As a kid, I learned English from English language cartoons on FilmNet. I learned from German TV shows. My passion for Swedish crime series taught me Swedish.
But now, the largest tv medium of our time, YouTube, has begun auto-translating everything. Future generations will not be exposed to foreign languages and be inspired to take an interest.
There was no public review of this, no democratic vote. One company just decided to turn foreign cultures off and make the world dumber.
For profit.
@randahl Since they're automatic, I assume the translations are bad or at least leaving a lot on the table. Professional translators know when text contains culture-specific references or word play or innuendo and come up with clever analogues to make the joke or point land when translated.
So sad for people consuming content this way...
@mroach and the worst part: It is on by default.
YouTube channels like mine have to find a deeply hidden setting to turn it off.
I did that because my viewers were kind enough to inform me that YouTube had replaced my voice with a poorly implemented German AI.
But for every channel that does not realize what is happening, auto-translation is on by default, and many users will not know how to turn it off.
I find the arrogance behind this selfish corporate decision infuriating.
Randahl Fink
Mike Roach