Google Translate might have a gender problem

So much of our life is determined by algorithms. From what you see on your Facebook News Feed, to the books and knickknacks recommended to you by Amazon, to the disturbing videos YouTube shows to your children, our attention is systematically parsed and sold to the highest bidder.

These mysterious formulas that shape us, guide us, and nudge us toward someone else's idea of an optimal outcome are opaque by design. Which, well, perhaps makes it all the more frustrating when they turn out to be sexist. 

Enter Google Translate, the automated service that makes so much of the web comprehensible to so many of us. Supporting 103 languages, the digital Babel Fish directly influences our understanding of languages and cultures different than our own. In providing such an important tool, Google has assumed the responsibility of accurately translating the content that passes through its servers.  Read more...