Olympics Organizers Lost in Translation
Posted by admin on June 2nd, 2008After sparking outrage among disabled advocacy groups for insensitive language in an official guide for Olympics volunteers, the Beijing Olympics organizers have issued an apology and will rewrite the offending handbook.
The guide had described disabled athletes and spectators as a “special group” with “unique personalities and ways of thinking.” It went on to say that “some physically disabled are isolated, unsocial, and introspective; they usually do not volunteer to contact people. They can be stubborn and controlling; they may be sensitive and struggle with trust issues. Sometimes they are overly protective of themselves, especially when they are called ‘crippled’ or ‘paralyzed.’”
Last week one Olympics official had said the problem resulted from a poor translation, though the AP noted that the original Chinese version “contained many of the same stereotypes.”
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