Paper ID: 2405.01842

SGHateCheck: Functional Tests for Detecting Hate Speech in Low-Resource Languages of Singapore

Ri Chi Ng, Nirmalendu Prakash, Ming Shan Hee, Kenny Tsu Wei Choo, Roy Ka-Wei Lee

To address the limitations of current hate speech detection models, we introduce \textsf{SGHateCheck}, a novel framework designed for the linguistic and cultural context of Singapore and Southeast Asia. It extends the functional testing approach of HateCheck and MHC, employing large language models for translation and paraphrasing into Singapore's main languages, and refining these with native annotators. \textsf{SGHateCheck} reveals critical flaws in state-of-the-art models, highlighting their inadequacy in sensitive content moderation. This work aims to foster the development of more effective hate speech detection tools for diverse linguistic environments, particularly for Singapore and Southeast Asia contexts.

Submitted: May 3, 2024