August 18, 2008 4:35 PM
Found in Translation
A few weeks ago, I had dinner with a few American students here who are studying Mandarin. We were swapping lost in translation stories when one of the students pulled out the best one I've heard yet.He said that early in the semester, a professor assigned a new textbook for his class. When he went to pick it up, he found that the book had an unusual title.
The book, written in Mandarin, was a guide for students trying to navigate the Chinese-to-English transition. It was supposed to have the same title as that Bill Murray movie from a few years back.
Instead, the book had accidentally been titled "Found in Translation."
So perhaps you can understand how strange it is to watch the BOCOG translators in action here. They move -- how shall I put this? -- deliberately when forming their translations. Journalists haven't been too pleased with the process.
But the coaches aren't thrilled with it either. Today, during the Liu Xiang press conference, one journalist asked in English about the extend of the hurdler's injury. The translator started to speak, but the coach cut her off.
The coach then -- to my amazement -- answered in perfect English.
I don't have the text or footage of the scene, but I'll do you one better. That moment at the press conference felt almost identical to this scene from "The West Wing":
That's what just about every day here in Beijing feels like. You do find the people who speak English... eventually.
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