translation and politics

BM

By using a stronger or weaker adjectiv.
Original language "he is a good politician"
Translation "he is an exellent politician"
Also you can change a sentence by putting a comma differently which also can change the meaning of a sentence.


"Woman, without her man, is nothing."
"Woman: Without her, man is nothing."

What interests me is the tendency of conservatives in the US to mis-translate words to denigrate their opponents. The goal for them is not understanding, but dehumanizing.

I speak Spanish. Phrases like "La Raza" are used incorrectly to demonize Latinos in the US.

There are examples of Arabic words (I think jihad is an example) which are similarly used, by people who don't speak the language or care to understand the culture, to denigrate Muslims.

I understand from last week's Newsweek that John McCain had one of his famous McCain Moments in 2006 when he was conferring with Walter Steinmeier, the foreign misister of Germany. He thought Steinmeier (and Germany) were soft pedalling the actions of the brutal regime in Belarus.

Joe Leiberman jumped in and said, "John I think there's been a problem in the translation...." This bit of diplomatic evasion saved face all around.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/129660

It is not just as you say conservatives in USA who by translating mis-translate words to denegrate a certain group.
Conservative Muslims do the same,
The communists in UdSSR did it and in China it has been going on for years.
It happens all the time within the EU too.