Asked to give directions into phone, concerned

I would just tell them to put the address or postcode into Apple or Google maps

Goldenoldie15
I agree but there are kind people everywhere. Maybe it's safer to leave your phone at home so that you can't become prey to online criminals.

Grammaretto as I understand you spent a month in NZ on your own and without the phone. IMO Kiwis are just about the kindest people you’ll ever find so please do not assume you’ll be and feel everywhere else. Safe travels. With caution!

Coronation

I was asked for directions and the family didn't understand. They shoved a phone into my face and used Google translate to understand.

It struck me they had a recording of my voice. It's unlikely anything will happen, but potential is there and it struck me that I don't think I'd do it again. Sad how helping someone has made me think that.

I don't think you are being paranoid Coronation. In the states there was a case of a mother who totally believed it was her daughter on the phone being kidnapped. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/14/ai-kidnapping-scam-senate-hearing-jennifer-destefano not sure if links work. I see hundreds of people on Facebook falling for AI photos. One woman today wished happy birthday to a post from a servive woman with 5 fingers and a thumb. The hands and words are hard at the moment for AI. There's all sorts of videos of people supposedly saying stuff the most certainly didn't. Having said all that, I don't believe you have anything at all to worry about. About 4 years ago I handed my phone over to a young girl backpacker who was desperately trying to find a certain bust stop. I wasn't tech savvy. She found her bus stop, handed me back my phone, thanked me profusely. My boy had been backpacking, I'd hope that someone would help all 6'3" of his beardy self if he needed it.

I hate having my voice recorded, I sound like a squeaky child! I’ve not come across that translate facility Coronation so I think I would have felt a bit startled but as Marydoll says you should be fine.

It’ll all be fine. A girl friend and I did a road trip around Turkey last October and went quite off the beaten beat and some little B&Bs had to use Google translate on my phone. Always be wary, but to be honest, most people are just like us, normal, decent, folk.

A touch paranoid I think.

Sad to say AI. Something we need to take care not to be taken in with. They can look like you and sound like you. Watch out!!

We are all so suspicious these days, rightly so I suppose. However, at 8am this morning I received a crackled recorded message from xx electricity informing me there would be a power cut and to press button 1 for further info. Fearing a scam I ignored it and guess what, we have a power cut!

I was in England over the Christmas period and visited London galleries etc. I thought the place was horrible, dirty, crowded, pushy, rude on the streets and underground
A bit like Paris -or indeed many capital cities.
Not necessarily my experience in London but OMG the Paris Métro, that was something else.

kc12343546

If they were using Google Translate then they won't have saved that recording because there's no way to do that using that feature. Only Google might have a record of it but it would be meaningless to them with the million bits of data they collect each day. Sounds like they just wanted to find their way and you helped them!

The whole point of Google is that taken together, the "million bits of data they collect each day" BECOME useful.

>Can anyone tell me whether or not Google Translate and other similar apps do actually 'record' the original voice input that they are translating? By that, I mean is it stored it as a file in the device's memory so that it is there until the user choses to delete it?

It may not get stored on that device. But Google's whole thing is to record and analyse EVERYTHING. It's the best thing since sliced bread in many ways, rather ominous in others.

Elegran

Drawing a diagram with road names on it - even a very rough one - would have given them a map to refer to, and not involved a voice recording.

However, if you are getting worried about it being recorded for translation, you will soon reach a point where you won't even speak directly to anyone in case they recording you secretly! That way lies paranoia.

You didn't give them your name, address, email address, bank account number and password, or anything else that would identify you or your money, so I think you should put it behind you.

But if they had a sample of your handwriting, the dreaded Artificial Intelligence could extrapolate your signature...

Am I jesting? I'm really not sure any more.

But having a voice recording of a person of unknown name, unknown address doesn't seem much of a problem.

Coronation, probably genuine, but just to be on the safe side do change your PIN/password.

Monica, I was in England over the Christmas period and visited London galleries etc. I thought the place was horrible, dirty, crowded, pushy, rude on the streets and underground. However I think the West end is safe enough and you are unlikely to be mugged! Enjoy the exhibitions.

Buttonjugs

I sense paranoia OP. There’s nothing they could do with your voice on their device.

Absolutely, I do hope you would do it again OP, this is anxiety at it's worth.
You helped someone for goodness sake be proud of that and pleased you could help. As someone else said imagine yourself in another country not speaking the language and people were unwilling to help you because they were paranoid you would do them harm, how does that sound to you???

M0nica

How on earth can total strangers use a recording of your voice giving them instructions for any nefarious purpose?

They do not know who you are, where you live or anything about you.

I agree that at any time, in any place, we have to use our common sense to protect ourselves from danger - and that includes being aware of cyber crime, but it does seem to me that some people are getting over concerned against remote, unlikely or impossible dangers.

I am going up to London on Saturday to visit a couple of exhibitions. An old lady, on her own, catching trains and walking the streets. Do I need an armed guard and should I be wearing aluminium foil from head to toe?

I was thinking the same, I assume they don't know your name, address etc ? So it wouldn't be of use to scam you or similar. I do agree we all need to be careful these days but not let it control our lives . You did a good thing helping someone and the world needs as much kindness as possible.

I sense paranoia OP. There’s nothing they could do with your voice on their device.

If they were using Google Translate then they won't have saved that recording because there's no way to do that using that feature. Only Google might have a record of it but it would be meaningless to them with the million bits of data they collect each day. Sounds like they just wanted to find their way and you helped them!

I’m sure all will be well, but if anyone asks again suggest that they open the directions in Google maps. They can then follow the map to their destination.

It’s clear that if you use Google Translate to translate a document, they retain the data - so it shouldn’t be used to translate anything which identifies you or contains confidential information. I wouldn’t be concerned about what you did, because even if your voice was stored GT have no idea who you are - unlike a scammer who calls you, wants you to confirm your name and tries to keep you talking.

What a lovely, heartwarming story, BlueBelle. There are more good people around than bad.

I would still help if I could.
I think you did the right thing.

Did they really push their phone ‘in your face’ I think you helped them out and hopefully gave them some clear instructions as to how to get to where they wanted to go It wasn’t your phone it was theirs I wouldn’t worry
If you were somewhere where you didn’t speak the language what a boon a translator on your phone would be
I ve found overseas people are very very helpful and usually invite you for a cup of tea or a meal
We seem to live in fear

I ll tell you a story which I admit would scare me
one of my grandaughters is travelling alone around the Far east
She had a 14 hour bus drive I think it was in Napal she was late getting to the bus and it was all a rush, along the way people on the bus were sharing their food with her, when she got to her stop she asked the driver which way to the airport a man on the bus got of and walked her a ten minute walk to the airport while the bus waited This was all done with very little language
Made me want to cry at their kindness
Please don’t worry you helped someone

Can anyone tell me whether or not Google Translate and other similar apps do actually 'record' the original voice input that they are translating? By that, I mean is it stored it as a file in the device's memory so that it is there until the user choses to delete it?

I have used Google translate quite a few times in the past, but while I think I remember the written transcript remaining accessible (in both languages?), I was never aware of a way to listen to the original spoken words again.
It would be quite helpful to know.

Ive tried Googling the answer, but couldnt find it, though that might be because I wasn't putting the right words into the search engine.

Coronation

Yes English wasn't their first language.
It struck me they have a voice recording of my phone though and it concerned me.

Have just reloaded Google translate, according to them, if anyones voice is intended to be recorded, for translation purposes, then their permission has to be asked first. So I would refuse next time someone pushes their phone in your face.

I think we live in the age of scamming so suspicion is easily aroused and I can understand the OP's disquiet, even though it doesn't sound as if anything untoward happened, I could understand not feeling comfortable having a phone shoved in the face, there's very little thinking time to be had. Not that I think in this instance it's a cause for concern, but voices are being cloned by scammers for fraudulent purposes.

An alarming tale I heard about a person who handed their phone over to someone they'd just met for that person to put their number in and the owner of the phone subsequently had their bank accounts drained.