By Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, has apologised after its auto-translate feature wrongly claimed a top Indian politician had died.
Earlier this week, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah posted a condolence message in Kannada on his official Facebook and Instagram pages. He was mourning the death of veteran actress B Saroja Devi. However, when the post was auto-translated to English, Meta’s algorithm mistakenly stated that Siddaramaiah himself had died.
Meta has now fixed the translation issue. In a statement reported by Indian media, a spokesperson said, “We apologize that this happened.” The company confirmed that they had quickly resolved the problem and are working to improve the quality of translations from Kannada.
The mistake ignited anger from Siddaramaiah’s team. The chief minister publicly criticised Meta, saying the translation fault did not just distort the facts but also misled users. He also said mistakes like these can be especially risky when they happen on official communication channels.
On Thursday, Siddaramaiah’s media advisor sent a letter to Meta. He asked them to correct the error and consider suspending the auto-translation of Kannada until they could guarantee it works better. He encouraged Meta to consult with Kannada language experts to avoid similar mishaps.
When checked a day later, the English translation on Facebook still read, “The multilingual star, senior actress B Sarojadevi who passed away yesterday, paid his last respects,” which was still confusing and inaccurate.
Translation mistakes on social media can cause confusion and, in serious cases, harm reputations or even fuel false news. As platforms like Facebook grow across Africa and India, getting local-language tech right isn’t just helpful, it’s necessary for trust and safety online.
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