Google must change offensive translation of Israeli Election results
Israel’s Central Election Committee for the 24th Knesset needs to ensure that Google Translate does a better job of translating the election results than it has done for the past three elections held in the last 12 months.
It seems inconceivable that Google Translation can be so incompetent in its efforts to translate the Central Committee’s Hebrew website (See Diagram 1 below) into English (See Diagram 2 below) with the ridiculous and indeed offensive translation that is read by English viewers (See Diagram 3 below).
Two of the blatantly offensive amendments that should be demanded by the Central Elections Committee this time round:
- Delete the word “truthful” and replace with the word “official”
- Delete “Total kosher votes” and replace with “Total valid votes”
Indeed the translation is a total dog’s breakfast which Israel has to make sure does not happen again.
Attempting to translate every Hebrew word into English has produced a translation that makes Google Translate appear unprofessional, incompetent and condescending.
Translating from one language into another is not an easy task – but this effort is truly pathetic.
The wonders wrought by Google in translating documents in an instant are diminished greatly with this meaningless translation.
Google Translate does have the following page on its website dedicated to improving its translating services:
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The Knesset has its own official English Translation of the Election results which Google Translate would do well to seek consent to adopt:
Hopefully, Google Translate gets the message – and its translation right – when Israel votes on 23 March.
David Singer is a Sydney lawyer and a foundation member of the International Analysts Network
I’m honestly not sure which Simpsons meme is more appropriate here: man yells at cloud, or “I am not a crackpot”. How does this nonsense get published?
Mike:
Shooting the messenger and the publisher is pointless. Focusing on the message is what you need to do.
Please elaborate what you mean by “nonsense” and I will be happy to reply.
Criticism of Google Translate has been the subject of an excellent article in The Atlantic in 2018 and in a growing number of recent articles in various other publications.
The mumbo jumbo Google Translate has produced over the last three Israeli elections is pathetic and meaningless and gives readers no understanding at all of the election results in Israel. You may be satisfied with this sorry state of affairs. I am not.