Mavericks Lost in Translation
Monday, October 20th, 2008Joe Sixpack. Hockey Mom. Maverick.
Even for those passionately following the presidential election, the definition of these campaign buzzwords can change with the voter, pundit or reporter who interprets them.
Imagine, then, how foreign language journalists must struggle to put the terms into context for their audiences when such words often have no direct translation.
That problem faced Al Jazeera reporter Abderrahim Foukara when he wrestled with how to describe “maverick.’’ The world’s most watched Arab network finally decided to define the American colloquialism as “a bird that sings outside the flock.”
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