Friday, June 19, 2009

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Is Right (and the Guardian is wrong)

"They are showing their true enmity towards the Iranian Islamic state and the most evil of them is the British government."


I don't know about emnity towards Iran (haven't they been blowing up our soldiers and shooting them with Austrian sniper rifles ?), but he's right about our Government being evil. Takes one to know one, mind.

It's this bit of Guardian translation that gets me :

The mention of Britain triggered chants of "Marg bar Ingles" (Death to Britain) from the ranks of worshippers.


Death to Britain ? I know that foreigners often call the whole of the UK 'England', but there's no need for the Guardian to lie like that. They chanted 'Death to England' - or 'Death to the English'.

Which, funnily enough, is the motto of the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties.

7 comments:

dearieme said...

I think you're wrong; if the Guardian is confident that they used "Ingels" to mean Britain, then their translation is correct. Of course, for all I know they actually chanted Death to Engels, and Marx will follow on the morrow.

Anonymous said...

What they actually meant was "Marg for Britain", using their own delightfully homely appellation for Lady Thatcher to show their detestation for Gord and express their sympathies toward her after her recent fall.

Blognor Regis said...

With all due respect, I think it's fair to say that most foreigner don't understand the inner workings of the UK and many use England as a sort of shorthand to refer to the entire UK and probably the Isle of Man and Channel Islands too.

Pop quiz: which country is Utrecht in? First answer.

Grant said...

As a translator, I have to agree with dearieme. It's not that 'Death to England' is impossible as a translation - it's just that in this context it would be inaccurate.

Brian said...

Ironic how the terorist Khamenei accuses the British government of being the most evil on the same day that the remains of two hostages are handed over. the policy of craven appeasement has clearly failed.

Wyrdtimes said...

That will suit the British government who wish for the death of England more than anyone else.

Bodwyn Wook said...

This 'Britain' rubbish IS /conisme/, sorry.... As to the 'United' in UK, 'tis as farcical, now, as in the (dis!)US -- hence, the Persians get it right (again?) and The Left State Public Liberals all screw the pooch (AGAIN!)