The Sword of Damocles
The Sword of Damocles Mustafa Barakat | Senior Interpreter, Al Jazeera English
Every time I put on my headphones for a live interpreting session, the words of the oath I had taken as a sworn translator echo in my ears: “I solemnly swear … truly, accurately, completely, and impartially,” as if it were the sword of Damocles hanging above my head. On many occasions, there came a moment of truth, of which I recall one. It was the longest short translation - 30 seconds - I have ever translated: Omar Suleiman announcing that Hosni Mubarak was leaving office. As an Egyptian who was born and raised under two successive military rulers, it was hard to hold back my tears or screams at that moment, but I did. When I finished the translation, I ran out of the booth, with a grin on my face, hugging – out of joy – everyone who came my way. Many wonder if translation is a science or an art. To a translator, it is a craft based on science, yet performed with artistic skill. It is like the art of weaving or painting, where a translator employs his own linguistic knowledge and intellectual faculties to construct a semantic context, honestly carrying the same message, with the same tone and flavour, without excessiveness or remissness.
Difficulty in translation begins from identifying the accurate equivalent in the target language: عين = eye، spring، dignitary، property، spy. Then comes the technical nuances: تشهير خطي = libel; تشهير شفهي = slander; استدعاء متهم = summons; استدعاء شاهد = subpoena. Ultimately comes the cultural differences. If an Arab speaker says لا يُلدغ المؤمن من جُحر مرتين and it is translated verbatim as ‘A believer cannot be bitten from the same snake pit twice’, this does not make sense to an English-speaking audience. Instead, it can be best translated as ‘once bitten, twice shy’. Above all, translation mistakes can have catastrophic consequences. Herein below are some examples: In 1977, US president Jimmy Carter, while addressing a Polish audience, asked them about their hopes and dreams for the future. Carter ended up saying things in Polish like “when I abandoned the United States” for “when I left…..” Carter continued: “I wanted to learn about the Polish people’s lusts,” where he meant “hopes for the future.” The protagonist of another famous mistake of interpretation was the president of the Soviet Union,
Nikita Hrusciov who, according to the interpreter, said “We will bury you” instead of “We will outlast you,” referring to the Unites States and to the countries of Western Europe. The hilarious mistranslations of Pepsi’s “Pepsi Generation” slogan prompted a drop in sales when it was shipped off to China. The Chinese apparently read the translation as “will raise the dead.” It was a multi-million-dollar translation mistake. To me, working for Al Jazeera is not merely a job; it is a mission. Al Jazeera tells the human story, with balance and integrity. It is the voice of the unheard. I am truly proud to be part of this endeavour, which gave me the opportunity to be more humane, by seeking perfection for fear of errors.
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