xikers' Hunter's Innocent Question Becomes Explicit Due to Translation Blunder, Amusing Fans

South Korean boy group xikers (싸이커스), a 10-member act launched by KQ Entertainment in 2023, is known as the junior group to ATEEZ. They have quickly gained a large domestic and international fanbase for their high-quality stages, powerful performances, and hip-hop style. In recent years, xikers has also performed at major international music festivals like Lollapalooza, showcasing their prowess as a new generation boy group.

Thai member Hunter recently had a conversation on a fan interaction platform go unexpectedly viral online. What started as a common Korean phrase was mistranslated into highly explicit content by an automatic translation software, leaving Hunter stunned and a large number of fans amused.

According to screenshots circulating on X (formerly Twitter), Hunter had posted on the fan platform, intending to ask fans: “What would be your reaction if you suddenly met me on the street?” However, when the system automatically translated the Korean into English, it bizarrely became: “What would be your reaction if I said ‘I’m going to masturbate’?” The outrageous translation left international fans speechless, many exclaiming they couldn't believe their eyes.

Upon realizing the translation error, Hunter immediately provided the correct English content, hoping international fans would understand his original meaning. However, after fans pointed out the significant error by Papago, he was reportedly taken aback and promptly clarified, stating: “The word ‘Jamanchu’ (Korean ‘자만추’, meaning ‘natural encounter’) was translated very strangely.”

This translation mishap quickly sparked heated discussions across social media platforms. Many netizens were in stitches, with some even starting to list Papago's most absurd translation incidents throughout history.

Korean netizens commented, “My jaw dropped the moment I saw the translation,” “This might be a contender for Papago’s most exaggerated translation ever,” “It suddenly reminded me of someone else who had a similar situation before,” and “Just a few days ago, Donghwa (동화) also experienced the same translation error, but because there were more Korean fans on Bubble, almost no one noticed. What’s wrong with Papago?”

The translation controversy left many fans both amused and frustrated. While machine translation is incredibly convenient, they noted that it can still produce hilarious mistranslations when encountering Korean slang, abbreviations, or internet jargon, once again reigniting discussions about the accuracy of translation tools.