Cpvr
Well-known member
Crunchyroll has earned the ire of anime fans after viewers spotted evidence that the streamer is using ChatGPT for its subtitle translations. The incident came to light shortly after the premiere of the new Summer 2025 anime series, Necronomico and the Cosmic Horror Show, on July 1.
X (formerly Twitter) user CheeseGX posted a screenshot from the first episode showing a bizarre line in the German subtitles. At the 19:12 mark, the subtitle read, "ChatGPT said:Wenn ich die Welt von hier an weiter genießen kann." The post quickly went viral, with netizens speculating that the subtitle files were likely created with minimal human oversight. However, the English subtitles for the same anime episode likewise featured multiple errors, at one point crediting the episode's translation to the generic placeholder: "Translated by: Translator’s name“
This is not the first time Crunchyroll has been under scrutiny for the quality of its subtitles. In October 2024, the highly anticipated premiere of Re:Zero Season 3 was marred by numerous inaccurate subtitles. The errors were meticulously logged by fans of the series, prompting Crunchyroll to act swiftly and correct the subtitles within a day. Even so, the incident left a lasting impression on the community.
The speculation that Crunchyroll has been implementing auto-generated closed captions for its English dubs was brought up in a Reddit post from last year. The post detailed how, in their effort to add captions to their vast backlog, Crunchyroll seemed to be using an auto speech-to-text service that often resulted in incorrect and nonsensical captions. Popular anime including One Piece, Solo Levelingand Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercuryhave fallen prey to such practices, according to fans.
Crunchyroll's President, Rahul Purini, has previously openly discussed the company's exploration of AI subtitling and closed captions. Speaking to The Verge, Purini said, "Right now, one of the areas we're very focused on testing is subtitling and our closed captioning, where we go from speech to text. 'How do we improve and optimize our processes where we can get the subtitles done in various languages across the world faster so that we can launch as close to the Japanese release as possible?'"
While Purini seemed to be of the opinion that AI subtitling would help Crunchyroll streamline the platform's workflow, the move was questioned by the anime community. Now, the ChatGPT faux pas in Necronomico and the Cosmic Horror Showappears to be a direct confirmation of fans' worst fears. Apart from subtitle issues, Crunchyroll has made waves in the past for alienating not just its users but also its licensors. From removing all comments on its platform to purposely holding back on Dandadan's promotion, the streaming giant has faced multiple controversies in recent months, typically with no direct response to requests for comment.
Perhaps the most infamous incident was voice actor David Wald quitting his work with Crunchyroll after he accused the streamer of repeatedly opening and destroying mail addressed to him by fans. While Crunchyroll denied the accusation, Wald said he won't be returning to voice Gajeel in the English dub of Fairy Tail.
Source: https://www.cbr.com/crunchyroll-chatgpt-sub-anime/
X (formerly Twitter) user CheeseGX posted a screenshot from the first episode showing a bizarre line in the German subtitles. At the 19:12 mark, the subtitle read, "ChatGPT said:Wenn ich die Welt von hier an weiter genießen kann." The post quickly went viral, with netizens speculating that the subtitle files were likely created with minimal human oversight. However, the English subtitles for the same anime episode likewise featured multiple errors, at one point crediting the episode's translation to the generic placeholder: "Translated by: Translator’s name“
This is not the first time Crunchyroll has been under scrutiny for the quality of its subtitles. In October 2024, the highly anticipated premiere of Re:Zero Season 3 was marred by numerous inaccurate subtitles. The errors were meticulously logged by fans of the series, prompting Crunchyroll to act swiftly and correct the subtitles within a day. Even so, the incident left a lasting impression on the community.
The speculation that Crunchyroll has been implementing auto-generated closed captions for its English dubs was brought up in a Reddit post from last year. The post detailed how, in their effort to add captions to their vast backlog, Crunchyroll seemed to be using an auto speech-to-text service that often resulted in incorrect and nonsensical captions. Popular anime including One Piece, Solo Levelingand Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercuryhave fallen prey to such practices, according to fans.
Crunchyroll's President, Rahul Purini, has previously openly discussed the company's exploration of AI subtitling and closed captions. Speaking to The Verge, Purini said, "Right now, one of the areas we're very focused on testing is subtitling and our closed captioning, where we go from speech to text. 'How do we improve and optimize our processes where we can get the subtitles done in various languages across the world faster so that we can launch as close to the Japanese release as possible?'"
While Purini seemed to be of the opinion that AI subtitling would help Crunchyroll streamline the platform's workflow, the move was questioned by the anime community. Now, the ChatGPT faux pas in Necronomico and the Cosmic Horror Showappears to be a direct confirmation of fans' worst fears. Apart from subtitle issues, Crunchyroll has made waves in the past for alienating not just its users but also its licensors. From removing all comments on its platform to purposely holding back on Dandadan's promotion, the streaming giant has faced multiple controversies in recent months, typically with no direct response to requests for comment.
Perhaps the most infamous incident was voice actor David Wald quitting his work with Crunchyroll after he accused the streamer of repeatedly opening and destroying mail addressed to him by fans. While Crunchyroll denied the accusation, Wald said he won't be returning to voice Gajeel in the English dub of Fairy Tail.
Source: https://www.cbr.com/crunchyroll-chatgpt-sub-anime/
