https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-coronavirus-google-translate-191540384251
its a glitch they say
CLAIM: In Latin, the phrase “Cor ona virus,” written with spaces between parts of the word, translates to “heart attack virus” in English.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The word “coronavirus” in Latin, even when split up, does not translate to “heart attack virus.” Social media users are entering additional spaces when translating “cor ona virus” from Latin in Google Translate, which skews results in English. The tool translates some individual root words from Latin when the word is divided up in this way.
THE FACTS: A recent video circulating on social media claims that entering “cor ona virus” into Google Translate proves that it translates to “heart attack virus.
In the video, the social media user enters two spaces between “ona” and “virus” to get the result. Without the spaces, Google Translate just repeats “cor ona virus” in Latin to “cor ona virus” in English.
One Twitter user shared the video with the hashtags “#vaccinedeaths” and “#VaccineSideEffects.” In the past, social media users have falsely claimed that the COVID-19 vaccine causes heart attacks.
But experts say this is an inaccurate translation from Latin. Adding spaces to “coronavirus” is causing the Google Translate tool to attempt to translate some sections separately.
“This equation (cor ona virus = heart [attack] virus) is little more than subliterate nonsense,” wrote Marcus Folch, an associate professor of classics at Columbia University.
Folch pointed out that “corona” in Latin translates to “crown” and “cor” translates to “heart,” while “virus” translates to a slimy liquid or poison. And “ona” is not a word in Latin.
Daniel Solomon, a professor of classic studies at Vanderbilt University, told The Associated Press in an email that “ona” is not a Latin word, but the translation could be a confusion with “onus” or “onera,” which means “burden.”
Since “cor ona virus” isn’t a word or phrase in Latin, the Google Translate tool is translating some individual root words separately, a spokesperson for Google confirmed to the AP.
___
This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.