Beijing - The Italian saying 'traduttore, traditore'
(meaning that all translators are traitors) seems more accurate than
ever in the press conferences at the Beijing Olympics.
Both reporters' questions and the answers to them are translated
in at least two stages: first to Chinese, and then to English. If the
person interviewed speaks French - another of the official languages
of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) - there is an extra
stage.
The first consequence of this process is that it takes time, which
leads many interviews to be interrupted after the second or third
question.
The second is more serious: a lot of what is said gets lost in
translation, and sometimes there are dramatic changes in its meaning.
During a press conference of Brazilian-born beach volleyball
players Renato Gomes and Jorge Terceiro, who are playing for Georgia
in Beijing, a Japanese reporter asked them how they were affected by
the war in the Caucasus.
'I just found out this morning, and I am very sad about events in
my country and very worried about my family who is there,' Terceiro
replied, according to the English translation.
What the Chinese translator did not know was that Terceiro lives
in the Brazilian city of Joao Pessoa, that he only visited Georgia
three times in the past four years and that he has no family or
friends in the Caucasian country.
With the help of a Brazilian colleague, the Japanese reporter
finally discovered what Terceiro had actually said.
'We found out about the war two days ago and we are very sad for
our teammates, who are very worried because their families are
there.'
The immediate problem was solved, but the Japanese reporter's
confidence in the system had been dealt an understandably fatal blow.
'I was lucky to get help in this case, but I wonder how many wrong
quotes I must have published inadvertently.'
USA
Your Talkback on this Story