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Associated Press “Mistranslates” Ahmadinejad (Updated)
Kamangir | March 16, 2007 | Category Iran
Washington Post’s Associated Press’s report on Ahmadinejad’s speech in Ardakan contained this rather strange sentence,
“Today, the Iranian nation fully possesses the nuclear fuel cycle,” Ahmadinejad said at a rally in Ardakan, central Iran, addressing his remarks to Western nations, according to state media. “If all of you gather and also invite your ancestors from hell, you will not be able to stop the Iranian nation.”
Although, Ahmadinejad is able to use harsh language, I could not believe that he had mentioned the bold sentence. So, I did a research on it. Mehr carries the speech in two reports (one) (two). The second one carries a sentence which could have been the source of the quote in Washington Post. That is,
Emphasizing that utilizing the complete nuclear cycle is Iranians’ right, and also the right of every other nation, the head of the National Security Council [Ahmadinejad] stated, “what are you trying to stop from happening? Today, the Iranian nation has acquired the complete nuclear cycle and you will not be able to stop this nation, even if you all get united.”
I said to myself, maybe Mehr has corrected the news. So, I looked for it in Fars. In the Persian report in Fars, there is no trace of what Washington Post has reported, other than a sentence similar to Mehr’s report. On top of that, this is the part in the English report in Fars,
“Today the Iranian nation has acquired the nuclear fuel production cycle completely, and if you all get together and become united, you won’t be able to stop movement of the Iranian nation,” Ahmadinejad continued.
Well, I think someone is doing something fishy in Washington Post. I am going to work more on this after dinner.
p.s. The same piece is carried in Forbes and Washington Post. Jerusalem Post does not have any hell-sentence either. It is not mentioned in these sources either: Memri, IRNA. Many other sources have published the AP’s translation, 1, 2, …
p.s.2. Ahmadinejad did call the Security Council “illegitimate”.
p.s.3. Ottawa Citizen has published a piece which uses AP’s translation.
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I just did a search in google for this sentence “invite your ancestors from hell” suspecting that it might be an english idiom. But it seems it is not!
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=%22invite+your+ancestors+from+hell%22
Anyway, it’s Washington post and they can do anything that they like :D
Correction: AP
The AP gets everything wrong.
Wow Archer, That’s good work. Nice catch. We have to rely completely on the translations, and it would be sort of nice if they were accurate.
I wonder if he means that just the security council is illegitimate, or the entire UN. Or maybe even the general concept of international law.
Brando,
Thanks. I guess he means the whole thing.
It could be a genuine mistake. Zeyad at Healing Iraq blog has complained about mistakes made by U.S. papers translating Arabic.
Kudos for the catch; has anyone contacted AP to ask how they have so blatantly misquoted the President of Iran? Do they intend to print a correction? And this AP ‘mistranslation’ reads suspiciously like a deliberate distortion, by inserting words into a quote which were never spoken.
Wars are already carelessly launched enough, without sloppy journalism mucking things up.
That seems like a pretty wacky mistake. Is the persian for those 2 phrases similar?
Nice work. Keep it up.
This is what I have to say:
We, Iranians, have a controlled media and we know it (after all, TV or radio networks are all governmental). Unfortunately the Americans have a intelligently controlled media and they DON’T know it. Which one is worse? knowing that you don’t know, or not knowing that you don’t know? Of course the latter is worse.
Amir,
I am not sure if I want to go that far.
Brando,
Yes they are.
Lesly,
I doubt it. I think it is an intentional mistranslation done by someone who has tried to stir it up a bit.
A Duoist,
I am going to contact them.
Archer, which two phrases are similar in persian? i didn’t get it.
Kamangir jan,
have a look at this or this or this video and many more. You just need to compare the news broadcasted on CNN and BBC, and you’ll see the difference.
Shimbalkhaan,
Fars: رئيس شوراي عالي امنيت ملي تاكيد كرد: امروز ملت ايران چرخه سوخت هسته‌اي را به طور كامل در اختيار دارد Ùˆ شما اگر همه با هم جمع شويد قادر نيستيد جلو Øركت ملت ايران را بگيريد.
Mehr:رئیس شورای عالی امنیت ملی با تاکید بر اینکه استÙاده از چرخه سوخت هسته ای قانونا ØÙ‚ ملت ایران Ùˆ همه ملت های عالم است ØŒ Ú¯Ùت: شما به دنبال جلوگیری از Ú†Ù‡ چیزی هستید؟ امروز ملت ایران چرخه سوخت هسته ای را به طور کامل در اختیار دارد Ùˆ اگر همه با هم جمع شوید قادر نخواهید بود جلوی این ملت را بگیرید.
Amir,
I understand your point. Let’s talk about it more in another post.
Brando
Ahmadinejad has nothing against international law — with the stress on the word “international.” What he objects to is the illegitimacy of a few powerful nations arrogating to themselves the authority to make decisions on bahalf of the entire human race. He has spoken on this issue on many occasions and called for radical reforms in the structure of the UN Security Council, perhaps most fully in his speech to the UN on Sep. 19, 2006, when he said:
“Apparently the Security Council can only be used to ensure the security and the rights of some big powers. When the oppressed are crushed by bombardment, the Security Council must remain aloof and not even call for a ceasefire. Is this not a tragedy of historic proportions for the Security Council which is charged with maintaining security for all countries?
“The prevailing order of contemporary global interactions is such that certain powers equate themselves with the international community, and consider their decisions superseding that of over 180 countries. They consider themselves the masters and rulers of the entire world and other nations as only second class in the world order.
“The question needs to be asked: if the governments of the United States or the United Kingdom, who are permanent members of the Security Council, commit aggression, occupation and violation of international law, which of the organs of the UN can take them to account? Can a Council in which they are privileged members address their violations? Has this ever happened? In fact, we have repeatedly seen the reverse. If they have differences with a nation or state, they drag it to the Security Council and as claimants, arrogate to themselves simultaneously the roles of prosecutor, judge and executioner. Is this a just order? …
“The present structure and working methods of the Security Council, which are legacies of the Second World War, are not responsive to the expectations of the current generation and the contemporary needs of humanity.
“Today, it is undeniable that the Security Council, most critically and urgently, needs legitimacy and effectiveness. It must be acknowledged that as long as the Council is unable to act on behalf of the entire international community in a transparent, just and democratic manner, it will neither be legitimate nor effective…
“No one has superiority over others. No individual or state can arrogate to themselves special privileges, nor can they disregard the rights of others and, through influence and pressure, position themselves as the `international community’.”
Archer, there is nothing about “hell” and “ancestors” or similar to them in none of the Persian sentences. I think Brando’s question focuses on “ancestors from hell” because your post does. obviously, He can correct me if I’m wrong. If anybody wants to “stir it up”, does it in a wise way. I mean he doesn’t add a bunch of sentences, he simply adds a little detail such this. At last, I, personally, when read the news I find the phrase completely Ahmadinejad-spirit-full and I, as a Persian mother tongue, can find the phrase a translation not an original English one. I mean a phrase that was heard in tehran not added by an English person. I do believe that he is stupid enough to say that, but I am not going to make a judgment about it!
Shimbalkhaan,
Sorry, I don’t understand what you are saying. Do you see anything regarding the “from hell” expression in his speech? Any way, I agree with you that he is the kind of person who can say such sentences. However, the point is, this time, he did not.
1- I dont’t see anything regarding “from hell”.
2- My first comment was about your answer to Brando’s question. What are “those 2 phrases” that Brando is talking about. I didn’t get it.
3- I said that this is not an honest mistake. This is intentional or original.
Brando
Not at all.
Shimbalkhaan,
1- Thanks.
2- I guess he means AP’s “translation” and the one present in the Persian sources.
3- I agree with you but I think this is something a translator has done, and not an “organized” mistake.
:)
I don’t agree that BBC is as impartial as some people say. I have started to listen and watch BBC some time ago and I have seen the changes in programming, not for the better. They are recently so PC that sometimes I am getting frustrated.
That said AP and CNN are also not without faults, not to mention al Arabiya and particularly Al Jazeera who puts not-well-checked-out information on line (and on their programmes) and do not apologize for their mistakes.
Unfortunately translators sometimes do make mistakes, either knowingly or unknowingly, and translation mistakes can be found not only in translations to/from arabic and persian but also to/from chineese or some east european languages, although not as often.
BTW at the beginning of learning english some poles write [not me, it wasn't me!!!] “thank you from the mountains” which is the literal translation into english of ” z gory dziekuje” and should be translated as ” thank you in advance” ;-)
Are liberals going to accuse the General of fabricating a case against Iran? Or is it that they want peace at any cost?
Gen. David Petraeus, the Top U.S. Commander in Iraq, Says Iran Is Training, Arming Militants
NEW YORK Mar 13, 2007 (AP)— The top U.S. commander in Iraq said in an interview released Monday that it’s “indisputable” Iran is training and arming militants to fight against U.S.-led troops in Iraq.
Gen. David Petraeus also told ABC News that suicide bombers are streaming across Iraq’s border from Syria and making their way into the country’s volatile western Anbar province.
His comments follow a harsh exchange of words over the weekend between the U.S. and Iran at a conference in Baghdad on Iraq’s security. The U.S. envoy to the talks, David Satterfield, said he had evidence that Iran was arming Shiite Muslim militias in Iraq, which his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, vehemently denied. He called such accusations a “cover” for U.S. failures in Iraq.
At the conference, both Iran and Syria pledged to support moves to stabilize Iraq, including reconciliation among Iraq’s factions. But U.S. and Iraqi leaders have questioned Iran’s commitment to backing such American-led efforts.
In the interview with ABC, Petraeus said cooperation from Iran and Syria would be key to stopping the violence in Iraq.
He said there are elements of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards elite Quds Force that are training fighters and sending them into Iraq to fight U.S.-led forces. He said Iran is also sending “rockets, mortars and other explosives and munitions” into the country.
“That’s indisputable and again it’s a very, very problematic situation four our soldiers and Iraqi soldiers,” he told ABC.
“And if it’s something that can be brought to a halt through these initiatives of the Iraqi government, we would applaud that vigorously,” he said, referring to the talks in Baghdad aimed at bringing security to the country.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2945837&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
Since when Islamic republic cares about International Laws?
Rafsanjani et al are wanted by Interpole and let’s not forget the Khobar Tower bombing and the taking of the hostage in An American Embassy,which according to international laws is a sovereign entity. Stop the breathtaking hypocirys Aghazadeha…
I agree with shimbalkhan
Ahmadinejad is probably the biggest idiot in the modern Iran history. But his style of stupidity is very different. Besides he is not a low IQ guy at all. BTW I think he is really smart and he knows what he says!
Brando,
Don’t worry, he didn’t talk anything about your ancestors - he he he :D (just joking - I hope you don’t shoot me for that!)
[...] If you need any more evidence that the Western media is deliberately misrepresenting the (often outrageous) statements of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, read on. [...]
What are the Persian phrases which were mistranslated?
Regarding to the 4th and 5th comments: The profound meaning from the illigitimacy comes from the international laws. Presently the international court of Justice of the UN is the highest assembly to address what is (or is not) illegitimate. I bet that you will be quite surprised to find out that, times to times, both the UN general asembly section and the UN security council acted or gots involved in activities contrary to what the own judicial organ of UN had advised.
Regarding to the 4th and 5th comments: The profound meaning of the illigitimacy comes from the international laws. Currently the international court of Justice of the UN is the highest assembly to address what is (or is not) illegitimate. I bet that you will be quite surprised to find out that, times to times, both the UN general asembly section and the UN security council got involved in sort of activities which had contradiced the advisory opinion of the own judicial organ of the UN.
“He said there are elements of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards elite Quds Force that are training fighters and sending them into Iraq to fight U.S.-led forces. He said Iran is also sending ‘rockets, mortars and other explosives and munitions’ into the country… ‘That’s indisputable and again it’s a very, very problematic situation four our soldiers and Iraqi soldiers,’ he told ABC.”
You know what I don’t understand, Serendip? If training and arming foreign troops to attack our military is an act of war why we don’t bomb the Green Zone for hosting the “Iraninan security agents”, as PM Maliki defended them, in al-Hakim’s compound. No one in power wants us, we’re being suckered, and our military and political elite don’t seem to mind the dagger stabs in the back. Why do you think that is?
It must make for interesting business meetings:
Boss says: “I need the whole staff united on this project”
Employees hear: “Let’s get all our ancestors from hell involved in this project.”
Next thing you know there are howling ghosts in the lunch room and the restrooms smell like Hell.
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