Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has apologised after an auto-translation that incorrectly translated Karnataka’s chief minister Siddaramaiah’s condolence message and falsely reported his death. The tech giant said the issue has since been resolved.
The Chief Minister’s Office had posted Siddaramaiah’s message on Facebook, paying tribute to actor B Sarojadevi. The flawed 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.”
In a letter to Meta, K V Prabhakar, the chief minister’s media advisor, raised serious concerns over the accuracy of Kannada translation on Facebook and Instagram and requested immediate corrective action.
Meta acknowledged the error in its translation system. “We fixed an issue that briefly caused this inaccurate Kannada translation. We apologise that this happened,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.
Siddaramaiah on Thursday said the incorrect translations of official communication mislead users and distort facts. “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. My media advisor has formally written to Meta urging immediate correction,” he posted on X.
He warned that such lapses by major technology companies could erode public trust. “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,” Siddaramaiah wrote.
{{/usCountry}}He warned that such lapses by major technology companies could erode public trust. “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,” Siddaramaiah wrote.
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