US-China on Taiwan: "conflict" terminology very poorly translated by US media
u/Le7emesens ·
Reddit — r/stocks
· May 15, 2026 at 04:17
· ⬆ 24 pts
· 💬 19 comments
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You may have heard tonight and in the coming days from US media news outlets reporting that China warned the US about a possible "conflict" if Taiwan is mishandled.
DO NOT SWALLOW, IT'S WRONG TRANSLATION.
This is bad translation. Mandarin is an imperial, very subtle and nuanced language, void of drama or absolutisms, especially when hosting guests.
THE BETTER TRANSLATION should have been closer to: "a litigation or a point of contention or friction". I'm translating from French to English here.
This error in translation was noted yesterday on BFM TV (French business news media), by a China and Mandarin language expert (I believe Alain Bauer from France) who followed closely the broadcast event and noted that mistake right away.
I hope our POTUS got a better translation because the fate of the world is at stake. It all starts with language and accurate translation and the subtle nuances in between. If not, pls misundersta'ding build up.
Unfortunately, poor language translation may lead eventually to unnecessary tragic events. For example, it is well understood today by historians that the 2nd atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, may have been unnecessary. President Truman's decision back then, was based on conclusions from inaccurate translations by analysts.
We don't want to repeat the same sort of mistakes because of poor language skills.
As a result, if WallStreet tanks in the coming days because of this poorly translated piece of news then it's likely a... mispricing :)!