In a major translation error, Meta’s automatic language tool on Facebook incorrectly declared Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah dead. The mistake occurred while translating a condolence message originally posted in Kannada by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) to mourn the death of veteran actress B Saroja Devi.
The original post intended to say that CM Siddaramaiah had visited the late actor’s home to pay his respects. However, the English version generated by Facebook’s automated translation system read:
“Chief Minister Siddaramaiah passed away yesterday multilingual star, senior actress B. Took darshan of Sarojadevi's earthly body and paid his last respects.”
The error prompted swift reaction from the Chief Minister, who criticised the platform for misleading translations and called on Meta to take immediate action. Siddaramaiah urged Meta to pause its Kannada auto-translation feature until it delivers accurate and contextually sound results.
“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,” Siddaramaiah wrote on social media.
He further warned users to be cautious when reading automatically translated content and called on tech companies to act responsibly in ensuring accuracy, particularly in regional language support.
A formal letter was sent by the CM’s media adviser, KV Prabhakar, to Meta. The letter urged the company to work with Kannada language experts to improve translation quality. It noted that Meta’s Kannada-to-English translations are frequently inaccurate and that such issues pose risks in public communication.
The letter also emphasised that many users might not realize they are reading automated translations, which can further lead to misunderstandings.
Meta has not issued a public response, but the translation appeared to have been corrected shortly after the error was reported.
