Washington Hotline Glitch Replaces Spanish Translation with Accented English AI Voice
Olympia, Saturday, 28 February 2026.
Washington’s licensing agency apologized after a configuration error caused its Spanish hotline to speak English with a simulated accent, highlighting the risks of deploying unverified AI in public services.
Resolution Following Viral Scrutiny
On Friday, February 27, 2026, the Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) announced that it had fixed the software glitch that caused its Spanish-language automated service to speak English with a simulated Spanish accent [1]. The correction follows a formal apology issued by the department on Thursday, February 26, acknowledging the error which had persisted within the system for months [1]. While the agency has confirmed the system is functioning correctly now, earlier reports from Friday indicated that foreign language options had initially been removed entirely while the department navigated the technical correction [2]. This incident highlights the fragility of automated public sector services, particularly as agencies rush to implement complex AI-driven solutions.
A “Hilarious” Yet Problematic Discovery
The issue was brought to widespread public attention by Washington resident Maya Edwards, who first encountered the malfunction in the summer of 2025 while assisting her husband with his driver’s license [1][3]. Edwards originally documented the experience—where selecting the Spanish option resulted in a voice stating, “Your estimated wait time is less than ‘tres’ minutes”—in a TikTok video posted on July 29, 2025 [1][3]. However, the glitch did not gain traction until Edwards reposted the video around February 17, 2026 [3]. The reposted content went viral, amassing approximately 2 million views and over 300,000 likes, with viewers describing the error as both “disrespectful and hilarious” [1][2]. Edwards noted that while the situation seemed absurdly funny in the moment, it presented genuine accessibility barriers for daily users relying on non-English services [1].
Technical Roots and Vendor Involvement
The DOL attributed the malfunction to a configuration change made by staff during an expansion of services intended to support nine additional languages [2]. The underlying technology for the phone service is provided by Amazon, specifically utilizing the Amazon Web Services (AWS) “Polly” feature [1]. Journalists identified the specific voice profile used as “Lucia,” a text-to-speech option designed to mimic Castilian Spanish [1]. Instead of translating the text, the system appears to have applied the Spanish phonetic model to English text, resulting in the heavily accented output that baffled callers [1][3]. A spokesperson for the department characterized the error as an “unfortunate byproduct” of what they described as the most complex call center transition in the state’s history [2].
Assessing the Accessibility Impact
While the viral nature of the glitch provided amusement on social media, the operational failure raises serious questions regarding equitable access to government services. Data from the Migration Policy Institute indicates that approximately 38.5% of Spanish-speaking residents in Washington state have limited English proficiency, amounting to roughly 263,387 individuals who rely on accurate translation services [3]. Furthermore, local analyses, such as the 2025 Racially Disparate Impacts Analysis for the city of Spokane, show that 7.8% of residents are Latino, with nearly 3% speaking primarily Spanish at home [3]. The DOL has stated it is now closely monitoring the self-service option to prevent a recurrence of the issue [2].