Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah flags misleading auto-translations of Kannada across Meta platforms

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed serious concern over the inaccurate auto-translations of Kannada content on Meta platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. He warned that such translation errors are not only misleading users but also distorting facts, potentially creating misinformation in the public domain.

The Chief Minister urged Meta to take immediate corrective steps and ensure that regional language translations are accurate and culturally sensitive. He emphasised that the misuse or mishandling of regional languages by tech platforms could have far-reaching consequences, especially in a diverse linguistic landscape like India.

In a post on social media platform X, Siddaramaiah wrote, "Faulty auto-translation of Kannada content on @Meta platforms is distorting facts & misleading users. This is especially dangerous when it comes to official communications.

The Chief Minister added that his Media Advisor has also formally written to Meta regarding the situation.

Meanwhile, KV Prabhakar, Media Advisor to the Chief Minister, has formally lodged a complaint with Meta's India team via email. In the letter, he highlighted that the Kannada-to-English translations on Meta platforms are often “consistently inaccurate and, in some instances, highly 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."

The letter further warned that such errors could lead to confusion among users, many of whom may not realise they are reading a flawed automated translation rather than the original content.

In light of this, Prabhakar urged Meta to temporarily disable the auto-translation feature for Kannada content, emphasising the importance of accuracy in official communication from constitutional authorities like the Chief Minister.

The letter stated, “Considering the critical nature of public communication from a constitutional functionary such as the Chief Minister, any misrepresentation caused by inaccurate translations is unacceptable. We request that Meta, on behalf of the Chief Minister, temporarily suspend the auto-translation of Kannada content until translation quality is significantly improved. We also recommend that Meta engage qualified Kannada language experts and linguistic professionals to ensure accurate and contextually appropriate translations between Kannada and English.”