Can we nominate this unnamed United Nations interpreter for the Nobel Peace Prize or something?
During a session of the General Assembly at which delegates overwhelmingly voted for nine resolutions condemning Israel for alleged human rights violations and none condemning Syria or any other country, the interpreter (not realizing her mic was live), was heard to say to her fellow translators:
“I mean, I think when you have five statements, not five, like a total of ten resolutions on Israel and Palestine, there’s gotta be something, c’est un peu trop, non? [It’s a bit much, no?] I mean I know… There’s other really bad shit happening, but no one says anything, about the other stuff.”
At least some of the delegates laughed, displaying a degree of self-awareness.
She quickly apologized, which I think was unnecessary. But then I’m not in charge of hiring and firing at the UN.
The secretary then said: “I understand there was a problem with interpretation?”
Au contraire. The interpreter’s interpretation of what was going on was precisely correct.
