Imagine celebrating one of your proudest professional milestones, only to discover that an algorithm told your friends and colleagues you had been publicly humiliated.

That is exactly what happened to me recently. I was thrilled to share on social media that I had been included in the prestigious 78th edition of Who’s Who in America for my work in language education and AI pedagogy. In my original English post, I wrote that being recognized alongside such accomplished leaders was “truly humbling,” by which I meant it filled me with deep modesty, gratitude, and respect.

However, Facebook’s automated translation tool had other plans. Lacking any cultural nuance or context, the algorithm translated “humbling” into the Hebrew word for “humiliating” (Mashpil משפיל). 

Within minutes, my phone was buzzing with concerned messages from friends in Israel, all asking who had insulted me and what had gone wrong.

Once the laughter cleared, I realized this mix-up was........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)