I'm so glad the grownups are in charge now...:
Mistake in translation almost proves deadly
IAN BRUCE
A SHORTAGE of linguists has hampered both the US war effort in Afghanistan and slowed the interrogation of Taliban and al
Qaeda prisoners, according to a preliminary Pentagon intelligence study on the conflict.
Funding has now been allocated to produce interpreters fluent in the local languages of Pashto, Dari, Uzbek and Turkmen to
avoid repeating embarrassing early mistakes which could have killed innocent civilians.
At one stage, leaflets were dropped in an area marked for a bombing strike which should have read: "Stay in your houses or
we will kill you." But the rushed translation produced pamphlets which actually said: "Stay in your houses and we will kill you."
The error resulted in a mass exodus of confused locals convinced that their homes were about to be pulverised by a B52
bombardment.
The good news is that Susan MacDougal is writing a book!
