Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has expressed displeasure with Google over a "technical glitch" it does when translating from Persian to Arabic or English.
The diplomat retweeted a video showing that Google Translate turns the phrase "condolences to the Lebanese people" in Persian into "congratulations" in Arabic and in English, while the translation is accurate when someone wants to write "condolences to the Israeli/American people".
"Yet there is no such 'technical glitch' if one wishes to condole Israel or the US", Zarif tweeted. "What gives @Google?"
عندما يريد الناطقون بالفارسية تقديم التعازي للبنانيين بالعربية او الانجليزية، يترجمها موقع غوغل إلى "مبروك".
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) August 5, 2020
لكن هذه "الهفوة التقنية" لا تقع عندما يريد أحدهم تقديم التعازي لإسرائيل أو أميركا.
لماذا يا @Googlehttps://t.co/p8mOOKZI8t
Beirut was rocked by a massive blast on Tuesday evening, which was reportedly felt 150 miles away from the city. At least 135 people were killed, about 5,000 injured and dozens are still unaccounted for.
According to the Beirut governor, the explosion hit half of the city's buildings, and the damage to the country could range from $10 billion to $15 billion.
The Lebanese authorities say that the blast was likely linked to improper storage of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate in the port.
