Famous Mistranslations

1. Jimmy Carter got a little too friendly with Poland.

On a 1977 New Year’s Eve visit to Warsaw, Jimmy Carter’s interpreter contributed to one of
the most embarrassing moments in US diplomatic history. Carter had intended to convey friendly
“desires for the future” but his translator ended up using a phrase that communicated sexual desire
and went on to discuss “grasping for Poland’s private parts.” His translator, Steven Seymour,
specialized in Russian and, as you can imagine, this was his first and last job translating Polish.

2. A premier’s choice of phrase turned the Cold War a little frostier.

Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev gave a rousing speech in 1956 about the merits of communism
that unintentionally turned the temperature on the Cold War frigid. One of the phrases he used, a
Russian idiom My vas pokhoronim, was translated to mean “we will bury you” and certainly
sounded like a threat to the United States. It’s a common Russian saying and refers to the idea that
something will endure or that you will survive to see the funeral. Delivered in Khrushchev’s
blustering style, it went down in history as a misunderstanding that escalated the Cold War.

Diplomatic immunity

Mistranslations during negotiations have often proven contentious. Confusion over the French
word ‘demander’, meaning ‘to ask’, inflamed talks between Paris and Washington in 1830.
After a secretary translated a message sent to the White House that began “le gouvernement
français demande” as “the French government demands”, the US President took issue with what he
perceived as a set of demands. Once the error was corrected, negotiations continued.

Some authorities have been accused of exploiting differences in language for their own ends. The
Treaty of Waitangi, a written agreement between the British Crown and the Māori people in New
Zealand, was signed by 500 tribal chiefs in 1840. Yet conflicting emphases in the English and
Māori versions have led to disputes, with a poster claiming ‘The Treaty is a fraud’ featuring in
the Māori protest movement.

Taking the long view

More of a misunderstanding than a mistranslation, one often-repeated phrase might have been
reinforced by racial stereotypes. During Richard Nixon’s visit to China in 1972, Chinese premier
Zhou Enlai famously said it was ‘too early to tell’ when evaluating the effects of the French
Revolution. He was praised for his sage words, seen as reflecting Chinese philosophy; yet he was
actually referring to the May 1968 events in France.

According to retired US diplomat Charles W Freeman Jr – Nixon’s interpreter during the historic
trip – the misconstrued comment was “one of those convenient misunderstandings that never gets
corrected.” Freeman said: “I cannot explain the confusion about Zhou’s comment except in terms
of the extent to which it conveniently bolstered a stereotype (as usual with all stereotypes, partly
perceptive) about Chinese statesmen as far-sighted individuals who think in longer terms than their
Western counterparts.

“It was what people wanted to hear and believe, so it took hold.”

"To kill with silence" : Japanese Prime Minister Suzuki to the U.S. Government

On July 27, 1945, the U.S. issued the Potsdam Declaration demanding Japan's surrender.

Prime Minister Suzuki responded by using the word "mokusatsu," which literally means "to kill with
silence." Depending on the context, that can mean anything from "no comment" to "Ignore with
contempt."

The U.S. government went with the latter translation influencing President Harry S. Truman's
decision to order the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

“Compromising a woman's morality”: General Kurt Waldheim to the Iranian people

In 1980, United Nations Secretary General Kurt Waldheim visited Iran to negotiate the release of
the American hostages. When Waldheim arrived in Tehran, he announced: "I have come as a
mediator to work out a compromise."

It turns out, however, that the Persian word for "compromise" has a negative connotation, referring
to a sellout, as in "our principles were compromised." Also, the Persian word for "mediator" implies
a "meddler" rather than a helpful envoy. In other words, the meaning of the translation was
"compromising a woman's morality," with an intention to humiliate Iran.

Within an hour of Waldheim's announcement, angry Iranians threw stones at his car.
"The new U.S. administration wanted to reset ties with Russia after years of friction." :
Hillary Clinton to Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
Relations between Washington and Moscow have cooled in recent years over Russia's role in the
Georgian conflict, America's support for the entry of Georgia and the Ukraine into NATO, and the
planned U.S. missile shield base located in central Europe.

Efforts to heal the rift got off to an awkward start in March 2009 when Hillary Clinton gave Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov a mock "reset" button, symbolising the country's hope of mending ties with
Moscow. But the word the Americans chose, "peregruzka," meant "overloaded" or
"overcharged,"rather than "reset."

Despite the embarrassment, Clinton and Lavrov made light of the moment in front of the cameras
and pushed the button together to signify a shared hope for better relations.