Lost in Translation? The impact of translators on world history - a podcast by RNZ

Would Hiroshima have been bombed if the Japanese language contained a phrase meaning 'no comment'? Did a mistaken translation of the Italian "canali" -- or channels -- shape the space race to Mars? Translator Anna Aslanyan delves into these questions in her new book Dancing on Ropes, a popular history of how translators have altered the course of world events. She shows the tightrope translators walk in their work, and what can happen when the balance tips and just how far a simple misunderstanding can go. Susie speaks to Anna Aslanyan - journalist, literary translator, public service interpreter and now author.

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