GCtranslate: Using artificial intelligence to build a more agile, modern and bilingual public service
Press Release
From: Public Services and Procurement Canada
September 29, 2025
As part of the Government of Canada’s digital transformation, artificial intelligence (AI) is playing a central role in modernizing public service operations. By improving efficiency, productivity and service quality, AI enables public servants to focus on high-impact work that delivers better outcomes for Canadians.
Today, the Honourable Joël Lightbound, Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement, announced the launch of GCtranslate, an AI prototype for official languages translation.
Developed by the Translation Bureau at Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), GCtranslate is the first flagship project of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s Artificial Intelligence Strategy. The tool will initially be piloted in 6 federal departments and agencies, with the objective of preparing for a government-wide implementation.
GCtranslate stands out by its secure, Canadian-based infrastructure and its adaptability to the federal public service. Drawing on the Translation Bureau’s extensive bilingual dataset, it incorporates government terminology as well as Canada’s cultural and linguistic realities. This innovation complements the Translation Bureau’s specialized services by providing instant translations for texts that do not require linguistic expertise.
As a single solution across government, GCtranslate will generate economies of scale and reinforce the use of both official languages within the public service. It demonstrates the government’s commitment to modernizing the public service through secure, efficient and Canadian-based innovative digital tools.
Quotes
“GCtranslate is a clear example of how government transformation delivers results for Canadians. Developed in-house by Public Services and Procurement Canada, this artificial intelligence tool shows the power of Canadian innovation in making government more efficient and more responsive. By providing secure, high-quality translations instantly, GCtranslate strengthens the use of both official languages across government and supports a modern public service that keeps pace with the digital age. This is about putting technology to work for Canadians so services are delivered faster, smarter and in both official languages.”
The Honourable Joël Lightbound
Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement
Quick facts
- Six departments and agencies now have access to the GCtranslate prototype:
o PSPC
o the Privy Council Office
o the Department of Finance Canada
o Canadian Heritage
o the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada
o the Royal Canadian Mounted Police - Each department and organization will determine the pace and modalities of deployment based on its internal needs and priorities.
- An earlier version of the tool was launched at PSPC in June 2025 under the name PSPC Translate. In its first 3 months of operation, it translated more than 60 million words, equivalent to more than 3,000 pages of documents per working day.
- GCtranslate was trained using the Translation Bureau’s 8-billion-word corpus. Translators have evaluated and will continue to evaluate the quality of the results produced by GCtranslate. The AI that powers the tool will be retrained periodically to ensure optimal efficiency.
- In addition to official languages translation, the Translation Bureau will explore the support that AI can provide for translation into Indigenous languages, as well as for writing, interpretation and voice recognition.
Associated links
Contacts
Laurent de Casanove
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement
laurent.decasanove@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca
Media Relations
Public Services and Procurement Canada
819-420-5501
media@pwgsc-tpsgc.gc.ca
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