JapanMedia and entertainment2020 – ongoingNHK
AI translation for English-language news subtitles
NHK attributed a disputed-island naming error in news subtitles to AI translation
Problem
NHK needed simultaneous English translations for news broadcasts. Names used in territorial disputes required editorial consistency.
Approach
NHK used Google's AI-based simultaneous translation system for news subtitles. In February 2025, an English-language broadcast referred to the Japan-controlled Senkaku Islands as the Diaoyu Islands, the name used by China. NHK officials attributed the error to the translation system, which they said had been used for 5 years.
Results
No published figures
Takeaway
The translation system produced terminology that conflicted with NHK's intended naming. NHK officials attributed the politically sensitive error to a system used for 5 years.
Categories
- Size
- Large enterprise
- Industry
- Media and entertainment
- Business function
- Production and quality
- Innovation type
- Process innovation
- AI technology
- Conversational and voice AI
- Adoption
- Vendor solution
- Evidence
- Company's own claim
Sources
Source summaries
SCMP reported the naming error during NHK's English-language news broadcast. It cited NHK officials attributing the subtitles to Google's AI translation system and describing 5 years of use.
Full details are in the original sources.
