Possible Truths Inside Mistranslations―An Attempt at Understanding Mistranslations

This paper examines five cases of mistranslation to shed light on the deliverability and truthfulness of mistranslations. In some cases, a “mistranslation” turns out to be a brilliant translation. Case 1: At a meeting for the UN Security Council Resolution 242, an intentional mistranslation may have been conducted between English and French texts, so Arab nations and Israel would agree. Case 2: At the time of the Sino-Japan diplomatic normalization, Japanese Prime Minister Tanaka made an apology to China that was mistranslated into something banal sounding. Case 3: During his US visit to see President Reagan, Japanese Prime Minister Nakasone’s remarks for an aircraft carrier were mistranslated. Case 4: In TPP negotiations, an ultimatum was pronounced by a Japanese interpreter, although the Japanese negotiator had not said it. Case 5: At a Japanese event, a supposedly deaf composer was dubbed a “digital-age Beethoven” in English; but he replaced it with a “modern-day Beethoven” in Japanese to make himself sound more significant. In hindsight, some cases of mistranslations are hard to judge as mistakes. However, identifying mistranslations helps reveal cultural differences and complicated political differences, and can help improve the quality of translation and interpretation.