Canada creates AI-enabled translation software for the government to boost accuracy, efficiency and safety for those who serve in different languages.

The Canadian government is developing its own AI-based translation software because it believes that some officials are using public online tools to handle sensitive data. From June, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) will begin a trial of their PSPC Translate tool and if it works well, it might be implemented across the government.

The goal is to boost security and make things more consistent since many officials rely on translation software that could let their data be stored where it shouldn’t be. This dependence has led to a 17% decrease in demand for government translation services, despite an increase in content creation.

Errors are still a problem for the bureau’s translators who are using DeepL and similar commercial software. Wrong translations like confusing French signs prove how far some tools are from being perfect. PSPC Translate intends to rely on the bureau’s wide collection of translated documents to increase the accuracy of results.

Aliases, for example, have launched its own software called JUSTranslate which uses Microsoft Azure to secure confidential documents in the cloud.

Union members state that, although software can speed up translation tasks, a human lets you know if quality slips. They contend that the provision of funds is necessary to equip translators with AI and experienced professional review.

PSPC Translate is planning to add Indigenous languages, technical terminology fields, voice-to-text conversion and AI-assisted live interpretation in the years to come which will greatly improve Canada’s government translation abilities.