Elon Musk has added automatic translation into the user’s own language on Twitter, and the result has been a strangely delightful kind of Babylonian chaos. 🌍
Since April 8, the social platform X has been rolling out automatic translation of tweets into all languages. Nearly a week in, a lot can already be said — but the main takeaway is simple: the world does not, in fact, hate Russians.
At first glance, Musk did not introduce anything especially miraculous — all posts simply began translating automatically into each user’s language, and quite well, actually. But in practice, the effect has been remarkable. People from different cultures and different continents suddenly discovered that they are not all that different after all. ✨
The algorithms are still not entirely clear, but Russian-speaking users have formed something like a loose community with Brazilians, Japanese, South Koreans, and Italians. Of course, users from other language groups — French and Turkish, for example — are active too, but this particular quartet stands out most clearly.
Posts in the style of “here is how it is for us — what about you?” have become especially popular, along with stories about everyday life, invitations to connect, and simple attempts to get acquainted.
What else has come out of it?
— Brazilians declared that the “bag full of bags” is the most Brazilian thing in the world. Who would have guessed? 🛍️
— Brazilians were delighted to discover that Russians swear exactly the way they do. Russians, in turn, learned that Brazilians write laughter as “kkkk” rather than “hahaha.”
— Brazilians found out that in the 1990s we were all obsessively watching their soap operas, and that names like Antonio Fagundes and Raul Cortez are still familiar to many of us. Russians, meanwhile, learned that many stars of those iconic telenovelas hold left-wing views, and that the network behind them — Globo — supports Lula’s left-wing government.
— Russians shared that, thanks to those shows, they used to call their summer cottages fazendas, while Brazilians confessed their love for Russian classical literature. 📚
— Japanese users said they do not hold ordinary Americans personally responsible for Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but insist that people should remember one thing: war is utter filth.
— Japanese and Korean users complained that in their countries women are often served smaller portions than men.
— Foreigners confirmed not only the universal existence of the “bag of bags,” but also screws stored in old coffee jars and napkins placed on top of televisions. And yes, BMW drivers are BMW drivers everywhere — turn signals remain optional. 🚗
— Everyone began swapping popular memes from their own countries and asking whether others understood their sense of humor.
Users have been happily noting that after the introduction of automatic translation, people did not become more aggressive with one another. On the contrary, they started looking for common ground and wanting to understand each other better. Yes, a few hotheads predictably plunged into political arguments, but by all appearances they are in the minority.
Interestingly, this new feature could even end up helping tourism. People often write that things are not at all how they imagined them, and that they now want to experience other cultures in person. ✈️
So yes, we may be divided by language barriers — but not by life itself.
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