Machine translations have eased many communications difficulties, but a recent court ruling in the US has ruled that police may not use Google Translate to receive consent from suspects or other individuals. The ruling came after an officer used Google Translate to obtain consent to search a suspect’s vehicle. The officer found 14 kgs of cocaine and methamphetamines, but the evidence was suppressed on the grounds that Google Translate does not meet constitutional requirements for fourth amendment search and seizure limitations. So while significant progress has been made in machine translation in recent years, it has not yet reached the point where decisions or consent made through it can be permissible in US courts.
Source: A U.S. Court Rejected Google Translate as a Means of Providing Consent to a Cop – Nextgov
