In New York, a drone warning system encountered language problems during transmission important emergency messages, causing confusion among Hispanic residents.
Informant drones
Failure to start
A metropolis on the east coast of the United States has implemented an innovative system for notifying citizens about emergency situations. However, upon first use, serious difficulties arose with the language settings of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Linguistic Confusion
As a storm approached midweek, drones broadcast warnings in English and Spanish. But Spanish-speaking residents of the city could not understand the message in their native language. One of the townspeople reported this on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
As a Spanish speaker, I can confidently say that this is incomprehensible. The city couldn't find a single person who spoke Spanish to deliver this alert? https://t.co/uI9ERCuDmV
— Josefa Velásquez (@J__Velasquez) August 6, 2024
Inappropriate comedy
Created it feels like an automated voice is speaking Spanish without knowing the pronunciation. The situation might make you smile if it were a promotional event. But the main purpose of drones is to inform the population about threats and the need to leave the danger zone.
Official reaction
Zack Iscol, who heads the New York City Emergency Management Agency, responded to criticism on the social network X. He expressed pride in the team's preparation for the oncoming disaster, but acknowledged that such an incident would not be tolerated and vowed to prevent it from happening in the future.
Project history
The launch of a new warning system using drones was first reported by the New York Times yesterday. The drones began operating around 1 p.m. to give residents time to prepare for the impending storm. The initiator of the project was New York Mayor Eric Adams, who had previously implemented a security robot at the Times Square subway station and the controversial "Spot" robot (also known as "Digidog") for the needs of the city police department.
Glossary
- New York is the largest city in the United States, located on the east coast of the country
- Twitter (X) - a popular social network for exchanging short messages
- New York Times - one of the most influential American newspapers
- Eric Adams - current mayor of New York
- "Digidog" - robot dog used by the NYPD
Links
- https: //t.co/uI9ERCuDmV
- https://twitter.com/J__Velasquez/status/1820914162387558778?ref_src =twsrc%5Etfw
- https://www.engadget.com/general/new-yorks-flood- warning-drones-screamed-at-residents-in-incomprehensible-spanish-194507725.html?src=rss
Answers to questions
What happened to the public address system in New York?
Who is responsible for implementing this alert system?
What was the government's reaction to the problem with the Spanish translation?
When and why were warning drones launched?
Why was the translation error a major concern?
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Discussion of the topic – A curious incident in New York: warning drones spoke in incomprehensible Spanish
New York launched a disaster warning system using drones, but due to a technical error, the devices began transmitting messages in incorrect Spanish, causing confusion among city residents.
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Isabella
Well well! Drones with terrible Spanish in New York? It's just some kind of comedy! 😂 I wonder who was responsible for the translation? Google translator, perhaps?
Hans
Isabella, I agree, it sounds funny! But seriously, this is a security issue. Imagine how many people might not understand an important warning. I hope they fix this error quickly.
Pierre
Yes, the situation is unpleasant. But you know what? This is a great reason for the city to hire more translators and linguists. Maybe they will even create new jobs! 🤔
Sofia
Pierre, great idea! You can also involve local residents to check translations. This would definitely help avoid such incidents in the future. And at the same time it would bring the community closer together!
George
Oh, these newfangled things! Drones, security robots... Where is the world heading? In my time, people talked to each other, not to flying tin cans. And there were no problems with translation!
Marta
George, I understand your frustration, but technology can really help in emergency situations. You just need to configure them correctly. In general, it’s funny that the drones started talking like tourists with a phrase book 😄
Oleksandr
Guys, do you know that Japan has been using similar warning systems for a long time? Maybe New York should learn from them? 🤓 They even predict earthquakes in a few seconds!
Isabella
Oleksandr, wow, I didn’t know about Japan! This is really cool. Maybe New York should send a delegation there for training? At the same time they will eat sushi 🍣😋