Names translated as months of the year, incorrect time frames and mixed-up pronouns — the everyday failings of AI-driven translation apps are causing havoc in the U.S. asylum system, critics say.
"We have countless examples of this nature," said Ariel Koren, founder of Respond Crisis Translation, a global collective that has translated more than 13,000 asylum applications, warning that errors can lead to unfounded denials.
In one case, she said, attorneys missed a crucial detail in a woman's account of domestic abuse because the translation app they were using kept breaking down, and they ran out of time.