“Billions of Arabic Wikipedia readers do not know that civilians were murdered on 7/10”

In an era where artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming an integral part of our lives, the world of translation and international communication is undergoing a real revolution. Dr. Avior ByronCEO of Byron Translation and Transcription Services, participated in Maariv’s technology podcast, “Political Science” and provided fascinating insights into the changes in the industry and the importance of human contact in the digital world.

The events of October 7 shocked Israel and the world, but behind the scenes another war is being waged – the information war. In a special interview, Dr. Avior Byron, CEO of Byron Translation Services, reveals how Wikipedia became a digital battlefield and how his company joined the effort to bring the truth to the world.

“It is unbelievable what is happening in the field of digital warfare,” begins Dr. Byron. “We discovered that the Polish government, almost certainly, is paying writers to change values ​​on Wikipedia that are related to Poland’s responsibility towards the Jews in the Holocaust. This is just one example of what is happening throughout the network.”

But the problem is even more serious when it comes to the events of October 7. “The page in Arabic about the war that is happening now is a Hamas propaganda mouthpiece, simple as that,” warns Byron. “As far as the Arab world is concerned, the Nohva terrorists attacked mostly soldiers, perhaps some civilians were caught in the crossfire. The truth that we know here and know it in the West, it is not known to the billions of Arabs who read the entry on Wikipedia“.

The distortion of information reaches new heights when it comes to harming women during the attack. “There are all kinds of things that Israel and the world have recognized for a long time. For example, women were severely sexually assaulted on October 7. Shocking things. And it’s clear that it happened, it’s known that it happened. In the Arab world, it’s unknown and unclear and nothing. They say ‘No, it didn’t happen, it can’t possibly have happened’.”

Byron recounts the efforts to combat this phenomenon: “They even brought an article in Arabic from the United Nations, which is not exactly an organization that sympathizes with Israel, that these things happened. But it doesn’t help anything. They don’t include it in the value.”

In this complex reality, the Byron company found itself at the forefront of the fight for the truth. “We were chosen to translate evidence presented to the court in The Hague, in the trial in which South Africa is suing Israel for genocide,” says Byron. “We not only translate but also transcribe testimonies of survivors, both from the Nova party and from the various kibbutzim that were attacked.”

The work on translating the evidence is challenging and emotional. “It was a very, very important choice of a translator, because you need someone who can do it at all. There are terrible and terrible things there,” describes Byron. “We translated the testimony of someone who escaped death, and things that are very, very difficult to deal with.”

The translator chosen for the task is a veterinarian by training. “As a veterinarian in the field of medicine, you have to cut yourself off,” she explained to Byron. “You can’t take care of animals and become emotionally attached, you have to do it in a somewhat cold way. As a Jew, as an Israeli, I understood the importance, the magnitude of the importance of doing this thing.”

Byron emphasizes the importance of the fight for the truth in the digital arena: “We must not neglect this war on the digital side. On the contrary, now we need to start doing it for real. Also at the level of surfers who show the Israeli side, and fight for the truth. And, in my opinion, at the level of lawsuits.” .

He warns of the dangers of neglecting this struggle: “In the end it takes revenge on us. All the… turning a blind eye at a certain point it grows to monstrous dimensions, there is no longer any possibility of turning it back, because the truth is ultimately determined by the digital.”

In conclusion, Dr. Byron calls for action: “This is an endless war, and I think it is also important to fight for the Arab voice. If the Arab world, more and more, sees the wonderful sides of the State of Israel, and the terrible sides of the terrorist organizations around us, it will also help us gain more allies in the Arab world.”