Interpreter’s Dramatic Rewriting of Putin‘s Remarks Raises Eyebrows at Orbán-Putin Summit
MOSCOW – Concerns are mounting over the accuracy of translation at a recent summit between Russian President vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime minister Viktor Orbán,with reports indicating the interpreter substantially altered Putin’s statements during their meeting. The discrepancies, detailed by Czech news outlet Novinky.cz, suggest a deliberate effort to present a more favorable narrative to Orbán.
During the meeting, Putin stated, “I know that in your work you have the interests of Hungary and the Hungarian people in mind first and foremost.” the interpreter relayed this to Orbán as, “I hope that now we will discuss other possibilities of cooperation and move on.”
When Putin acknowledged differing viewpoints, saying, “Our views on certain things, including international ones, do not necessarily coincide,” the interpreter reportedly told Orbán, “Our cooperation also works well at the international level.” Further, Putin’s comment that “there are questions and problems that we need to discuss” was translated as “so we can continue to develop our economy.”
Perhaps most striking, putin’s remark that he was familiar with Orbán’s “balanced position on the issue surrounding Ukraine” was rendered by the interpreter as, “And I know that international politics naturally affects you.”
Putin also noted a 23 percent decrease in mutual trade with Hungary, attributing it to external factors. The interpreter softened this, stating, “last year also brought changes, it wasn’t easy for us either.”
Orbán, considered a key Putin ally within the European Union, continues to pursue Russian energy supplies despite EU efforts to curtail them.The timing of the summit and the altered translations coincide with upcoming parliamentary elections in Hungary, leading to speculation that Orbán is attempting to leverage the relationship for economic benefits and political gain, including perhaps hosting a Russian-American summit in Budapest.
