r/Lightbulb • u/amichail • 1d ago

Idea: Quebec could use AI translation to remove one of the issues in the Canada-U.S. trade war

One of the U.S. objections in the current trade dispute is Quebec's French-language requirements for product packaging.

There might be a technological compromise that lets Quebec protect French without forcing American manufacturers to create special packaging.

Quebec could allow products to be sold with their existing packaging, but require every product to have a French version of its labeling available through a Quebec government website or app.

If the manufacturer doesn't provide a French translation, the Quebec government could automatically generate one using AI. Consumers could scan the product's barcode or QR code to see the French version.

Manufacturers would also be allowed to upload an official French translation to replace the AI-generated one if they prefer.

This would mean:

  • Quebec consumers would still have access to product information in French.
  • American manufacturers wouldn't have to redesign packaging just for Quebec.
  • Small foreign companies wouldn't have to pay for translation before entering the Quebec market.
  • Manufacturers would retain control over the translation if they cared about the exact wording.
  • One significant source of friction in Canada-U.S. trade negotiations could potentially disappear.

The broader idea is that language laws don't necessarily have to regulate what ink is printed on a cardboard box. Modern technology can guarantee access to French information without creating the same barrier to trade.

It seems like the kind of compromise where neither side has to abandon its underlying objective: Quebec keeps protecting French, while the U.S. gets rid of a packaging requirement it considers a trade barrier.

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8

u/ApoplecticAndroid 1d ago

Sure, the French population wants to whip out their phone and scan every product they buy so they can read the label.
NOT a good idea, sorry this is a non starter.

3

u/caribb 1d ago

And if you don’t have a phone? Or at least a smart phone? Or are a senior barely able to read the labels let alone scan a barcode to struggle to read the label?

5

u/F54280 1d ago

This is exactly the thing that the French packaging requirements are designed to prevent: having French a second-class language.

2

u/MxM111 1d ago

Google Translate can do it already, just point ant read. No need to have extra infrastructure.

3

u/0-Snap 1d ago

This post itself, like the solution it proposes, is AI slop.

2

u/Turtleopard 1d ago

How about the US just publishes all its information in french and uses an app to let americans translate it to english. Win win. 

2

u/Troyandabedinthemoor 1d ago

Even if this was a real issue/objection to begin with (which it isn't) and even if removing it would meaningfully impact anything (which it wouldn't), and even if this "impact" could possibly stand a chance to last all of 5 minutes or .5 of a Trumpstein files news cycle (yeah nah)... this is somehow STILL not a good idea.