Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Humanities Scholar Uses Google Translate To Point Out Just How Prevalent 'Everyday Sexism' Truly Is

Humanities Scholar Uses Google Translate To Point Out Just How Prevalent 'Everyday Sexism' Truly Is
Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

Despite being 2021, sexism remains highly prevalent in our daily lives.

But as it turns out, sexist issues arise even in places we wouldn't expect, such as in electronic tools many of use on an almost daily basis.


Dora Vargha, a Senior Lecturer in Medical Humanities at Exeter, recently performed an informal experiment with Google Translate, testing to see how sexist its programmed assumptions are when translating from language to language.

Vargha shared her results, and disappointment, on Twitter:

@DoraVargha/Twitter

Vargha focused on the Hungarian language, which is a gender-neutral language.

Nouns are not assigned a "masculine" or "feminine" role, and sentences do not inherently assume whether the subject of the sentence is male or female.

Vargha wanted to see what would happen if several simple Hungarian sentences were translated into a language that does emphasize gender pronouns, such as English.

The results were worse than Vargha expected. 

Not only were pronouns inserted into each of Vargha's gender-neutral sentences, but the assignments showed a pattern that perpetuates sexist stereotypes.

Here are a few of the highlights:

"She is beautiful. He is clever."
"She washes the dishes. He builds."
"He's researching. She's raising a child."
"He is a politician. He makes a lot of money. She is baking a cake."

All sentences that focused on beauty, domestic activities (such as washing dishes and baking), and childcare were applied to the "female" (she) pronoun.

All sentences that focused on the workplace, progressive work, and making money were applied to the "male" (he) pronoun.

The reactions to this experiment were mixed.

Some started splitting hairs, stating the issue was with the AI's "learning" algorithm, not with Google.


 


 

Others argued the issues stemmed from societal norms and how they impact our languages.

 


But some pointed out defending Google at a time like this would only perpetuate the problem.



 

Though the reactions were mixed, everyone could agree gender stereotypes, as well as clinging to a gender binary, is the real problem.

Other languages communicate without gender and English can too by using singular they. Removing gender from language actually helps removes some biases we're teaching the next generation of communicators.

Now, if Google can keep working on its algorithms, and make it so users can select their preferred pronouns, then at least we'll be one more step in the right direction.

More from Trending

Donald Trump
Mehmet Eser/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Demands 'Boss Of AT&T' Fix Equipment After Failed Conference Call In Bizarre Meltdown

When most of us have technical difficulties, we contact tech support or customer service.

But if you're President of the United States, just ranting on social media—then having your White House Press Secretary post a screenshot of your post on a social media platform people actually use—is apparently the answer.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Lauren Boebert speaking to Alex Stein
Prime Time with Alex Stein/Blaze Media

Lauren Boebert Casts Doubt On Moon Landing During Wild Interview With Conspiracy Theorist

Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert was criticized after she seemingly agreed with the conspiracy theory that the moon landing was faked in a wide-ranging interview with conservative conspiracy theorist Alex Stein.

The segment began with the duo casting doubt on nuclear weapons—Boebert even joked about needing "tin foil"—and moved into weirder territory when Stein praised Boebert for "vibing" with him on the topic of the moon landing. Conspiracy theorists have long alleged the moon landing was fabricated by NASA in what they claim was an elaborate hoax.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rosie O'Donnell; Oprah Winfrey
Simon Ackerman/Getty Images; Ernesto Ruscio/GC Images

Rosie O'Donnell Calls Out Oprah For Attending Jeff Bezos' Wedding In Scathing Poem

Among the various celebrity hangers-on who attended Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's Venice wedding, the one that seemed to generate the most controversy was Oprah Winfrey.

After all, a woman known for her progressive politics whose entire ethos is about teaching people how to be their best selves, attending the wedding of man who directly funded a fascist regime dismantling our country before our eyes doesn't exactly add up.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lisa Murkowski
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Lisa Murkowski Slammed After Criticizing Massive Budget Bill She Just Voted For

Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski was slammed after she claimed that President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill is "not there yet" despite casting the deciding vote to narrowly pass it before sending it back to the House.

In a marathon voting session, the Senate narrowly passed the legislation in a 51-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote after three Republicans joined all Democrats in opposition.

Keep ReadingShow less
Woman listening to her boyfriend play guitar
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Things People Initially Found Attractive About Their Partner That Now Annoy Them

Being in a relationship can be wonderful, but it's not without its ups and downs.

In order for it to work, we have to allow it to grow and change over time rather than being locked forever into what it was when we first started dating our person.

Keep ReadingShow less