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Yemenat
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yemenat
?Political Translation in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Can Machines Be Biased
Assistant Lecturer, Department of English, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Sana'a University, Yemen, and PhD Candidate in Translation and Artificial Intelligence In the digital era, political translation has emerged as a powerful force in crafting narratives, conveying ideological discourse, and shaping collective perceptions across borders. With the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence and the growing prominence of machine translation tools like Google Translate, DeepL, ChatGPT, Deepseek, Gemini, etc. reliance on automated systems has reached unprecedented levels. Yet this progress invites a pressing question: Are these machines neutral agents? Or can artificial intelligence, by nature or design, be biased when translating politically charged content? The Invisibility of Bias: Can Machines Be Truly Objective? While AI systems are often perceived as impartial, they learn from vast datasets created by humans, datasets that inherently carry cultural, political, and ideological assumptions. This means machine outputs reflect the biases, blind spots, and power dynamics embedded in the original content. Consider the phrase 'المقاومة الفلسطينية' ('Palestinian Resistance'). Some AI translation systems render it as 'Palestinian Resistance,' capturing its nationalistic connotation, while others convert it to 'Palestinian Terrorism,' a drastically different framing that invokes international criminality and strips the term of its sociopolitical context. Likewise, the word 'شهيد' (martyr) is often translated as 'the deceased' or simply 'killed,' diminishing its deeply held cultural, spiritual, and ideological significance. Real-World Cases of Linguistic Distortion by Human Translators and Adopted by AI Systems: Biased translations are not merely theoretical. In 2021, when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke on the Palestinian cause, his statement 'القدس خط أحمر بالنسبة لنا' ('Jerusalem is a red line for us') was mistranslated in international media as 'Jerusalem is important to us' a softened version that diluted the strength and urgency of Turkey's stance. The phrase'العملايات الاستشهادية', 'Martyrdom Operations' offers another clear illustration. Often used in certain cultural contexts to signify sacrifice, it is commonly rendered in Western media as 'Suicide Bombings,' a term that repositions the act within a narrative of violence and fanaticism. Depending on the translator's cultural or ideological lens, the action is reframed as either resistance or terrorism a pivotal distinction in shaping global perception. Political translation becomes especially fraught in contexts of ongoing conflict. Take the term 'جدار الفصل العنصري' ('Apartheid Wall'), commonly used by Palestinians to describe the Israeli separation barrier. Israeli narratives often refer to the same structure as a 'Security Barrier.' The former phrase evokes racial segregation and moral indictment; the latter emphasizes protection and pragmatism. Thus, translation doesn't merely carry meaning, it crafts political reality. The Arabic term 'انتفاضة' (Intifada) faces a spectrum of translations: 'uprising' highlights popular resistance, 'revolt' implies rebellion, while 'violent riots' reduces it to disorder. Each label carries ideological weight, affecting how audiences interpret the legitimacy and nature of collective action. Historical memory is also subject to semantic reshaping. 'النكبة' (Nakba), denoting the 1948 forced displacement of Palestinians, is sometimes diluted in translation to 'The 1948 Palestinian Exodus,' reframing a catastrophic event into a seemingly voluntary or inevitable migration. Similarly, 'حق العودة' ('Right of Return') a legal and moral cornerstone of Palestinian discourse, is occasionally rendered as a 'Request' or 'Demand,' minimizing its legitimacy and eroding its rhetorical force on the international stage. Even seemingly straightforward terms like 'المستوطنات' ('Settlements') are at risk of distortion. When translated as 'Neighborhoods,' the term sheds its colonial, legal, and political implications, offering a sanitized narrative of urban development. Meanwhile, 'التطهير العرقي' ('Ethnic Cleansing') has at times been softened to 'Displacement,' a term that downplays the systemic nature and severity of the crime. Beyond Language: The Ethics of Translation in the AI Age The abovementioned examples underscore a broader truth: AI does not invent meanings in isolation. It inherits and amplifies the linguistic and ideological biases embedded in its training data. Political language is inherently fraught, context-bound, and often contentious, realities that machines, without guidance, are ill-equipped to navigate on their own. The challenge, then, is not to discard machine translation, but to calibrate it. The way forward lies in a hybrid model where human translators, steeped in linguistic nuance and cultural literacy, collaborate with AI to ensure translations are not only technically correct but also ethically informed and contextually accurate. In brief, in an age increasingly defined by algorithms and automation, political translation remains an area where human insight is indispensable. Artificial intelligence is not immune to bias, especially when engaged with polarizing issues like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or the Russia-Ukraine war. To prevent AI from becoming an unwitting agent of distortion, we must pair the precision of machines with the conscience of humanity. Only then can translation serve as a true bridge between cultures, rather than a battleground for competing narratives.
Saba Yemen
4 days ago
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Palestinians abroad welcome UNRWA office inauguration in Turkey
Istanbul - Saba: The Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad welcomed With the opening of a new office for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Turkey, they considered this a strategic step that enhances support for the rights of Palestinian refugees and strengthens the relationship between the Agency and the Turkish government. The announcement of the opening of the office came following the signing of an official agreement between UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazaryny and the Turkish government, on the sidelines of his participation in the 51st session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Istanbul and his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on June 23. The UNRWA file at the Popular Conference noted in a statement issued on Tuesday that the opening of the new office represents a milestone in the course of cooperation between Turkey and UNRWA, as it is expected to contribute to strengthening the political, moral, and financial support Ankara provides to the Agency and the Palestinian refugee cause. The statement emphasized that this step comes at a time when the Agency is facing an escalating targeting campaign led by the Israeli enemy authorities and the US administration, especially since October 7, 2023. The statement noted that the opening of the office sends a clear message about the importance of continuing UNRWA's work and its political, humanitarian, and legal role. In defense of refugee rights. Turkey has been one of the first member states of UNRWA's Advisory Board since its establishment in 1949, and assumed its chairmanship in 2018, reflecting the special relationship and support Ankara provides to the international agency. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Nato summit and women dressed in banana leaves: photos of the day
Search and rescue efforts continue in the seven-story building that partially collapsed after being hit by a ballistic missile fired from Iran shortly before the US president, Donald Trump, announced a ceasefire had been agreed Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Bodies of Palestinians who lost their lives in an Israeli airstrike targeting the Gazzat family home in the Es-Sabra neighborhood are taken from Al-Shifa Hospital for funeral prayers in Gaza City Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images US President Donald Trump boards Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, on his way to The Hague, to join world leaders gathering in the Netherlands for a two-day Nato summit Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP A service staff sets a table as preparations are underway in the Oranjezaal ballroom in the royal palace Huis ten Bosch for the Nato dinner that Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima are offering to participating heads of state and government Photograph: Remko de Waal/EPA President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and first lady Emine greet officials at Esenboga airport before departing for the Nato summit in the Netherlands Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky (L), and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte shaking hands prior to a Nato meeting at World Forum convention centre Photograph: John Thys/AFP/Getty Images People watch as a wildfire burns forest land on Chios Island. Minister of climate crisis and civil protection, Yannis Kefalogiannis, visited Chios amid five separate wildfires. He warned that the simultaneous fires in different parts of the island suggest possible organised criminal activity and are unlikely to be accidental Photograph: Kostas Kourgias/EPA Gravity Industries showcase their jet suits during a demonstration at the Defence and Security Industry Day on Britain's HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier at Marina Bay Cruise Centre Photograph: Edgar Su/Reuters Crew members of Taiwan's China Airlines receive training at their centre in Taoyuan Photograph: Ann Wang/Reuters A man in an electric wheelchair crosses Pike Street in the sweltering heat in Kentucky Photograph: Michael Swensen/AP Girls wearing traditional outfits dance during an event inspired by pre-Christian traditions, in which fairies, called Sanziene in Romanian, come to earth for the summer solstice bringing fertility to land and beings, at the Dimitrie Gusti village museum Photograph: Andreea Alexandru/AP Devotees in the small farming village of Bibiclat celebrate the Feast of Saint John the Baptist while covered in banana leaves and mud. Known as the Taong Putik (mud people), the ritual happens yearly in the small farming village of Aliaga Photograph:
Al Bawaba
6 days ago
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Was Khamenei eliminated? Secret Trump-Iran talks collapse after his disappearance
ALBAWABA - According to the U.S. news site Axios, a secret diplomacy route between former President Donald Trump and Iranian officials shut down this week when Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei became unavailable. This led to rumors that Khamenei might have been killed or disappeared. At the same time that Israel's war on Iran was getting worse, three U.S. officials and a source familiar with the situation said that Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan were quietly trying to set up a high-level meeting between American and Iranian leaders in Istanbul. According to the story from Axios, Trump wanted to make a straight agreement with Tehran so badly that he offered to go to the meeting himself if it would help stop the military from escalation and seal the nuclear deal. In the beginning, Erdoğan called Trump on Monday, while the former president was in Canada for the G7 meeting. During the call, Erdoğan suggested that the next day there be a secret foreign meeting in Istanbul. Trump agreed, and he was ready to send Vice President J.D. Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff. If needed, he was even willing to go himself to meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The story says that Erdoğan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Pezeshkian and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi about the idea. But the Iranian group said they couldn't get in touch with Khamenei because he was supposedly hiding because he was afraid of an Israeli plot to kill him. So, the talks that were supposed to happen were called off. Is Khamenei no longer alive? The sudden absence of Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, at one of the most important times in recent years in world politics has brought up important questions. Was Khamenei killed in a secret operation? Did he hide and is he still alive? Even though there is no proof that he is dead, U.S. and Turkish sources say that he stopped communicating with his close friends and family in the days after the U.S. and Israeli strikes. Officials in Iran are still mum, which adds to the rumors. His official position is still unknown for now, but his disappearance has already broken down important diplomacy lines and made people more afraid of a bigger war.
Axios
7 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
U.S. strikes Iran's nuclear facilities
The U.S. military conducted air strikes on Iran 's nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan on Sunday morning local time, President Trump announced. Why it matters: Trump's decision to intervene directly in support of Israel's effort to dismantle Iran's nuclear program marks a historic escalation in the Middle East. It's an intervention fraught with risks and uncertainty — one that Trump and many of his predecessors had sought to avoid, including through diplomacy with Iran. The attack, which came on the ninth night of the unprecedented war between Israel and Iran, could provoke retaliation from Tehran against U.S. troops and military installations across the region. Behind the scenes: Trump met with his national security team in the White House Situation Room on Saturday evening. An Israeli official said Israel was notified by the Trump administration in advance of the U.S. strikes in Iran. Another senior Israeli official told Axios that B-2 stealth bombers were used for the strike. What they're saying:"We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space," Trump wrote on his Truth Social account. "A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow," he continued, referring to Iran's most fortified uranium enrichment facility. "There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!" Driving the news: In the days leading up to the strike, Trump and his team became increasingly convinced that diplomacy had run its course — and that military action would be necessary to eliminate Iran's nuclear program. The president publicly announced on Thursday that he would make a decision "in the next two weeks" to give Iran a final chance to negotiate, but preparations for a strike accelerated over the weekend. Multiple B-2 stealth bombers — capable of carrying 30,000-pound "bunker-busters" — were detected heading west across the Pacific on Saturday, as speculation mounted that the U.S. would strike Fordow. Trump had publicly questioned Israel's capacity to take out the underground facility on its own, saying Friday: "They can break through a little section, but they can't go down very deep." Behind the scenes: Trump, whose "America First" base has been deeply divided on whether to join Israel's war, has remained steadfast in one position: Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. He made a last-ditch push to avoid U.S. intervention last week, exploring a backchannel meeting with Iranian officials in Istanbul, brokered by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Trump was willing to send White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Vice President Vance — or even attend the talks himself if necessary. But the effort collapsed when Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was in hiding over fears of Israeli assassination, couldn't be reached to authorize the meeting. Since then, Iran has refused to engage directly with the U.S. unless Israel halts its attacks. Trump, now convinced no deal is possible, appears to have moved ahead with the military option he once hoped to avoid.
