Ha’aretz Lost in Translation, IX
In the wake of the Shalit prisoner release, Ha’aretz‘s Lost in Translation malady has struck again. An Oct. 19 article on earlier prisoner exchanges makes clear in Hebrew that the released Palestinian prisoners from the Shalit deal are from the most infamous terror attacks, well-known to Israelis (CAMERA’s translation):
The names of the 1,233 prisoners released in recent years mean little to most Israelis. But the prisoners from the Shalit deal are known to the public according the names of the attacks in which they participated: Sbarro, Dolphinarium, Park Hotel, Moment Cafe, and more, among the most severe attacks ever in Israel, and that is the difference [between this release and earlier releases]. (Emphasis added.)
But the English translation of this article, read mostly by foreigners — journalists, diplomats, and policymakers, among them — reads the exact opposite. Incredibly, contrary to the Hebrew original, it states that the released Palestinian prisoners from the Shalit deal are unknown to Israelis. The English reads:
The names of most of the prisoners freed since July 2007 mean little to most Israelis, as do the names of the prisoners freed on Tuesday.
Furthermore, the Hebrew (online) subheadline and first paragraph both refer to the earlier releases as Israeli “gestures,” meaning that Israel was not bound to do so, but nevertheless did out of goodwill. In contrast, the English version eliminates the word gesture, replacing it with the longer and more vague “various political reasons.”
In the English version, the word “gesture” appears only further down, in the fourth paragraph.
Read a version of this blog entry in Hebrew at Presspectiva, CAMERA’s Hebrew-language site.
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