A misunderstanding during a recent joint press conference in New Delhi led to a mix-up in translation, prompting Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to mistakenly refer to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as having called her his “beautiful sister.” The Japanese government has clarified that the error stemmed from an interpretation issue during the event on July 2.
Officials explained that in his remarks, Modi had referred to Takaichi as “my sister” in Hindi. However, when the phrase was translated into English, it was presented as “my younger sister.” The translation process, which involved conveying Modi’s words from Hindi to English and then into Japanese, resulted in the unintended description of Takaichi as “beautiful sister.”
Prime Minister Takaichi, trusting the translation she received, repeated the phrase, expressing that she and Modi intended to continue their relationship in a familial manner, akin to that of a brother and sister. The Japanese officials have acknowledged the intricacy of simultaneous relay interpretation as the cause of the error.
Despite the translation mishap, diplomatic relations between Japan and India remain unaffected. Japanese officials have confirmed that India has raised no concerns regarding the translation error. The incident has been addressed, with officials ensuring that the misunderstanding does not impact the ongoing diplomatic rapport between the two nations.