WASHINGTON — The Washington Department of Licensing recently corrected a technical glitch that caused its automated phone system to answer Spanish-language requests in English with a Spanish accent.
The issue was brought to public attention after a Bainbridge Island resident documented the experience in a social media video that went viral.
The Department of Licensing attributed the error to a configuration change made during an expansion of its self-service options.
According to the agency, the newer technology in the system mistakenly provided certain answers in English rather than the caller’s preferred language.
Maya Edwards, a resident of Bainbridge Island, posted a video of the experience to TikTok that has received nearly 2 million views.
In the video, Edwards called the department and requested instructions in Spanish.
She was met with an automated voice that spoke in English using a heavy Spanish accent.
Edwards noted that while the instructions remained in English, the numbers provided by the system were in Spanish.
“It was equal parts hilarious and stunningly awful because it is like straight out of a sitcom,” Edwards said.
She also expressed concern regarding how the accented voice might be perceived by the Spanish-speaking community.
“It could be viewed as insulting by many. I think it is insulting. I think it’s insulting on so many levels to have an accented voice come back sounds like you’re mocking a whole demographic of people,” Edwards said.
The Department of Licensing addressed the incident in a formal statement, explaining that the issue arose during an effort to grow their available resources.
“An unfortunate byproduct of expanding services is that DOL found problems with the self-service option,” the agency stated. “Specifically, some answers were being provided in English, not in the caller’s preferred language.”
The agency further explained the system utilizes newer technology and the specific error was tied to internal adjustments.
“While the cause of the problem is still being evaluated, it appears this technical glitch was the result of a configuration change made by DOL,” the department stated.
The Department of Licensing has since implemented a fix for the phone system and subsequent calls to the agency confirm that the Spanish-language options are now functioning correctly.
Edwards noted the quick response from the state.
“I’m glad that they fixed it in a fairly speedy manner,” Edwards said.
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