by default in user feeds. The original Kannada post remains unchanged and can be viewed by selecting 'See original' option'' he added. The CM also added that Meta/Facebook has often previously faced similar issues globally for such auto-translation errors, including in Myanmar (2018), Palestine (2017), and most recently in Malaysia (2024) where poor translations led to serious miscommunication and public backlash. The CM said that Facebook has been in operation for nearly two decades and has a vast user base in India, including a large number of Kannada-speaking users. 'Despite this, it is unfortunate that a sound and reliable translation system has not been put in place. We hope this concern is taken seriously.'' he said. The CM also urged people not to spread confusion or misinformation based on an error that did not originate from us. 'It is time Meta puts in place better and more responsible translation systems,' he added.
NDTV
5 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
"It Is Time Meta Establishes Responsible Translation System": Siddaramaiah
Raising concerns over automatic translation on Facebook, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated that poor translations have been a cause of miscommunication and public backlash, urging that the issue be taken seriously. "It is time Meta puts in place better and more responsible translation systems," the Karnataka CM posted on X. "Meta/Facebook has often previously faced similar issues globally for such auto-translation errors -- including in Myanmar (2018), Palestine (2017), and most recently in Malaysia (2024) -- where poor translations led to serious miscommunication and public backlash," he added. Siddaramaiah demanded that a responsible translation system be established for users on Facebook to avoid mistranslations of regional languages, including Kannada. "Facebook has been in operation for nearly two decades and has a vast user base in India, including a large number of Kannada-speaking users. Despite this, it is unfortunate that a sound and reliable translation system has not been put in place. We hope this concern is taken seriously," he added. His remarks come after Facebook's auto-translation feature mistranslated one of his posts on Facebook. "On July 15, I paid my respects to the mortal remains of the late B. Saroja Devi - a moment of deep personal and public sorrow. A post about this was shared in Kannada from the official Chief Minister of Karnataka Facebook page. Unfortunately, some people saw a wrong English translation of that post by default on their Facebook feed. The post was written only in Kannada. No English version was posted, and no auto-translation was added or requested from our side," Siddaramaiah informed. He said that Facebook doesn't provide avenues to content creators to manage the auto-translation feature for their posts. "Facebook's translation feature shows up on user feeds based on their settings, and content creators have no way to disable or control the auto-translation feature on viewers feed. In many cases, Facebook shows auto-translated versions of posts by default in user feeds. The original Kannada post remains unchanged and can be viewed by selecting 'See original' option," Siddaramaiah said. The Chief Minister added that his Media Advisor has also formally written to Meta regarding the situation. "My Media Advisor 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 & trust," he wrote. Meanwhile, a formal complaint has been sent by KV Prabhakar, Media Advisor to the Chief Minister, via email to Meta's India team. The letter noted that Kannada-to-English translations on Meta platforms are often "frequently inaccurate and, in some cases, grossly misleading." The email read, "We have noted with concern that the auto-translation from Kannada to English is frequently inaccurate and, in some cases, grossly misleading. This poses a significant risk, especially when public communications, official statements, or important messages from the Chief Minister and the Government are incorrectly translated." It continued, "It can lead to misinterpretation among users, many of whom may not realise that what they are reading is an automated and faulty translation rather than the original message." Subsequently, Prabhakar urged Meta to temporarily suspend the auto-translation feature for Kannada content, citing the sensitivity of public communication from constitutional functionaries, such as the Chief Minister. The letter reads, "Given the sensitivity of public communication, especially from a constitutional functionary like the Chief Minister, such misrepresentations due to flawed translation mechanisms are unacceptable. On behalf of the Chief Minister, we urge Meta to temporarily suspend the auto-translation feature for Kannada content until the translation accuracy is reliably improved and collaborate with qualified Kannada language experts and linguistic professionals to enhance the quality and contextual accuracy of translations between Kannada and English."
Deccan Herald
6 days ago
- Deccan Herald
Man held in Bengaluru after speaking ill of Kannada in drunken outburst
Bengaluru: Police in southern Bengaluru have arrested a man for disrespecting the Kannada language and speaking ill of Karnataka. Mithun Sarkar, a resident of Begur Road, allegedly made derogatory remarks about Karnataka and Kannada-speaking people when a delivery boy arrived to hand him a package on Thursday morning and sought to speak in the local language. Sarkar insisted on speaking in Hindi, saying 70% of the people speak that language. .Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah slams Meta over Facebook's faulty Kannada translation Mathew, 29, the delivery boy, filed a complaint in this regard at the jurisdictional Bommanahalli police station. Following the FIR, activists of the pro-Kannada outfit Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) petitioned the police to take action against the suspect. .The Bommanahalli police tracked down Sarkar on Friday morning and arrested him for intentional insult with intent to provoke the breach of peace, said an officer investigating the case. "He says it was a drunken outburst," the officer said. The offence is bailable, meaning the suspect can seek bail from the police without having to go to the court. Ranjith, the delivery boy, appeared annoyed at the "unwanted publicity" following the incident. "I've received 70-80 phone calls since morning. I'm just fed up," he told DH.
Mint
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Mint
How to avoid language debate? Funny X video goes viral; actor Paresh Rawal too can't stop laughing
Actor Paresh Rawal has reacted to a video shared on social media that humorously discusses the ongoing language issue. The video, reposted by the actor, was captioned as ' How to Solve the Language Debate.' In the clip, a man is asked which language he speaks, a question that often sparks debate. Instead of answering, the man pretends to be deaf and mute, using gestures to communicate. Paresh Rawal shared the video on his official X handle with multiple laughing emojis. His post has garnered nearly 16k likes and over 300k views so far. Several netizens have reacted to Paresh Rawal's post, appreciating the humour. One of the users wrote, 'Best Way To Save Yourself.' 'That one is the world famous fuss free language.(sic),' another added. A user stated, 'Bilkul sahi kiya sir vo (He did the right thing).' 'You are absolutely fantastic Babu Bhaiya,' added another. The actor's post comes amid the ongoing language debate across the country. In April, the Maharashtra government decided to make Hindi a compulsory language for up to Class 4 under the 'Three Language Policy.' This policy was rolled back last week amid pressure from allies and opposition. The three-language policy was heavily criticised by the opposition parties, especially the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which came together on July 5 to protest against the state government's reported decision. 'We are not against any language. We have always respected Hindi. People like us have always valued it. Our party uses Hindi in many ways. But the recent decision to make Hindi compulsory as the third language up to Class 4 under the 'Three Language Policy' puts an unnecessary burden on children. It is both an academic and a linguistic issue," ANI quoted Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and MP Sanjay Raut during a press conference. Apart from Maharasthra, language related-issues have been reported from Karnataka. Recently, A video surfaced showing a Kannada-speaking woman confronting a bank employee who was unable to assist her in the local language. The video went viral online.
