Initially, we thought that the new Translation app on Facebook would translate posts and comments from other languages into English. Were we wrong or what? The new Translation feature is for Facebook, not its users. Here’s where you find it on the new Facebook look:

 

Click on Translation and this is what you see:

 

However, when you click on ‘See Translation App Terms of Service’, Facebook suddenly turns it all around, making it about Facebook, not you. Here are those terms of service:

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The Translate Facebook application collects translations, comments, suggestions, ideas, feedback and other information (“Submissions”) from you and other users in connection with Facebook’s language translation project to provide access to Facebook and applications and websites that use Facebook’s platform in multiple languages (the “Project”).

You understand that your participation in the Project is for the benefit of the Facebook user community as it will allow users whose participation is currently limited by language to participate more fully. You acknowledge that your participation in the Project is entirely voluntary and you understand that no monetary or other compensation will be given to persons, including you, for Submissions. You may provide as much or as little input into the Project as you wish and can cease contributing to the Project at any time.

In consideration of Facebook permitting you to participate in the Project and the benefits to the Facebook user community of which you are a member, you acknowledge and agree that any Submissions that you provide to Facebook will be owned by Facebook. Accordingly, you irrevocably assign to Facebook all right, title and interest, including all intellectual property rights, in and to all Submissions, and Facebook is entitled to the unrestricted use and dissemination of these Submissions for any purpose, commercial or otherwise, without acknowledgment, consent or monetary, or other tangible compensation, to you. To the extent that the foregoing assignment is or becomes invalid or unenforceable to any degree or for any reason, you grant Facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, exclusive, fully-paid-up, royalty-free, worldwide right and licence, with the right to sublicense, use, reproduce, display, perform, create derivative works of, distribute and otherwise exploit the Submissions in any manner.

Please note: Translate Facebook is subject to and governed by these Additional Terms Applicable to Translate Facebook (the “Additional Terms”) as well as the Facebook Terms of Use. In the event of any conflict between these Additional Terms and the Facebook Terms of Use, these Additional Terms control. Capitalised terms that are not defined in these Additional Terms will have the definitions provided them in the Terms of Use. Facebook reserves the right, in our sole discretion, to change, modify, add or delete portions of these Additional Terms at any time without further notice. If we do this, we will post the changes to these Additional Terms on this page and will indicate at the top of this page the date these terms were last revised. You agree to waive any specific notice of such changes and your continued use and operation of Translate Facebook after any such changes constitutes your acceptance of the new Additional Terms. It is your responsibility to regularly check the Site to determine if there have been changes to these Additional Terms.

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In case you missed it, here’s the sinister part:  you grant Facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, exclusive, fully-paid-up, royalty-free, worldwide right and licence, with the right to sublicense, use, reproduce, display, perform, create derivative works of, distribute and otherwise exploit the Submissions in any manner.

Facebook tells you that the project ‘is for the benefit of the Facebook user community’. Not really. It’s for Facebook. Translating their menus and static pages will allow more users to access the site thus allowing Facebook to pump ads to more people than they can now. Instead of paying translators to do the work, Facebook is reaching out to its users in an attempt to save money to make more money. Our advice? Don’t help. Let the corporate giant that is Facebook spread some money out, paying hard working translators to do the job, not ask for freebies from its users.

Thanks for reading!