Would You Like That Translated To Dutch?

Mark Spearman
6 min readMar 27, 2024
Amish man walking.
An Amish man walking.

My phone kept asking, “Would you like that translated to Dutch?”. Why would Google think that I need a Dutch translation for everything? I wondered about it and it kept asking.

The answer came to me when it did it while I was around Amish friends. The Amish speak a version of Dutch. I don’t care what they speak, I just assume that they’re talking about me when they switch to Dutch. That amuses me and I never thought about it much more. Google on the other hand thinks it’s very important and would like to clear up any language barrier I may be having.

What Are My Qualifications To Speak On Data Collection? None. 0.

Before you get steeped in this article, it’s important to note that I have no qualifications other than being a casual observer of technology. I am just writing about what I see and assume. That’s all we really have to go on. If there is nefarious use by government and big tech, they’re not going to tell you about it.

I welcome thoughts from professionals. I would assume that if you have to many qualifications, that’s a problem too. Are you going to spill the beans on your money-maker? Probably not.

How Much Do They Listen To?

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Mark Spearman

I hail from Central Ohio. I have a diverse background and enjoy writing to the fullest. See more at http://markspearman.com