In February 2011, people all over the world watched as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced his intentions to leave office, but depending on their news coverage, they may have heard an entirely different message. Several Arabic interpreters simultaneously relayed President Mubarak’s message back to their affiliate news stations, a message which was then immediately broadcast. The problem is that interpreters always have a dominant language. With sensitive material such as public speeches or addresses, the interpreter is called upon to not only translate the message, but also to mimic the cadence and tone of the speaker. A monotone interpretation can take the energy out of a dynamic speech or fail to stress key points about serious issues.
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