6/9/22, 11:09 AM Facebook blames 'technical error' for Xi Jinping offensive name translation gaffe | Facebook | The Guardian Facebook This article is more than 2 years old Facebook blames 'technical error' for Xi Jinping offensive name translation gaffe Problem arises in translation of leader’s name from Burmese Tech giant ‘sincerely apologises for offence this has caused’ Reuters Sun 19 Jan 2020 02.30 GMT Facebook has blamed a technical error for Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s name appearing as “Mr Shithole” in posts on its platform when translated into English from Burmese, apologising for any offence caused and saying the problem had been fixed. The error came to light on the second day of a visit by the president to Myanmar, where Xi and state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi signed dozens of agreements covering massive Beijing-backed infrastructure plans. A statement about the visit published on Suu Kyi’s official Facebook page was littered with references to “Mr Shithole” when translated to English, while a headline in local news journal the Irrawaddy appeared as “Dinner honors president shithole”. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jan/18/facebook-xi-jinping-mr-shithole 1/4