As public sector technologists, we're often thinking about AI translations in one direction:
Should we use AI tools to translate government services to under-served communities in our cities, states and countries?
The jury is still out, and cities are taking different approaches.
In the other direction: San Francisco's Chinese elderly population, primarily monolingual Cantonese speakers, have been using AI tools to participate in the political process.
This Mission Local story states an important point:
They point to an incident in 2022, in which DA Brooke Jenkins gave a speech to the Chinese community, and the translator, then mayoral staffer Mason Lee, added additional context that Jenkins did not say: that Jenkins promises to "bring all the bandits who attacked Asians and our community to justice."
Language and technology are tools of communication, progress, and also inherent bias. AI tools for translation are improving remarkably, but may also contain bias. But with human translators like this, it's worth noting that community organizers who work with SF Chinese elderly believe these tools can help monolingual community members speak directly to politicians.