Iran translator mocked for soft-balling Trump’s UN speech on state TV

[Solomon2]

Iran translator mocked for soft-balling Trump’s UN speech on state TV
When US president said Iran is a 'depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed and chaos, Nima Chitsaz's Persian version was 'Iran speaks of destroying Israel'
By AFP September 20, 2017, 5:26 pm

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  President Donald Trump speaks to the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
  
  
  TEHRAN — An Iranian television translator defended himself Wednesday after being widely criticised for soft-balling US President Donald Trump’s attacks on Iran in his maiden speech to the UN General Assembly.
  
  Nima Chitsaz, a translator for state broadcaster IRIB, said he had decided in the heat of the moment to spare his Persian-speaking viewers from the verbal attacks by the US president.
  
  “I don’t think it would be nice for me to speak on national TV against my own country,” he later told IRINN television.
  
  As a result, when Trump accused Iran of being a “depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed and chaos”, Chitsaz’s Persian translation was simply: “Iran speaks of destroying Israel.”
  
  Trump later told the UN assembly: “Other than the vast military power of the United States… Iran’s people are what their leaders fear the most.”
  
  Which was translated for Iranian viewers as: “The US Army is a very strong army and the Iranian nation is a very strong nation.”
  
  “This is what causes the regime to restrict internet access, tear down satellite dishes, shoot unarmed student protesters, and imprison political reformers” was relayed as: “Many incidents happen in Iran which are unacceptable to us.”
  
  Chitsaz was slammed on social media, with one reformist politician accusing him of “censoring and distorting” the speech.
  
  Even the semi-official ISNA news agency said it would further erode trust in the Iranian media, and push viewers to use exiled Persian channels instead.
  
  “Are you paid to translate or to translate whenever you see fit?” wrote one of many mocking Twitter users.
  
  “You should have translated Trump’s nonsense so that people could better judge this stupid person,” argued another.
  
  Chitsaz responded by saying that the English had been left loud enough for people to translate for themselves.
  
  “I think anybody else in my place would not have translated it,” he said.
  

 

[truthseer]

@Solomon2, can you really blame the guy? I certainly wouldn't have translated it correctly, as I wouldn't have my head the next day if I translated that and lived in Iran

 

[Solomon2]

@Solomon2, can you really blame the guy? I certainly wouldn't have translated it correctly, as I wouldn't have my head the next day if I translated that and lived in Iran

The job of a translator is to translate, not prevaricate. Deliberate mis-translation leads to mis-communication and misinformed decision-making.

I recall that during the Cold War, despite the mistrust between the U.S. and U.S.S.R., U.S. officials like Henry Kissinger simply dispensed with using American translators and trusted the Soviet ones to do the job. Do you think that diplomacy would have worked if translators like Chitsaz had been in the loop?

 

[mohsen]

Typical incident under Rouhani administration.

 

[raptor22]

The job of a translator is to translate, not prevaricate. Deliberate mis-translation leads to mis-communication and misinformed decision-making.

I recall that during the Cold War, despite the mistrust between the U.S. and U.S.S.R., U.S. officials like Henry Kissinger simply dispensed with using American translators and trusted the Soviet ones to do the job. Do you think that diplomacy would have worked if translators like Chitsaz had been in the loop?

You are right , he had to translate the speech word by word, and he did it by his decision ...

 

[Shapur Zol Aktaf]

An idiot, he should be fired that SOB

 

[truthseer]

The job of a translator is to translate, not prevaricate. Deliberate mis-translation leads to mis-communication and misinformed decision-making.

True, but the job of a human being is also to try to keep their loves ones alive. What he's not saying is that he knows that his family and himself might be killed by the evil Irani government that murders people for fun, and the Iranian people might kill his family because he said those things

We all know how blood hungry those people are

 

[raptor22]

True, but the job of a human being is also to try to keep their loves ones alive. What he's not saying is that he knows that his family and himself might be killed by the evil Irani government that murders people for fun, and the Iranian people might kill his family because he said those things

We all know how blood hungry those people are

It's been on the news that the translator has fled the country by his family to unknown destination 'cause he knows how blood hungry evil Iran government is once he is arrested, he's trying to keep their loves ones alive ... also even the idea of working in forced-labor camps is horrible you know how many people have lost their beloveds in those camps just because of no participating in rallies against the US in last month? some people said he has not fled but arrested and already tortured and killed by regime security forces the second after end of Trump's speech .. because he translated some part of speech correctly ...

 

[truthseer]

It's been on the news that the translator has fled the country by his family to unknown destination 'cause he knows how blood hungry evil Iran government is once he is arrested, he's trying to keep their loves ones alive ... also even the idea of working in forced-labor camps is horrible you know how many people have lost their beloveds in those camps just because of no participating in rallies against the US in last month? some people said he has not fled but arrested and already tortured and killed by regime security forces the second after end of Trump's speech .. because he translated some part of speech correctly ...

Not surprising. Iran is an evil country, needs to be dealt with after North Korea.

It is time to hand over Iran to Saudi Arabia

 

[haman10]

Typical incident under Rouhani administration.

WTF this has to do with rouhani? i believe your hatred of rouhani is now forcing you to say biblical nonsense.

I'd never translate the bullshit he spewed if i were a translator too.

C'mon mohsen you were better than this. rouhani is now the president of Iran and no matter how much you hate him you HAVE TO follow his lead from now on. its the choice of the people. deal with it

 

[raptor22]

Not surprising. Iran is an evil country, needs to be dealt with after North Korea.

It is time to hand over Iran to Saudi Arabia

God willing soon.

 

[Shapur Zol Aktaf]

The animal who has Media under his control is responsible for these daily lies. By these lies Iranians will switch to alternative (foreign) media.

 

[truthseer]

C'mon mohsen you were better than this. rouhani is now the president of Iran and no matter how much you hate him you HAVE TO follow his lead from now on. its the choice of the people. deal with it

No, he doesn't, but I forget, there's no democracy in Iran, and you're threatening him here

 

[Muhammed45]

Not surprising. Iran is an evil country, needs to be dealt with after North Korea.

It is time to hand over Iran to Saudi Arabia

Take a one way ticket to Saudi land !
They will need help soon, we are just watching from far away

 

[mohsen]

WTF this has to do with rouhani? i believe your hatred of rouhani is now forcing you to say biblical nonsense.

I'd never translate the bullshit he spewed if i were a translator too.

C'mon mohsen you were better than this. rouhani is now the president of Iran and no matter how much you hate him you HAVE TO follow his lead from now on. its the choice of the people. deal with it

First of all Rouhani is a traitor and he will go down in our history, his name will be written next to the rest of traitors who brought us the Turkmenchay contract. the only thing which he will guide us to is hell and poverty, good for those who want to follow him.

secondly, you are a fool if you think Rouhani has no control over irib. irib was the one which was publishing Rouhani's lies about the end of sanctions while there was no such a thing in jcpoa. was it a good will by IRIB's translators as well?!

nonetheless I didn't say it was an order (which is well probable to decrease the hatred against their masters, U.S), I just said it's a typical incident under Rouhani's administration (in IRIB) and that's what it is.