Worst. Translation. Ever.

[tongodeon]

I just came across an extremely interesting nugget of information while writing a comment to a comment on my last post.

10 days before the atomic bombing of Hiroshima the United States issued the Potsdam Declaration demanding an unconditional Japanese surrender or face "prompt and utter destruction". Behind closed doors Prime Minister Kantarō

Comments

[crisper]

I am now very, very tempted to put the Potsdam Declaration into http://translationparty.com/

[crisper]

It's really wrestling hard with it. The Declaration is beautiful in English but really poorly structured for translation, I think.

[tongodeon]

The Declaration is beautiful in English but really poorly structured for translation

That really seems like a functional problem that QA should have caught.

[steeltoe]

We are the Japanese government declared the unconditional surrender of all Japanese forces to provide proper and sufficient security for such action in good faith. For Japan, the prompt destruction of another color.

[ctd]

Yes, how dare the translators have translated rejection as rejection!

[tongodeon]

I think you need to read the NSA's article. Their point is that it may not have been a rejection especially if you consider PM Suzuki's behind-the-scenes actions. You're also mischaracterizing me with "how dare they". The translation is a fairly direct translation that would have been easy to make, and that many of my friends would have been made today, but nonetheless may have been inaccurate.

[giantlaser]

While this translation error could have had important effects, it is probably a mistake to say that America could have negotiated for terms of surrender. For the American public, and for America's plans post-way, the only acceptable surrender was unconditional. Remember what we did to Japan afterward - a long occupation, destruction of family military weapons, removal of the Emperor's godhood, and complete reformation of the government. Do you think that could have happened without the surrender we got? Do you think the outcome would have been better had we allowed terms, perhaps even allowing some of the old government to remain?