Iraq, Japanese hostages, and manipulation through translation [fs]

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Manipulated as Lost in Translation -- news on Japanese hostage 
in Iraq
Date: Sat, 10 Apr 2004 01:23:03 -0700
From: Gohsuke Takama <gt () inter net>
To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>

Hi Declan,

I thought some Politech reader might be interested. here's how subtle
censorship is put in the media through language barriers. and imagine that
how translations of treaties like CyberCrime Convention could be processed.
is the one Japanese is talking about is the same as European's?

Gohsuke Takama
------------------------------------------------

Manipulated as Lost in Translation

How can you trust TV news media's accuracy if it is from the source with
foreign languages? Or, how do you know your countries news media is
providing news in other languages as same as you watch or read?

Especially for live TV news reports, interpretation voice over often fails.
There's something always lost in translation and usually there are two
types of reason:
1. Live interpreters' skill insufficient in the available time period.
2. Scripts provided for them had modifications by some reason.

But when the topics are critical, suspicion for the reason 2. often rise.

When the TV news on the incident of three Japanese hostage captured in Iraq
by Saraya al-Mujahdeen militant group, Japan's TV didn't show shocking
footage how hostage treated in the video. Not only that, live English
interpretation in the footage on NHK TV news aired on Apr 9 night that
family and relatives of the hostage meeting with Japan's Foreign Minister
had suspicious words drop off.

It was noticed when the camera focussed at the brother of humanitarian aid
worker Nahoko Takato. He had sharply criticized Japanese government not
putting immediate withdrawal of SDF from Iraq as an option. The words
"immediate withdrawal of SDF from Iraq" was not translated in the English
voice over. He also said as "it doesn't mean that the government
considering everything set in full" (caution: this is my translation) and
it was dropped off too.

Reuters caught that and later written in the news article as:
http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=849037&tw=wn_wire_story
No Word on Kidnapped Japanese as Cheney Visit Nears
<blockquote>
"To be honest, I want the government to accept the withdrawal (of the
troops) as an option," said Shuichi Takato, the brother of hostage Nahoko
Takato, a 34-year-old aid worker.
</blockquote>

The other drop off was in the footage of petition on the street. The
petition was started by the friends of other hostage Noriaki Imai who
wanted to research on effects of US military used weapons that had Depleted
Uranium in the shells. Of course the petition is asking immediate
withdrawal of SDF from Iraq. But again, the English voice over didn't
explain the purpose of the petition.

Since 9/11 many people in the US learned to check other countries news
while US news media were not carrying the details of the subjects. Here, it
is becoming similar in Japan.

Now some of Japanese are seeking info on these Japanese hostage in other
countries media such as Euronews or Al-Jazeerah.
http://www.euronews.net/
http://www.aljazeera.net/
http://english.aljazeera.net/
http://www.aljazeerah.info/

Maybe some of Japanese hope the US troops for the rescue. However, it is
interesting that DARPA hosted web site TIDES Iraq Reconstruction Report has
almost nothing on Japanese hostage related news collection. Maybe such hope
has nowhere to go.
http://tides.carebridge.org/TIRR/D-TIRR160.htm



http://metamemos.typepad.com/e/2004/04/manipulated_as_.html
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