by Byrne » Sun May 07, 2006 10:54 am
Saw the post quoted below regarding selective translation of Iranian pronouncements at <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.medialens.org/board/" target="top">www.medialens.org/board/</a><!--EZCODE LINK END-->, which mentions (in passing) the Hitchens' smear of Juan Cole. <br><br>Can anyone help with an answer to the question - Does anyone know anything about <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Nazila Fathi</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->, NYT Tehran Bureau?<br><br><!--EZCODE HR START--><hr /><!--EZCODE HR END--><br>I remember how the BBC transformed that quote into anther "threat" to Israel:<br><br>Israel condemns Iranian threats<br>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4912198.stm<br>The word "threats" in the title should have been in quotes.<br><br>And notice how they have chosen to "interpret" the remarks made by President Ahmadinejad:<br><br>On the IRNA site:<br><br>Full text of President's address- Part Three<br>""Peace and harmonious relations can only be based on towhid, human dignity and justice. Oppressions and aggressions are not compatible with human dignity and justice. The Zionist regime is a clear example of oppression and its fundamental nature represents actual and permanent threat. The very purpose behind the <br>establishment of this regime was to put in place a permanent threat in the region. Therefore, the continued existence of this regime is premised on the persistence of this threat. It will have no existence without threat and aggression and it is not inherently capable to survive in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. Even if it manages to remain in one square meter of the Palestinian land, it will continue to be a threat to the region. "<br>...<br>"The supporters of the Zionist regime prefer to remain silent in face of this reasonable proposition. But I tell them that regardless of what they desire, the Zionist regime is falling apart. <br><br>"The young tree of resistance in Palestine is blooming and blooms of faith and desire for freedom are flowering. <br><br>"The Zionist regime is a decaying and crumbling tree that will fall with a storm. <br>http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-22/0604141529205548.htm<br>BBC version:<br><br>"The Zionist regime is an injustice and by its very nature a permanent threat. <br><br>"Whether you like it or not, the Zionist regime is on the road to being eliminated." <br><br>"[It] is a decaying and crumbling tree that will fall with a storm," he added. <br>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4912198.stm<br>You'll notice that the NYT published their translation of the speech before the BBC article. I have been signed up to the NYT e-mail headlines for ages. I received the e-mail at 09.36 am Spanish time, meaning the edition and logically the article had been published before that time. The BBC article is timed "Saturday, 15 April 2006, 14:46 GMT 15:46 UK". <br><br>The next point is that the article and therefore the translation was done by exactly the same individual who mistranslated the Israel to be "wiped off the map" phrase, one Nazila Fathi of The New York Times Tehran bureau.<br><br>Notice how the NYT translation and the BBC's are exactly the same:<br><br>"The Zionist regime is an injustice and by its very nature a permanent threat," Mr. Ahmadinejad said during his speech at the conference. "Whether you like it or not, the Zionist regime is on the road to being eliminated." He referred to Israel as a "rotten, dried tree" that would collapse in "one storm."<br>Origianl here (pay to view):<br>http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50C15FB3D5B0C768DDDAD0894DE404482Copy here:<br>http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/tree.htm<br>Makes one wonder what the Farsi translators who work for the BBC World Service and BBC Monitoring actually do?<br><br>It would be a scandal of the highest order if the BBC were taking as fact translations from a NYT reporter in Tehran who could well have his/her own agenda, or even be working in some capacity for someone else's agenda. I mean try doing a search to find out something about Nazila Fathi. Nothing but articles. Nothing on the person. No bio. Nothing. Makes one wonder. The BBC have their own Farsi translators, why don't they use them?<br><br>Then there's the fact that in Hitchens' smear of Juan Cole he (Hitchens) had this to say: "I am using the translation made by Nazila Fathi of the New York Times Tehran bureau, whose Persian is probably the equal of Professor Cole's"<br><br>The only thing I can find on her is that she has a sister Golnaz Fathi<br><br>http://www.persepolis.com/programs/artists/gallery.asp?AID=58http://zaneirani.blogspot.com/2003/09/today-on-hoders-blog-i-came-across.html<br>Does anyone know anything about <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Nazila Fathi</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->? <br><!--EZCODE HR START--><hr /><!--EZCODE HR END--><br><br> <p></p><i></i>