Yao's comments lost in translation

Posters have been blaming everything from Yao's team mates to China's political system to civil liberties in China for Yao's threat to retire after the Spain game.

Some of the calmer ones amongst us claim that Yao's threat to retire was translated incorrectly. It happens. Apparently, it's happened a lot during these Games.

Obviously not all translators have been of Colin Pine quality so just calm down and enjoy the Games.

http://foxsports.news.com.au/olympics/story/0,9744,10486350-35145,00.html

Athletes lost in translation
August 18, 2004

FROM men turning into women, premature retirement or dead people coming back to life, much of the drama and emotion of the Athens Olympics is being lost in translation.

With 10,500 athletes from 202 countries participating, accurately interpreting what sweaty Serbian basketball players or Japanese judoka blurt out amid the melee of the mixed zone was always going to be a tough task.

But less than a week into the Olympics there have already been several examples of wires being crossed, leaving media members and athletes alike scratching their heads in confusion.

Male athletes being listed as female on the official information system have caused the odd titter but Chinese officials were less than pleased when National Basketball Association (NBA) leading light Yao Ming was quoted as saying he wanted to retire.

Team director Li Yuanwei furiously denied that Yao had made any such comment at the weekend, saying: “I spoke with Yao and he told me he never said he would quit.”

The Yao kerfuffle was repeated when journalists were told that Japanese judoka Masato Uchishiba had fought his last bout after winning gold on Sunday.

“I wanted this so badly I wouldn't have cared if it was my last fight ever,” the 26-year-old actually said, though his comments were officially translated as: “It is probably my last Olympics, that is why I am proud of my medal.” Confusion reigned again last week when an emotional South Korean footballer told of his relief at being able to keep a promise to his late mother.

“My mum died from cancer before I came to Athens and before she passed away I told her I would score a goal for her,” said a tearful Kim Dong-jin after the 2-2 draw with hosts Greece.

However, many of the stories filed around the world told a different story as, according to the official information system, Kim's mother had made a Lazarus-like recovery.

“My mother is a cancer patient and I want to dedicate the goal to her,” it quoted Kim as saying.

Olympic organisers have drafted in around 1000 language specialists to cope with the demands of quote-hungry journalists.

“We have really tried to hire the best people with long experience,” Anna Kyrtsou, director of Olympic language services, told Reuters.

“But we are not obliged to provide professional interpreters or translators, except for English, French and Greek, until the medal rounds.”

Frustration boiled over for the coach of the Serbia and Montenegro basketball team at the weekend when he stormed out of a news conference in protest at the quality of interpreting.

“The translation is ridiculous,” fumed Zelmir Obradovic. “It's my right to speak in my native language at the Olympics.”

One official, speaking on condition of anonymity, neatly summed up the problems Olympic organisers were facing.

``We know nothing,'' he said. ``About anything.''