French Linguist Says Macron’s ‘Mistranslation’ Defense of UN Speech Falsehood Doesn’t Fly

Paris diplomats claim that a United Nations interpreter botched a phrase in President Emmanuel Macron’s speech — an error that has raised indignation in Israel.“Le Hamas n’a jamais sévi en Cisjordanie,” Mr. Macron said in his Tuesday address to the UN General Assembly. The UN interpreter translated the phrase as “Hamas has never been proactive in the West Bank.”Paris officials say Mr. Macron’s line was misinterpreted. “Everyone should speak French,” Foreign Minister Jean Noel Barrot told The New York Sun on Wednesday.While it’s true that Parisians believe the world must speak their language, it’s unclear that everyone can translate the French language to English.The comment angered Israelis, as one of theirs, who is also a French citizen, Netanel Shukrun, was murdered this week in Samaria by a Hamas terrorist. “The statement by French President Macron is extremely detached from the reality on the ground,” the leader of Israel’s Yashar Party, Gadi Eisenkot, who leads opinion polls to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in October’s legislative election, said in a statement Wednesday.Paris officials replied that Mr. Macron’s line had been misinterpreted. French officials say the word “sévi,” means “control” of the West Bank, rather than being “proactive” there.However, retired French college professor at the University of Tehran, Jaleh Kahnamouipour, who listened to the speech, tells The New York Sun that Mr. Macron said, “Hamas has never operated in the West Bank.”“‘Sévi’ here means ‘operated’ or ‘repressed.’ Or Hamas has never exerted influence,” Ms. Kahnamouipour said.Some are accusing UN translators of relying too much on AI, which could make errors in translations. “UN interpreters have been using AI, and it’s outrageous,” a UN source tells the Sun that. Not so, the UN spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, tells the Sun. “Interpreters do not use AI in the delivery of remarks.”Mr. Barrot told reporters on Wednesday that the Israeli government endangers peace in the entire region.Mr. Eisenkot, a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, and commander of its central command, says that the terrorists are the problem.“As someone who commanded the Judea and Samaria Division, I am very familiar with the activities of the terrorist organization in Judea and Samaria as well, and with the threat it poses to Israel’s citizens,” Mr. Eisenkot said.

French Linguist Says Macron’s ‘Mistranslation’ Defense of UN Speech Falsehood Doesn’t Fly

French Linguist Says Macron’s ‘Mistranslation’ Defense of UN Speech Falsehood Doesn’t Fly

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