5 translation errors that affected the story

Being a polyglot and being a translator are not the same thing. The first uses languages for himself, the second-in the interests of companies and even states. It is important for specialists to monitor the accuracy of the translation and its compliance with the context. One small mistake can cost lives of people of the whole state. Therefore, qualified and experienced translators work at such a responsible level. Sometimes funny cases happen. However, errors in interpretation  often cause scandals and conflicts.

A mistake may cost a tradition

A curious embarrassment happened in Japan in the middle of the XX century.  Several foreign confectionery companies started to expand into the local market. 

One of them was promoting her Valentine's day ad campaign, tempting customers to buy chocolates. But it did not take into account the specifics of Japanese culture and made an inaccuracy in the translation. The advertising slogan told something like this: women give chocolates to men. Surprisingly, it worked.

And until now, on February 14, the male part of the population in Japan bathes in sweets. But such embarrassment forced people to show Japanese resourcefulness to return the favor to women. Therefore, on March 14, The Men's day, in Japan, the female part accepts chocolates as a gift.

Translation difficulties for Maori people

Translators that make mistakes with laws or bilateral agreements also may get in trouble. It is important to take into account the specifics of both countries. But in this story, we can see that not everyone is as responsible as they should be.

New Zealand was once inhabited by Maori people. In the 18th century, both new Zealanders and Maori suffered from raids and robberies by bandits. In order to protect themselves, they turned to the Queen of Great Britain. The negotiations led to the conclusion of the so-called Treaty of Waitangi. According to it, the British army had to assist and restore order in the territory. But translation problems led to misunderstandings between the Maori and the British.

It happened because of discrepancies in the translation, which was made by one of the English employees. The Maori chiefs believed that the British army could only provide assistance, but had no right to rule on their territory. The English version of the document stated that the Maori lands belonged to the British. Due to this discrepancy, there are still discussions about who is the owner of the territory, which was once inhabited by this nation.

"The shining" and "horned"

The next inaccuracy led to a mistake which lasted for hundreds of years. Its author is St. Jerome, who made the most famous mistake in the world of translations. He translated the Bible from Hebrew and mixed up the words "karan" and "keren", distorting the content. The first means "shining", the second one "horned". In the end, it turned out that when descending from mountain Sinai, there were horns over the head of Moses but not the shining.

Khrushchev's joke turned into a threat

The next historical event could also have sad consequences. But they managed to deal with it. And it had nothing to do with Nikita Sergeyevich, but rather the attempt of the translator to be careful. 

It also happened in the middle of the XX century, as well as the case in Japan. Khrushchev spoke at the Japanese Embassy and jokingly promised to bury the West. The interpreter interpreted the speech in his own way and made it sound menacing. It is not surprising that soon all the Western media trumpeted that the first Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU threatens capitalism.

What he actually said was, "Like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you." According to the speaker, this meant that communism is stronger than capitalism and it will win. Khrushchev himself years later explained that speech and said that his phrase was misunderstood. What he meant was that the West would  be defeated by its own working class.

Jimmy Carter's" Revelations"

 Once again Poland is indirectly involved in the story. More precisely the translator from this country. Jimmy Carter could hardly have imagined what the trip in December 1977 would be like for him. It wasn't his fault at all.

At that time, the President of USA went on a visit to Poland. His speech was accompanied by simultaneous interpretation. At first, everything was in normal mode. But then the interpreter seemed flustered. He turned Carter's usual speech into a farce. 

The phrase "When I left the USA" turned into "When I finally left the USA. "  After that the interpreter did not stop. "Our nation was founded on" was transformed into "When our nation was woven". Finally, Carter was defeated by such nonsense: "Nearly six million Americans are of Polish descent" suddenly became " Poland is the birthplace of ten million Americans." 

This story instantly turned into a scandal and for a long time thundered in the international community. It is obvious that simultaneous interpretation is a complicated thing, but it is necessary to think about what is being said and interpret it correctly. At such a level this is extremely important.