Lost in Translation, Troika and the Greek Text

Was I dreaming, or half-listening to Agripnos on the radio in the middle of the night?

Was he talking about the struggle faced by the translators in dealing with the draft document negotiated between the Troika and the Greek government?

Can you imagine how important it is to get every clause and condition exactly right and unambiguous in the Greek language, before the final Memorandum is presented to the leaders of the coalition parties and to Parliament?

" 'The final text of the memorandum negotiated between the government and the troika is being finalised and sent to the chiefs of the three (coalition) parties,' an official in Papademos' office said.

'After meeting with the heads of the parties, we hope to be able to publish a document listing the measures the Greek government pledges to undertake and which the party chiefs support', the official added."


The new loan agreement will be submitted to Parliament on Friday and voted on two days later, according to Kathimerini.

Greek is a very rich and subtle language; words have many different connotations and shades of meaning. It's ideal for poetry, as Seferis demonstrated.

Ambiguity can provide a possible escape route when it comes to precise communication and implementation. The tactic of the cunning?

The Coalition Party leaders are now studying the Outline Agreement 

Check the Greek! Does it say the same thing?

Keep Talking Greece comments:

"The finalized text of the additional austerity measures reached the political leaders of the coalition government this morning. A ‘book’ of16 pages translated into Greek. However the original text in English consists of 50 pages… A fact that triggered discontent in the headquarters of PASOK, Nea Dimokratia and LAOS. Papandreou, Samaras and Karatzaferis examine and evaluate the Troika proposals on more austerity, on wages and pensions cuts, on lay-off and privatization."

The New Athenian, update

BBC

I am afraid that all the above seems to be coming true, with arguments raging about the differences between the Greek and English versions of the text!

Finally, a Telegraph blog posting by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard.