‘Lost in translation’ moment catches attention at India-Japan talks

An interpreter’s mistake prompted Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent reference to her Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, supposedly calling her “beautiful sister,” the Japanese government clarified on July 7.

The moment occurred during a joint news conference in New Delhi after their summit on July 2.

After Modi spoke in Hindi and the official translation was relayed to her, Takaichi said, “He just called me his beautiful sister, and we have promised to continue our relationship as brother and sister.”

In actuality, Modi’s Hindi remark translated to “My sister, Prime Minister Takaichi.”

An official English version from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs used “my younger sister,” but neither version contained a word for “beautiful.”

The “brother-sister” dynamic itself was pre-planned.

According to Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki, who attended the meeting, Takaichi had asked Modi to call her “sister” as a nod to her predecessor, Shinzo Abe, who had referred to Modi as his “brother.”

The official explanation points to a technical error in the multi-step interpretation process.

The simultaneous interpretation was done in a relay format, with Hindi first translated into English, and the English then translated into Japanese for the prime minister.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara explained on July 7 that an interpreter contracted by the Japanese government had made the error.

He explained that the interpreter’s incorrect “beautiful sister” translation is what prompted Takaichi to repeat the phrase in her own remarks.

“Simultaneous interpretation in a relay format is quite difficult. It’s a simple mistranslation,” one government official said, noting the complexity of the task.

A senior Foreign Ministry official confirmed the incident has not become a diplomatic issue, saying, “The Indian side has not said anything in particular.”


-The Asahi Shimbun