Jimmy Carter's Poor Interpreter

[Harald Johnson]

This is my favourite mislation story!

President Carter was visiting Poland. The scene is Warsaw airport and
his audience consisted of 500 VIP's and officials. In English, the
President's speech was friendly enough. But, as his interpreter
translated it to the crowd, they became first amused, then insulted
and finally furious. For the State Department interpreter spoke in a
strange mixture of archaic, ungrammatical Polish, spiced with
Russian. On top of that, he translated the President's warm
and flattering greeting as if it were a sexual turn-on.

Carter opened his speech by saying: "When I left the United
States..." It was translated as: "When I abandoned the United
States." The interpreter then quoted his leader as saying the
Polish Constitution was "a subject of ridicule". "Our nation was
founded" came out as "Our nation was woven".

Carter tried to tell the Poles:"I understand your hopes for the
future". The interpreter told them:"I know your lust for the future."
The final straw was when Carter's: "I have come to learn your
opinions and understand your desires for the future," became:
"I desire the Poles carnally."

Harald
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"He who laughs has not yet heard the bad news."
------Bertolt Brecht