Social media giant Meta on Thursday issued an apology after a serious auto-translation error on its platforms inaccurately translated a condolence message shared by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, wrongly implying that he had passed away.
The blunder, which occurred on Meta-owned platforms Facebook and Instagram, sparked outrage after Siddaramaiah flagged the issue publicly. He expressed deep concern over the misleading translation and said such errors distort facts and mislead users—especially when it involves official communication.
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Meta responded promptly, acknowledging the error and stating that the issue had been resolved. “We fixed an issue that briefly caused this inaccurate Kannada translation. We apologize that this happened,” a Meta spokesperson told PTI.
The error came to light when the Chief Minister posted a condolence message in Kannada, mourning someone else’s passing. However, due to a glitch in the translation tool, the message was rendered in English as though Siddaramaiah himself had died. The mistranslation shocked several users and caused confusion before it was clarified.
In an X post, CM Siddaramaiah wrote, “Faulty auto-translation of Kannada content on Meta platforms is distorting facts and misleading users. This is especially dangerous when it comes to official communications.”
{{/usCountry}}In an X post, CM Siddaramaiah wrote, “Faulty auto-translation of Kannada content on Meta platforms is distorting facts and misleading users. This is especially dangerous when it comes to official communications.”
{{/usCountry}}Karnataka government asked Meta to temporarily suspend the auto-translation feature for Kannada content until the system’s accuracy improves significantly. It also asked the platform to collaborate with qualified Kannada language experts and linguistic professionals to enhance the quality and contextual accuracy of translations between Kannada and English.
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The government has urged Meta to treat the issue with “due seriousness” and take urgent corrective measures. The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) also sought a response from Meta outlining the steps being taken to resolve the issue.