Ottawa's AI translation tool made many errors in its first six months

Errors public servants reported

• TB (Translation Bureau) became tuberculosis
• Indigenous rendered as indigène, not autochtone
• The name Mike became Stéphanie
• The tool mistranslated its own name

GCtranslate, the federal public service's AI translation tool, made many errors in its first six months, mostly from English to French, according to a government document released under the Access to Information Act. Public servants reported mistranslated terms and even changed first names.

Words translated by GCtranslate

725 million words

The office of Joël Lightbound, the minister responsible for public works and procurement, says the tool can make errors and was still a pilot project in its first six months. It has translated more than 725 million words since its launch.

The Translation Bureau plans to shed 339 jobs through attrition over five years, as departments turn to free online tools and AI. The Canadian Association of Professional Employees says the cuts put Canada's official languages at risk.

"Translation and interpretation services must meet the highest standards of quality in order to respect the language rights of all Canadians."

— Kelly Burke, Commissioner of Official Languages