Mistranslated Osama bin Laden Video - the German Press Investigates

Action Report Online ^ | 12/23/2002 | Craig Morris

[Demidog]

Bump list?

[Demidog]

bump

[Illbay]

My understanding is that the video was viewed independently by other "outside" Arab language specialists, including native speakers of Arabic of which there are a good many in the U.S., and they independently confirmed that the translation was correct.

[Demidog]

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[Demidog]

I wouldn't know. I don't speak Arabic or German. I do know that this article was posted before Christmas and not a single media outlet in the States picked this up.

[struwwelpeter]

Oh, go translate some more Der Spiegel Hitler diaries, Fritz. When we need your input we'll bomb it out of you, mensch.

[big gray tabby]

I guess the alterations in the translation proves that bin Laden didn't have a thing to do with it, right?

Jay-sus.

[Demidog]

The tape was translated by a Saudi not a german. The US used an Egyptian. Why do you think?

[Demidog]

What they prove is that the government is lying. Not that unusual. Does it prove bin Laden is innocent? I wouldn't know. It does make one wonder why such a mistranslation is necessary.

[Demidog]

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[struwwelpeter]

I was confused that it took so many days to translate, and was shouted down that this was serious work. When I graduated from DLI, we were allowed only seconds to translate aural text - which is quite a bit easier than literature. Of course, one has to know the dialects and slang, which would not be a problem with Osama speaking Arabic to his cohorts.

I lived in Germany for 6 years, and know the scheisse they make up in their anti-US press. The only paper worth reading over there is Die Bild, and only for the naked chix on page 3.

[Demidog]

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[Mixer]

Ok then where is their version of the translation.

[palo verde]

hi bgt
saw your name and just dropped by to say hi
I didn't know you were on FR
I am happy to see you
Love, Palo

[Ada Coddington]

What they prove is that the government is lying. Not that unusual. Does it prove bin Laden is innocent? I wouldn't know. It does make one wonder why such a mistranslation is necessary.

According to Gerry Spence, the US government never plays it straight. Bad habit to get into.

[Demidog]

People shouted you down here regarding the 6 days?

[sinkspur]

What they prove is that the government is lying.

No they don't.

As someone else pointed out, besides the two translators used by the White House, there were MANY others who viewed the tape, and were independently interviewed on MSNBC, FOXNEWS, and CNN and they, to a person, verified the White House translation.

The US media paid no attention to this "cooked up" story by TWO supposed "experts" from Germany because it's pure bullshit.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

So, in Arabic, the phrases "How are you?" and "I'm ecstatic that we made their buildings collapse." are virtually identical?

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

According to Gerry Spence,

HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!