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AI-Powered Document and Voice Translation for Government

Translation & Language Access

What it collects

Operational data
Anonymized data
  • DND/CAF documents that are publicly available, submitted as text or voice files for translation. The register states that no personal information is involved.

Translation Engine — AI Register entry 2526-DND-MDN-005

Run by
National Defence (DND)
Where
No fixed location
Kept
Not stated by the Helpful Places.
Shared with
Not stated by the Helpful Places.

What it is for

Translation & Language Access

This system uses multiple AI models to translate text and voice documents while preserving original formatting. It is used by Government of Canada employees at the Department of National Defence. The system does not process personal information, and users are not currently informed that AI is involved in the translation.

What it collects and what happens to it

Data taken in

Operational data
Anonymized data
  • DND/CAF documents that are publicly available, submitted as text or voice files for translation. The register states that no personal information is involved.

Translation Engine — AI Register entry 2526-DND-MDN-005

Processing

Language Models
  • Multiple AI models are used to perform translation of both text and voice documents, suggesting an ensemble or pipeline approach to machine translation and speech processing.

What it does

Understanding (Semantic AI)
Human decides
  • The system uses multiple AI models to understand the meaning and structure of source text and voice documents in order to produce accurate translations.
Creating (Generative AI)
Human decides
  • The system generates translated text output in the target language, creating new content that did not previously exist while preserving the formatting of the original document.

Outputs

Generated content
Anonymized data
  • Translated text documents in the target language, with original formatting preserved. No personal information is included in the output according to the register.

Run by

National Defence (DND)
  • The Department of National Defence is the federal department deploying this AI translation system for use by Government of Canada employees.

Translation Engine — AI Register entry 2526-DND-MDN-005

Built by

Government of Canada
  • The system was developed by the Government of Canada, indicating an in-house or government-led development rather than a commercial third-party vendor.

Translation Engine — AI Register entry 2526-DND-MDN-005

Kept for

Not stated by the Helpful Places.

Shared with

Not stated by the Helpful Places.

Stored

Not stated by the Helpful Places.

How to read the colours

Can it identify you?

Anonymized data
Data about people with the link to who is broken. Stripped of identifiers, blurred, aggregated, or noised so this system can’t reasonably tie a record back to an individual.
Pseudonymous data
Each person’s data is tied to a token (hash, ID, template) that lets this system recognise the same person across events, but the token itself doesn’t reveal a name. Reidentification is possible with extra information.
Identifiable data
The data either contains a direct identifier (name, address, account name, recognisable face or voice, plate number) or carries a token this system uses to look up legal identity during processing.

Who completes the loop?

Human decides
This mode suggests; a person decides what to do next. The AI is always advisory — a human is in the loop on every decision. Example: a triage tool ranks cases for a clinician who chooses which to see first.
Human executes
This mode decides; a person carries out the result. Example: an optimizer plans the day’s trash-collection routes, and drivers run them.
Autonomous
This mode decides and acts on its own. No person reviews each decision or carries out the resulting action.

Definitions from the DTPR standard. Amber is about your data, violet about who decides. The fuller the shape and the deeper the colour, the more identifying the data or the less a person is involved.

What you can do

Ask about this system

Questions go to the Helpful Places, not the vendor.

Your rights

  • Right to Algorithmic TransparencyThe register notes that AI use is not currently disclosed to users of this system. Government of Canada employees using this tool may not be aware that AI models are producing their translations. Contact the Department of National Defence for more information about how this system operates.
  • Right to Be Informed of AI UseCurrently, users of this system are not informed that AI is being used to produce translations. This is a noted gap in the register entry. If you are a GC employee using this system, you have an interest in knowing that AI-generated content is being produced on your behalf.

Risks and safeguards

  • Societal & cultural harmAI-generated translations may contain errors, mistranslations, or miss cultural nuance in official government documents, potentially affecting the accuracy of communications.Safeguard: The system is described as in development; no specific mitigations are stated in the register. Human review of AI-generated translations prior to official use would reduce this risk.