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Ever wonder just how much lies on the shoulders of those hardworking translators whispering between two world leaders, struggling to make sure they understand one another’s weighty words? One wrong phrase, and, oops, you’ve caused an international incident.
In the subtle world of international diplomacy, the power of effective translation can be monumental. Here are a few examples of times when nation-to-nation messaging got lost in translation:
One of the best known mishaps occurred when late US President John F. Kennedy declared to the people of Germany, “'Ich bin ein Berliner'' while standing before the Berlin Wall. JFK meant to say “I am a Berliner” as a statement of US support for West Germany after the Berlin Wall was erected. However, there is a claim that a grammatical error caused the President to be misinterpreted as saying “I am a jelly doughnut.” To the White House’s credit, others say that not only was "Ich bin ein Berliner" correct, but that it was the only way to say what Kennedy wanted to express.
Another example of linguistic missteps in international relations comes from a newly sworn in President, Jimmy Carter. Delivering a speech in Poland to express his wish to become acquainted with the “desires of the Polish people," he was instead reportedly misquoted by his interpreter as declaring his “lust for the Polish people.”
In 2009, when the US administration wanted to “press the reset button” on diplomatic relations with Russia , Secretary of State Hillary Clinton greeted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva, and presented him with a small box with a red “reset button” with the Russian word “peregruzka” printed on it. According to CNN, Clinton told Lavrov, "I would like to present you with a little gift that represents what President Obama and Vice President Biden and I have been saying and that is: 'We want to reset our relationship, and so we will do it together.' In response, Lavrov humorously quipped, ‘It should be “perezagruzka”, [the Russian word for reset],’ This says ‘peregruzka,’ which means ‘overcharged’.” Both leaders reportedly laughed off what could have been a “charged” incident.
But when has a linguistic faux-pas moved beyond mere embarrassment to an actual international incident?
In 2010, the French wire service AFP reportedly misquoted UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as saying, “We’ll work hard to avoid a possible secession," in regards to what was then Africa’s largest country, Sudan, splitting into two independent states. What Secretary Ban really said in the interview was that while he favors a unified Sudan “… we will have to work very closely — not to have any negative consequences coming from this potential or possible secession" – not that the UN would work actively to oppose any secession. The U.N. clarified the remarks and South Sudan eventually got its independence, becoming the world’s youngest democracy… no thanks to this messy translation mishap.
The bottom line: with so much on the line in the world of high-stakes diplomacy, precision, nuance and cultural awareness can make the difference between translation triumph and translation train wreck. The same can be said in the world of international business, where billions hang in the balance.
In the words of former United States Senator Bob Bennett, “Diplomacy is more than saying or doing the right things at the right time, it is avoiding saying or doing the wrong things at any time.”
Ofer Shoshan is the CEO and co-founder of One Hour Translation, the world's largest online translation agency.
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
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A World of Words: Good Translation and International Diplomacy
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April 28, 2015
Ever wonder just how much lies on the shoulders of those hardworking translators whispering between two world leaders, struggling to make sure they understand one another’s weighty words? One wrong phrase, and, oops, you’ve caused an international incident.
In the subtle world of international diplomacy, the power of effective translation can be monumental. Here are a few examples of times when nation-to-nation messaging got lost in translation:
One of the best known mishaps occurred when late US President John F. Kennedy declared to the people of Germany, “'Ich bin ein Berliner'' while standing before the Berlin Wall. JFK meant to say “I am a Berliner” as a statement of US support for West Germany after the Berlin Wall was erected. However, there is a claim that a grammatical error caused the President to be misinterpreted as saying “I am a jelly doughnut.” To the White House’s credit, others say that not only was "Ich bin ein Berliner" correct, but that it was the only way to say what Kennedy wanted to express.
Another example of linguistic missteps in international relations comes from a newly sworn in President, Jimmy Carter. Delivering a speech in Poland to express his wish to become acquainted with the “desires of the Polish people," he was instead reportedly misquoted by his interpreter as declaring his “lust for the Polish people.”
In 2009, when the US administration wanted to “press the reset button” on diplomatic relations with Russia , Secretary of State Hillary Clinton greeted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva, and presented him with a small box with a red “reset button” with the Russian word “peregruzka” printed on it. According to CNN, Clinton told Lavrov, "I would like to present you with a little gift that represents what President Obama and Vice President Biden and I have been saying and that is: 'We want to reset our relationship, and so we will do it together.' In response, Lavrov humorously quipped, ‘It should be “perezagruzka”, [the Russian word for reset],’ This says ‘peregruzka,’ which means ‘overcharged’.” Both leaders reportedly laughed off what could have been a “charged” incident.
But when has a linguistic faux-pas moved beyond mere embarrassment to an actual international incident?
In 2010, the French wire service AFP reportedly misquoted UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as saying, “We’ll work hard to avoid a possible secession," in regards to what was then Africa’s largest country, Sudan, splitting into two independent states. What Secretary Ban really said in the interview was that while he favors a unified Sudan “… we will have to work very closely — not to have any negative consequences coming from this potential or possible secession" – not that the UN would work actively to oppose any secession. The U.N. clarified the remarks and South Sudan eventually got its independence, becoming the world’s youngest democracy… no thanks to this messy translation mishap.
The bottom line: with so much on the line in the world of high-stakes diplomacy, precision, nuance and cultural awareness can make the difference between translation triumph and translation train wreck. The same can be said in the world of international business, where billions hang in the balance.
In the words of former United States Senator Bob Bennett, “Diplomacy is more than saying or doing the right things at the right time, it is avoiding saying or doing the wrong things at any time.”
Ofer Shoshan is the CEO and co-founder of One Hour Translation, the world's largest online translation agency.
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
