Google’s popular translation service has hit the headlines once more after rendering a number of Ukrainian words into Russian with a controversial political spin.
According to reports, the automated translation tool sparked outrage when it was revealed that ‘Russian Federation’ was being translated into Ukrainian as ‘Mordor, the fictional realm controlled by evil Lord Sauron in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
Google Translate also spurred on critics after it was found to be translating the surname of Sergei Lavrov, long-serving Russian foreign minister who has been a prominent figure since the crisis between Ukraine and Russia began, as ‘sad little horse’.
So far, it’s unclear whether the translations are the result of a hack or a malfunction in the algorithms used to power the service. However, it’s certainly not the first time the tool has dropped jaws amongst political circles.
In fact, reports have revealed that the ‘Revolution of Dignity’, one of the nicknames applied to the uprising that overthrew pro-Moscow Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, has previously been translated by the tool to ‘political crisis in Ukraine’, which many of the tool’s online detractors have suggested was a bit of a dig at Russian propaganda.
Defending itself in light of the errors, which made a rather rapid appearance across social networks at the beginning of the year to many people’s amusement, Google has since reminded users of the automated design of its popular translation service.
In a statement published in the media, Google said: “Google Translate is an automatic translator – it works without the intervention of human translators, using technology instead.”
They continued: “This means not all translations are perfect, and there will sometimes be mistakes or mistranslations.”
Although Google Translate has long proved itself to be a helpful tool for those in need of instant translation, these reports show just how risky it can be to translate using algorithms alone. This is where human translators come in, providing a contextual review of the language that only experienced specialists can.
Get in touch with Bubbles to find out how we can apply our expertise to your project to achieve error-free translations.
