Michel Aoun's Scary Translation of the Maritime Border Agreement into Arabic

As we speak, President Michel Aoun and his advisors have uploaded the English text of the Maritime Border Agreement between Israel and Lebanon to GoogleTranslate in the hope of obtaining an Arabic translation.

This prospect scares me because the fate of the agreement could be at stake. While it is clear that Aoun and his advisors are mediocre in the English language, their reliance on GoogleTranslate to produce English versions of Aoun's presidential speeches (see below) is worrisome. See for yourself a post on this blog from 2016:

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

President Aoun and his bad translators

President Aoun’s Independence Day speech is posted in both its original Arabic version and its English translation on the Office of the President's own Web page. I think President Aoun should "reform" his own entourage, many of whom are family members and antique aides and bureaucrats that have surprisingly survived intact his exile and the Syrian occupation. For one, the President should hire young trained translators to provide quality translations of his Arabic texts and present a professional image of his presidency. Below is one tiny excerpt of his Independence Day speech and two gems I found in the English translation provided by his office on its web site. If you have the time and patience, you'll find dozens of similar funny gems.

Original Arabic:

أيها الجنود،

 ويبقى الاستقلال الأمانة الكبرى في أعناقكم، هو قسمٌ تعهّدتم فيه الذود عن الوطن، والبذل في سبيله، حتى الفداء، فلا تترددوا أبداً في إطلاق صرختكم: لبيك لبنان.

 

Official English translation by the Office of the President

(as seen on: http://www.presidency.gov.lb/English/News/Pages/Details.aspx?nid=23882]:

My Fellow soldiers,

Independence remains the greatest embezzlement trusted in you. It is an oath you took to defend the country and scarify yourselves for it, till redemption. Never hesitate to cry out: Here we are, Lebanon!

Note:

“embezzlement” is defined as: The theft or fraudulent misappropriation of funds placed in one's trust. Perhaps, the translator is subliminally faithful to the traditions of corruption?

“scarify” is defined as: Make shallow incisions in (the skin). Perhaps the translator thinks that a shallow incision in a soldier's skin constitutes a "sacrifice".

January 1, 2017 at 8:02 AM

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