Happy Easter – Anecdote

During an international conference on religious diversity, an interpreter had a little misunderstanding while interpreting a speech on the celebration of Easter in different cultures.

The speaker had started by explaining that in the Christian culture, Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his crucifixion. However, the interpreter interpreted the word “resurrection” as “reincarnation”, which had the effect of confusing the conference participants, especially those who practiced religions that do not believe in reincarnation.

The speaker quickly realized the misunderstanding and tried to correct the error by explaining that in Christian culture, resurrection is different from reincarnation. Fortunately, the incident was quickly resolved thanks to the speaker’s clarification, but it still elicited some smiles and reflections on the difficulty of interpretation when it comes to delicate religious concepts.

Here’s another one from another international conference on religions, where an interpreter was tasked with translating the words of a Catholic priest discussing the meaning of Easter in the Christian religion.

The priest explained that the resurrection of Jesus Christ at Easter was a symbol of eternal life, and that in celebrating this feast, Christians commemorate his death and resurrection.

The interpreter, believing that he had understood correctly, translated these words by saying that Easter was a feast where Christians celebrated the death of Jesus. The people present, especially those belonging to other religions, were shocked by this interpretation and began to wonder why Christians celebrated the death of their messiah.

The priest, realizing the translation error, immediately corrected the misunderstanding by explaining that the celebration of Easter was actually a feast of resurrection and not of the death of Jesus.

This example illustrates the importance of accurate translation, especially when it comes to sensitive and symbolic subjects. Translation errors can not only lead to misunderstandings, but also offend and create tensions between people belonging to different religions or cultures.

Larina Translation wishes you a Happy Easter!