Tel Aviv - A planned trip by Israeli journalists to Holland
is in danger of being cancelled, after questions submitted in advance
did not so much get lost in translation as vanish totally and re-
emerge as a diplomatic incident, the Jerusalem Post reported Tuesday.
The journalists slated to arrive in Amsterdam next week to attend
a seminar on the Dutch education system had been asked to submit
questions in advance.
The Netherlands Foreign Ministry had been expecting questions on
European involvement in the Middle East, or Holland's commitment to
economic sanctions against Iran.
What the ministry was not expecting - but what it received - was
an email which began 'Hello Bud' and then pointed out that 'the
mother your visit in Israel is a sleep to the favour or to the bed
your mind on the conflict are Israel Palestinian, and on relational
Israel Holland.'
The email continued with what the Post said were 'five nearly
incomprehensible questions' complete with more references to
'mother'.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry, at a loss to understand not only the
questions but also the obsession with 'mother', contacted the
journalist who sent the email and discovered that the 'culprit' was
an online translation tool.
When the Dutch Consulate requested the questions in advance, the
journalist who had arranged the trip was away and another reporter
took it upon himself to send in the questions, totally undeterred by
the fact the he did not speak workable English.
He put his Hebrew questions through the online translation tool,
and copied the results in an email he blithely sent to the Dutch
Foreign Ministry.
Which explains why, for example, a question asking 'what, in your
opinion needs to be done regarding the Iranian threat to Israel'
reached the Dutch Foreign Ministry as 'what in your opinion needs to
do opposite the awful the Iranian of Israel.'
The frequent references to mother were explained by the fact that
the translation tool had confused the Hebrew word for 'if' - 'ha'im'
with the Hebrew word for 'mother,' which is 'ima'.
The Post reported that the Dutch Foreign Ministry is considering
cancelling the entire trip and even filing a formal complaint over
the incident.
The journalists themselves are said to be too embarrassed to
continue with the proposed junket.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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