Writer says he was replaced by AI after his company laid off staff - Business Insider - Translation

The stories are running without bylines, G/O Media said.

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• A writer and translator says he was laid off after his company, Gizmodo en Español, began using AI.
• Its operator G/O Media confirmed some international staff were impacted by the decision. 
• Stories are being translated into Spanish by an automated system, per a memo shared with Insider.

A writer and editor says he was laid off from his job after a media company replaced his role with AI.

Gizmodo, an independent tech blog launched in 2002, laid off employees working on its Spanish-language site last week, The Verge reported. The site, Gizmodo en Español, now appears to be using AI to translate articles from English to Spanish.

Articles that appear on the Spanish site feature a disclaimer that reads: "This content has been automatically translated from the original material. Due to the nuances of machine translation, there may be slight differences. For the original version, click here."

One employee, Matías S. Zavia, took to X, formally known as Twitter, to comment on the decision. In a post asking for job opportunities, he said: "Hello friends. On Tuesday they shut down @GizmodoES to turn it into a translation self-publisher (an AI took my job, literally)."

Zavia did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

A representative for G/O Media, which operates Gizmodo, confirmed the decision affected some international staff.

They shared the memo sent to staff by Gizmodo's editorial director, which said, "Wednesday morning, G/O began publishing Gizmodo stories translated into Spanish using an automated system."

It added, "We are using an advanced translation service that provides context and intent while running the translations. This is the first step in our efforts to create local language editions of our journalism. In the coming months we'll see more of our brands published in additional languages. We're confident we'll be bringing new and expanding audiences to our sites. 

"There is a disclaimer explaining our approach and a link to the original article published beneath each translated story.  The stories are running without bylines."

GMG Union, represented by The Writers Guild of America, East, expressed sympathy for the laid-off workers.

In a post on X, they said: "Instead of relying on the talented journalists at Gizmodo Español, G/O Media has enacted an automation that takes English-language Gizmodo articles, translates them poorly into Spanish, and posts them on Gizmodo Español almost immediately, with no Spanish-language editing."

This is not the first time workers have complained of being traded in for new AI tech. Several workers have come forward in recent months claiming their jobs have been outsourced to generative AI products.

Companies have been keen to position themselves as on top of the generative AI boom and ready to incorporate it into everyday workflows. Some CEOs, including IBM boss Arvind Krishna, have been openly discussing plans to phase out some workers in favor of the technology.

The use of generative AI in the workplace can help with cost-saving and efficiency, but the tech is far from perfect. Several companies have faced issues after implementing the tech too quickly or without human oversight.

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Dictionary.com's Latest Update Shows Love to Black Hair And AAVE - The Root - Dictionary

The English language is constantly evolving. Terms are added and redefined all the time, which is why Dictionary.com is more of a work in progress than something set in stone.

Jon Basíl Tequila Is Not Your Average Spirit & It's Co-founder Adamant About That | Securing the Bag: Part 1

This week, the digital dictionary released their latest word drop which contains 2,250 revised definitions, 348 new definitions and 566 new entries. But the one we’re most surprised to see is box braids, which they define as a noun describing a hairstyle originating in the Black community, in which the hair is parted into small sections over the scalp and woven into a braid. Considering braided styles have roots in African culture that can be traced back more than 5,000 years, I have to ask, what took them so long?

Some of the other notable new entries include:

• jawn - a popular catchall term made popular in Philadelphia referring to something or someone the speaker doesn’t know or does not need a specific name. (Ex. - Can you get me that jawn right there?)
• nepo baby - a noun referring to a person whose famous parent and industry connections are perceived as essential to their success. (Ex. Jaden Smith, Christian Combs and Blue Ivy Carter)
• unsee - a verb meaning to remove (something seen) from one’s memory or conscious awareness. (Ex. - I watched the first Republican debate and now I can’t unsee it.)
• diverse-owned - an adjective used to describe a business owned by someone who is part of a historically underrepresented group. (Ex. - women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people)

When deciding what new words to add, Dictionary.com identifies words that are widely used in the same way. They must believe the words have staying power and are beneficial to a wider audience, which may explain why it often takes them so long to “legitimize” words in Black vernacular. But it still doesn’t explain why “supposably”--basically a misspelling or mispronunciation of the pre-existing “supposedly” is a legit entry.

So the next time someone tries to tell you that “jawn” isn’t a word, you can clap back by sending them to the dictionary.

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A Spanish dictionary defines Jew as 'greedy or money lending' - The Jewish Chronicle - Dictionary

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A Spanish dictionary defines Jew as 'greedy or money lending'  The Jewish Chronicle

'Nepo-Baby' and Other Annoying Words Added to the English Dictionary - Pajiba Entertainment News - Dictionary

If you, like me, are tired of hearing the word “nepo-baby,” I have bad news: it and 500 other new words have officially been added to the dictionary. “The term was popularized by a New York cover story last December, and has since resulted in a fair amount of debate,” writes James Hibberd of The Hollywood Reporter.

A fair amount indeed, some of it on this very site. Maya Hawke was the most recent person to denounce the term when speaking to Variety about the new movie she made with her father, Ethan Hawke.

“I had moments of insecurity about it while we were shooting the movie. But the internet doesn’t have a lot of nuances. My dad has been a massive teacher for me, and we want to work together,” she said.

Other notable new words include “trauma dumping,” or “unsolicited, one-sided sharing of traumatic or intensely negative experiences or emotions in an inappropriate setting or with people who are unprepared for this interaction.” Also known as me talking.

There’s “deadass,” or “genuinely, sincerely, or truly; in fact.” That one’s important. “Blursday” is defined as “a day not easily distinguished from other days, or the phenomenon of days running together,” so, my life. And, of course, “shower orange,” is, you guessed it, “an orange that is peeled and eaten under a steamy shower, the purported benefit being that the steam enhances the orange’s citrusy fragrance and creates a soothing experience for the person who is showering.” Whether or not the person showering eats their shower orange is, of course, entirely up to them. But hopefully not.

Many of the new words have to do with sexual identity, race, health and wellness and/or the internet. But, really, the mission here seems to be adding popular slang terms to the lexicon, which is great news for lazy writers like me, but on the other hand, do we really need “shower orange” to be defined for coming generations? Are internet fads dictionary words now? And for that matter, why did “shower orange” make the cut but “everything shower” didn’t? (I checked.)

Surely there’s some kind of metric used by the dictionary people to decide what words make the cut. With the fleeting nature of viral internet trends, maybe that metric needs to be changed.

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Reddit users on mobile can now translate posts into other languages - TechCrunch - Translation

Reddit is giving users the ability to translate posts into other languages. There will be eight different languages available to start — including English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch and Swedish.

To translate a Reddit post, users click on the “translate” button at the top underneath the Redditor’s username. Users must choose their preferred language in settings. The feature is currently only available on Android and iOS devices as well as for users logged out on the web.

Image Credits: Reddit

Reddit added that it’s experimenting with translations for comments on iOS and Android. “Soon, your entire conversation experience on Reddit can be multilingual,” the company wrote in its recent post.

Reddit also reminded users that it updated its Help Center, which now combines the Moderator Help Center and gives users a new central hub for all support resources. The makeover comes on the heels of Reddit launching the Mod Helper Program, which rewards moderators for helping out other moderators.

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‘Chiefly Philadelphia': ‘jawn' is now in the dictionary – seriously - NBC 10 Philadelphia - Dictionary

How about this jawn?

Philly's favorite word for pretty much everything is now part of Dictionary.com's vast collections of words.

"jawn

"noun. Informal. Chiefly Philadelphia. something or someone for which the speaker does not know or does not need a specific name.

"Example: Can you hand me that jawn right there?"

That's how Dictionary.com defines Jawn, which was included on its list of fall 2023 "word drops."

"Philadelphians know that their favorite regional catchall term isn’t new—the first records of its use come from the early 2000s, when it started to be popularized in the Black community," Dictionary.com's entry said.

The origins of jawn probably dates back even further -- into the 1990s or even 1980s, according to WHYY.

"Its addition reflects an increasing awareness of the term outside the region. Its ultimate origin is uncertain, but it may be a local Philadelphia variant of joint, which is used in a similar way in the New York City metropolitan area," Dictionary.com said.

Now that's the jawn.

Other newly recognized Dictionary.com words and phrases include: algo, Big Pharma, Blursday, greenwashing, jugging and NIL. Click here to check out the full list of new fall words.

What's next for this jawn? Could it wind up as part of other recognized word collections?

Jawn had already been part of Urban Dictonary's words. But, it has yet to be recognized Merriam-Webster.

Time will tell on this jawn.

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The Old Oxford Dictionary did not define people of India as ‘Old-fashioned people, criminals, and stupid.’ - Factly - Dictionary

A post is being shared on social media, which claims that the old Oxford Dictionary mentioned the meaning of the word Indian as Old-fashioned people, criminals, and stupid people on page number 789. The post also claims that the dictionary changed the meaning of India to Bharat when the British gave this name to India.  Let’s verify the claim made in the post.

Claim: The old Oxford Dictionary mentioned the meaning of the word Indian as Old-fashioned people, criminals, and stupid people.

Fact: The word India was not found on page number 789 in the Oxford Dictionary of the year 1934. However, page 580 defines the term India as a country of South Asia east of the river Indus and south of the Himalayas. The word India in fact is derived from the name of an ancient river Indus or Sindhu in Sanskrit and was mentioned in Greek and Roman writings. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.

When we searched for the 1900s edition of the Oxford Dictionary using relevant keywords, we found the publication of the Oxford Dictionary of the year 1934. The word India was not found on page number 789. However, page 580 defines the term India as a country of South Asia east of the river Indus and south of the Himalayas.

On subsequent search of the meaning of the term India in Oxford online dictionary website, we found that the word India is defined as ‘a country in South Asia that used to be a part of the British empire. It became independent and a member of the Commonwealth in 1947.’

Whereas, the term Indian is defined as ​(old-fashioned, sometimes offensive) a member of one of the indigenous (= original) peoples of America, especially North America. However, the website clearly mentions Native American as a synonym for the term Indian.

The post further claims that ‘the British gave the name India.’ The word India in fact is derived from the name of an ancient river Indus or Sindu in Sanskrit. The origin of the term India can be traced back to ancient Greek and Roman writings such as Herodotus who referred to the land east of the Indus River as India.  

According to an article by The Hindu titled Herodotus’s Histories is probably the first text to refer to Indians by that name, as‘Indon, Herodotus used the word Indians (Indon in Greek) in his work Histories many centuries before we called our land India. He describes India’s geographical location, people, customs, and their wealth

To sum up, the old Oxford Dictionary did not define people of India as ‘Old-fashioned people, criminals, and stupid.’

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