CtiTV yesterday apologized for what it described as a “negligent” translation of its interview with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Noam Chomsky about the ongoing controversy over the movement against media monopolization in Taiwan.
The interview, conducted last week by CtiTV Washington bureau chief John Zang (臧國華), came in the wake of a series of articles in the Chinese-language China Times — part of the Want Want China Times Group (旺旺中時集團) — alleging that Taiwanese graduate student Lin Ting-an (林庭安) had deceived Chomsky by failing to explain the slogan on a placard the professor was photographed holding that denounced “China’s black hands” interfering in local media.
Lin had contacted the 84-year-old Chomsky by e-mail to provide him with background information on the movement and fears of Chinese influence in Taiwanese media before visiting him at MIT. She made the e-mail public last week and said she had explained the situation to Chomsky before the photograph was taken.
Photo: Huang Chen-yi, Taipei Times
As reported by the Taipei Times on Saturday, Chomsky said in an official e-mail response that he did not fully understand the contents of the placard, but denied that he was misled by Lin, blaming the “misunderstanding” on his inability to read Chinese.
In his CtiTV interview with Zang, which was aired on Saturday, Chomsky said he was “misled by my lack of ability to read Chinese,” adding that he could not understand what was on the placard.
“I still don’t know what it says,” he said.
After a narration by Zang, Chomsky then said: “Sometimes it’s a conscious effort to misuse … I found out about such cases so often.”
The comments were not given any context, making it unclear if they were related to the placard, Lin’s approach or any of the sensitive political issues the professor has involved himself with over the decades.
However, Zang tied Chomsky’s remarks firmly to the controversy through a voiceover.
Soon after the interview was aired, people in the movement against media monopolization said that the captions accompanying the segment were also “misleading.”
To prove their point, they then uploaded a video on YouTube with a split screen comparing the translation made by CtiTV on the left-hand side with more accurate captioning on the right.
“Do they think we don’t understand English?” one person said in a Facebook post accompanying a link to the original interview.
In a brief statement on its Web site posted yesterday at about noon, CtiTV apologized for the poor translation of Chomsky’s remarks during the interview and attributed the errors to “negligence.”
It said the segment would be reviewed and improved.
Netizens immediately responded that the apology was inadequate, adding that they strongly doubted the errors were the result of negligent translation, but rather a deliberate attempt to mislead viewers.
STRENGTHENING: The defense budget this year is to focus on replenishment of artillery and rocket stocks, and equipment for F-16 jets, the defense ministry said Defense spending this year is to focus on preparing weapons and equipment for a “total blockade” by China, including parts for F-16 jets and replenishing weapons, the military said in a report. China staged war games around the nation in August last year, firing missiles over Taipei and declaring no-fly and no-sail zones in a simulation of how it would seek to cut Taiwan off in a war. In a report seeking legislative budget approval, the Ministry of National Defense said it began reviewing its strategic fuel reserves and repair abilities last year, but did not give details. In “anticipation of a total
ANTI-SHIP CONFIGURATION: The Tuo Chiang-class vessels are to be built for NT$9.7 billion by Lung Teh, a shipyard that previously built four similar corvettes for the navy The Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday awarded Lung Teh Shipbuilding (龍德造船) a NT$9.7 billion Co (US$317.57 million) contract to build five Tuo Chiang-class corvettes with anti-ship capabilities, a defense official familiar with the matter said yesterday. The corvettes would carry vertical launchers for four Hsiung Feng II (HF-2) missiles, as well as eight Hsiung Feng III (HF-3) anti-ship missiles, in contrast to ships configured for anti-air warfare, which carry eight HF-2 and four HF-3 missiles, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The anti-ship corvettes would be armed for improved standoff range against surface combatants and carry the latest
NINE TYPES: One of the devices can be carried by a single soldier and can destroy high-value, high-risk vehicles as well as target personnel, an official said Taiwan’s top military research body yesterday unveiled nine domestically developed drones in Taichung, including a loitering munition, or “suicide drone,” similar to the US-made AeroVironment Switchblade 300. The surveillance and attack drones shown to the media by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology included the Albatross medium-range uncrewed aerial vehicle Nos. 1 and 2, and the Teng Yun 2 and Cardinal 2 and 3 indigenous uncrewed combat aerial vehicles. The institute also unveiled a domestically made drone inspired by the AeroVironment Switchblade 300, which Ukrainian forces have employed in the country’s war with Russia. Aeronautical Systems Research Division head Chi Li-pin (齊立平)
PARTIAL SUPPORT: Morris Chang said he agrees with the US’ goal to slow advances of China’s chip sector, but US policies that might boost chip prices perplex him Washington’s efforts to on-shore semiconductor production might lead to surges in chip prices and supply bottlenecks, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀) said yesterday. The 91-year-old industry veteran said he supports parts of Washington’s effort to slow China’s progress on advanced chip manufacturing. China is still six years behind Taiwan in making advanced chips, despite years-long efforts to catch up, Chang told a Commonwealth Magazine forum that he coheadlined with Tufts University assistant professor Chris Miller, an expert on the US-China rivalry’s effects on chip manufacturing. However, Chang said that other parts of the effort, particularly Washington’s on-shoring
RSS