A German Paper "Gets It"

Bill Archer · Jan 13, 2004

Do you REALLY want to know "How Is The Occupation Going?" or, as we all know, do you just want to sneer at people?

The Berliner Morgenpost:

(from translation - original is at link)

Freedoms, Money and Cheap Cars

(One) has to imagine an Iraqi who has been in a deep sleep for a year … suddenly his eyes open wide. On TV CNN, BBC or – more probably – the broadcaster banned under Saddam just as it is now, Al Jazeera, is running. His brother is talking to his cousin in Germany on the cell phone. Cell phones were banned under Saddam and families with relatives abroad were viewed with suspicion as a rule. … The brother earns 100 dollars a month, four times the average salary under Saddam. He works as a proof reader at one of the around 150 new, independent newspapers in Iraq in which everything can be written and said, other than calls to violence. …

From now on no more visits from the State Security trying to pressure the son to join the Fedayeen Saddam or threatening imprisonment if one didn’t betray what the neighbor was saying. And on top of it all: two more cousins are free who were locked up by Saddam for reasons that they and their families still can’t figure out.

In the courtyard of the house stands a gleaming Opel Astra station-wagon. Used and from Germany. It cost 2500 dollars, a lot for the family, everyone contributed to come up with the money. But the car is likely cheaper than anywhere else on the planet. The Americans have eliminated all taxes and import customs for eight months, more than a half million cars have rolled into the country since the war ended. Under Saddam it was a strictly regulated matter and to get a car one needed a lot of money along with good connections.

The brother uses the car to earn money as a taxi driver before and after work. … This brings in another 150 dollars a month. That totals 250 a month and two other members of the family of ten work. One as a policeman (120 dollars) and his wife as a secretary at the newspaper (100 dollars.)

Together the family has more than enough to live on, especially since the Americans have retained Saddam’s old system of distributing foodstuffs. There is enough to eat, even for those who don’t earn money. Flour, rice, oil, salt, sugar, tea and similar basic foodstuffs are always supplied.

The awakening Iraqi himself ran a furniture business before his deep sleep. His wife and grown son managed it in his absence. Business is booming especially with no taxes to pay. Office furniture is currently in high demand as new companies are being established all over. The family is debating whether to start a new business since there are modest loans from the occupational authority for those seeking to start a small business.

All in all enough money is left over to buy a computer. … “Internet” is the new magic word, he who doesn’t have it wants it, and that was naturally also completely unthinkable under Saddam. In Baghdad the internet cafes are shooting out of the ground like mushrooms. Even in distant small towns you find some. The Iraqis are fast learners and since the old telephone central station is silent (the station is still not completely repaired,) many have an email address.

BTW: One should be reminded once again what kind of a martyrdom the Iraqis have escaped from. A translator:

Under the old regime, I was a teacher of English and English Literature for three to four dollars a month. Now I earn $15.00 a day as an interpreter. I was also a conscription soldier. There was one small loaf of bread for two soldiers for breakfast, if you were lucky. There was no lunch or dinner provided. You had to bring food from home or buy it from shops. It was a miserable life. The army did not take care of its soldiers. . . .
I have seen recordings of how the Fedayeen were trained. Small children would be executed in front of them to harden their hearts. Dogs would be set on old people and criminals with the same purpose. Saddam paid them good money, which is why they served Saddam. ...

The only people who are against the Americans now are those who were rich before. Now they know that they can’t sit at home and get wealthy. They will have to work and they don’t like it. They lost the power and authority. It is very dangerous. ...

What would I say to the American people? You have to be proud of your sons. You have to be proud of your army. They are fighters for freedom.
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http://medienkritik.typepad.com/blog/2004/01/eine_zeitung_wa.html#more

superdave · Jan 13, 2004

Bill, you traitor, why do you love Iraq more than America?

dfb547490 · Jan 13, 2004

Originally posted by superdave
Bill, you traitor, why do you love Iraq more than America?
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What the hell??? That doesn't even make sense.

I love America more than any other country, but I also love Iraq, Afghanistan, Great Britain, Australia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Japan, Ireland, Italy, Vietnam, Germany...

mannyfreshstunna · Jan 13, 2004

Originally posted by dfb547490
What the hell??? That doesn't even make sense.

I love America more than any other country, but I also love Iraq, Afghanistan, Great Britain, Australia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Japan, Ireland, Italy, Vietnam, Germany...
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Vietnam?

Alex_K · Jan 13, 2004

The Berliner Morgenpost isn't exactly what i would call a reliable source.

mannyfreshstunna · Jan 13, 2004

Originally posted by Alex_K
The Berliner Morgenpost isn't exactly what i would call a reliable source.
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It isn't a source. It's an Op/Ed piece. take what you will from it.

Alex_K · Jan 13, 2004

Originally posted by mannyfreshstunna
It isn't a source. It's an Op/Ed piece. take what you will from it.
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I haven't read the article. I just wanted to point out that you can't get more biased than the Morgenpost (as most people on the board probably aren't familiar with this paper).

superdave · Jan 13, 2004

Originally posted by dfb547490
What the hell??? That doesn't even make sense.

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If someone loved America, they wouldn't use an article that dismisses the deaths, injuries and hardships of our soldiers, not to mention the cost to American taxpayers, as so irrelevant to not be worthy of mention, to make his "point."

You probably didn't pick up on that obvious omission because you, too, hate America.

MikeLastort2 · Jan 13, 2004

Has anyone actually read the original article at http://morgenpost.berlin1.de/archiv2004/040105/politik/story651319.html ???

Here's my translation. And for what it's worth, the last four paragraphs, starting with "BTW: One should be reminded once again what kind of a martyrdom the Iraqis have escaped from" and ending with "What would I say to the American people? You have to be proud of your sons. You have to be proud of your army. They are fighters for freedom." isn't even in the original article at the Berliner Morgenpost!

Anyway, here's the translation of the original article. My German has gotten a bit rusty, but I do get the impression that the original German has a bit of sarcasm attached, from the title alone.

Freedom, money and cheap cars.

The inhabitants of Iraq aren't quite able to appreciate many things that should've already been natural.

Nothing is more powerful than day to day life. This is true in Iraq as it is everywhere else. Little is more important than to bemoan one's own misfortune. This applies particularly in Iraq. But there is also a light in the country which stands at the beginning of a new era.

Baghdad - The Iraqis see, if they think about their situation, lack of electricity, long lines for gasoline, unemployment, rising prices, and the unhindered growth of crime.

In order to see things differently one would have to imagine an Iraqi who has been asleep for a year, a little like the ailing mother in the film "Good Bye Lenin." The awakened Iraqi's last moment of consiousness was in Saddam Hussein's Iraq of January 2003. Now he opens his eyes. On TV, CNN, the BBC, or more than likely the Arab language network banned by Saddam, Al Jazeera is playing. His brother is using a cell phone to talk to his cousin in Germany. Cell phones were banned under Saddam, and peopel with relatives living abroad were viewed with suspicion. There's cash lying on the table - yesterday was payday - there are American dollars. The brother earns $100.00 per month, about quarduple what he was making when Saddam was in power. He works as a proofreader at one of the approximately 150 new independent newspapers, in which anything can be written or said except for calls to violence.

More amazing than anything else, and at the same time the thing that explains it all, is the absence of Saddam's picture on the wall above the living room cabinet. Saddam himself, the Iraqi experiences, is part of the past. If he is a Kurd or a Shiite, then this news is more important than all other news. If he is a Sunni, he is also happy - but he hears that the Americans are running the country, and that when they leave more than likely the Shiites will have power and the Kurds will have a large autonomy.

From now on there are no more threats from state security forcing sons to join Fedayeen Saddam, or imprisoning people who do not betray what their neighbors are doing. And above all, two cousins who had been jailed by Saddam for no reason are now returned to their family.

In the yard of the house is a shiny Opel Astra station wagon. Used and from Germany. It cost $2500, a lot for the family, and every family member contributed to the purchase price. But the car is probably cheaper than elsewhere on the planet. The Americans have suspended taxes and import duties for eight months, more than half a million cars have rolled into the country since the end of the war. Under Saddam car purchases were strictly regulated affair, and one needed a lot of money as well as good connections to get one.

The brother uses the car to moonlight as a taxi driver. A very difficult task because traffic in Baghdad is a vision from hell. Too many cars and the American roadblocks are everywhere. Nevertheless, it brings in an additional $150 per month. All together, it's $250, and there are two other breadwinners in the family. One as a policeman ($120) and his wife as a secretary at the newspaper ($100).

Together the family has more than enough to live, particularly since the Americans have maintaned Saddam's old system of national food distribution. Flour, rice, oil, salt, sugar, tea and basic foodstuffs are always available.

The awakened Iraqi himself ran a furniture store before his deep sleep. His wife and his adult son ran it in his absence. The business is booming especially since there are no taxes to pay. Aboce all office furniture is in high demand because new enterprises are being started everywhere. The family debates whether or not to start a new store, because moderate income loans to start a business are available from the military occupation authority.

All in all there remains enough money to buy a computer. For the children. Iraqis have always attached importance to the education and training of the children, and computer science seems to be the occupation of the future. "Internet" reads the new magic word, and those who don't have it want it, and of course under Saddam it was perfectly inconceivable. In Baghdad Internet cafes are shooting out of the soil like mushrooms. Even in small distant towns one can find them. The Iraqis learn fast, and though the telephones are mute (the switchboard isn't perfectly repaired yet) many have an e-mail address.

Of all the dreams the awakened Iraqi had in previous times, only one remains unfulfilled - the ability to travel abroad. With his new freedom and with enough dollars in his pocket, he hopes that now even this could suddenly be possible. Here the relatives must unfortunately dissapoint him. The military occupation authority isn't giving out passports, but instead one receives a piece of paper, in English, which no customs official in any other country in the world would easily accept. In this regard Iraq is exactly what it was under Saddam - a large prison. However it is a prison of barely limited possibilities, for those that know how to use it. It is a prison of in a state of conceivable disrepair, in which at any moment a brick could fall from the ceiling killing someone, but not the inmate. He has vanished and he won't be coming back.
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MikeLastort2 · Jan 13, 2004

I love how the "translation" that Bill quotes leaves out the last paragraph comparing Iraq to a prison, and the first few paragraphs mentioning that there are long lines for gas, unemployment, rising prices, high crime rates and no electricity.

The body of the story has some selective edits as well, leaving out the Sunni, Shiite, Kurd thing, and the taxi driving is a "vision of hell" thing.

But hey, what the hell. That won't prevent the bad translation from being forwarded to mailboxes all over the country.

superdave · Jan 13, 2004

So, basically, Bill is a will-to-power fascist freak who believes there is no morality when it comes to advancing his political agenda, which is nothing more than enhancing the power of his side.

Tell me something I didn't know.

MikeLastort2 · Jan 13, 2004

Originally posted by superdave
So, basically, Bill is a will-to-power fascist freak who believes there is no morality when it comes to advancing his political agenda, which is nothing more than enhancing the power of his side.

Tell me something I didn't know.
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I do think the general tone of the article is positive, but I just love how the "translator" on the blog Bill linked to left out anything negative at all.

I guess he figured no one would check.

And for those who don't know, the Berliner Morgenpost is one of Germany's best newspapers. It's right up there with the Frankfurter Allgemeine.

dfb547490 · Jan 13, 2004

Mike has a political agenda, and so does the guy in Bill's link. So would I if I translated it, and my German is not as good as either Mike's or the guy in Bill's link's. Babelfish may have crappy grammar, but it does not have a political agenda, so here goes:

Liberties, money and approve of cars
Much became already so natural in the postwar Iraq that the inhabitants appreciate it hardly still
Of Boris Kalnoky

Nothing is more powerful than the everyday life. That applies in the Iraq like elsewhere also. Little is more urgent than the desire to deplore own misfortune. That particularly applies in the Iraq. But there is also light in the country, which stands only at the beginning of a new era.

Bagdad - which see Iraqis, if they think about their situation, first the lack of river (I believe they mean electricity), the long queues for gasoline, unemployment, the rising prices, the unhindered uncontrolled growths of the criminality.

In order to see it once differently, one would have to imagine an Iraqi, who lay one year long in the deep sleep, little like the ailing nut/mother a Lenin "bye in the success film" Good. The awaking Iraqi last conditions are Saddam Husseins Iraq in January 2003. Now it breaks the eyes open. In the television CNN, BBC runs or - more probably - under Saddam just as forbidden Arab television stations aluminium Dschasira (al-Jazeera). Its brother speaks straight about mobile telephone with his cousin in Germany. Mobile telephones were forbidden under Saddam, and families with relatives abroad in principle suspiciously. On the table cash lies about, yesterday was pay day - there is American dollar. The brother earns 100 dollar in the month, the quadruple of an average content under Saddam. He works as Korrektor (editor) at one that approximately 150 new, independent newspapers Iraq, in which everything can be written and said, except calls to the force.

More amazingly than everything else, and at the same time the explanation for everything, the absence of Saddams is picture at the wall over the living room cabinet. Saddam, then experiences the Iraqi, is past. If it is Kurd or Schiit (Shiite, not sure why it translates later but not here), then is this message more worth than all different together. If it is a Sunnit, then it is pleased nevertheless - until it hears that Americans govern the country, and that, if they go probably the Shiites will have power, and the Kurds large autonomy.

From now on no attendance of the public security more, in order to threaten to urge that the son is to join the Fedajin Saddam, or in order with detention, if one does not betray, to what the neighbour in such a way it tells. And at all: Two further cousins are free, them by Saddam had been locked up, why, neither they nor the family know.

In the yard of the house a shining OPEL Astra combination is located. Used and from Germany. it cost 2500 dollar, contributed much for the family, everyone, in order to together-get the sum. But the car is probably cheaper than somewhere differently on the planet. The Americans painted eight months long all taxes and import duties, rolled more than one half million vehicles since end of war in the country. Under Saddam was a strictly reglementierte (regulated) affair, and in order to a vehicle to come, one needed also good relations except much money.

The brother uses the car, in order to earn outside of the work times as a taxifahrer (taxi driver) money. A laborious affair, since traffic in Bagdad of a vision of hell equals. Too many cars, and everywhere road blocks and barricades of the Americans. But nevertheless, then again 150 dollar meets in the month. Power together 250, and two further members of the zehnkoepfigen (???) family work. One as a policeman (120 dollar) and its wife as a secretary with the newspaper (100 dollar).

Together the family has more than enough to the life, particularly since the Americans Saddams maintained old system of the national food distribution. There are to eat thus enough, also for those, which do not make money. For flour, rice, oil, salt, sugar, dte and such basic food is always ensured.

The awaking Iraqi operated a furniture business before his deep sleep. Its wife and his adult son administered it in his absence. The business boomt, particularly since no more taxes are to be paid. Above all office furniture is, everywhere new enterprises is at present in demand based. Evenly the family, whether one should not start a new business, debates it gives for business startups modest credits at the crew authority.

All in all enough money remains, in order to buy a computer. For the children. Iraqis always attached importance on the training and the training of their children, and computer science seems to be the occupation of the future. "InterNet" reads the new magic word, who does not have it, that wants it, and also that was naturally under Saddam perfectly inconceivablily. In Bagdad the InterNet cafes are shot such as mushrooms from the soil. Even in distant towns one finds which. The Iraqis learn fast, and there the old telephones are mute (the switchboard is not perfectly repaired yet), have many an email address.

By all dreams, which the awaking Iraqi had in former times, only one seems unfulfilled - he would travel so gladly abroad. With as much new liberties, and even sufficient dollar in the bag, he hopes now suddenly that also that could be possible. There the members must unfortunately disappoint it. The crew authority does not spend passports, instead one gets a piece paper, on English, which no Grenzer (border control agent) of any country of this world will easily accept. Iraq is in this regard thus exactly what it was also under Saddam - a large prison. But it is a prison of the hardly limited possibilities, for those, which know to use it. It is a prison in conceivablly ramshackle condition, in which each instant a brick from the cover can fall and kill one - not however cell-wait. That disappeared, and does not come back not.
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MikeLastort2 · Jan 13, 2004

Originally posted by dfb547490
Mike has a political agenda, and so does the guy in Bill's link. So would I if I translated it, and my German is not as good as either Mike's or the guy in Bill's link's. Babelfish may have crappy grammar, but it does not have a political agenda, so here goes:
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Please point out to me where you think my translation pushes an agenda?

SoFla Metro · Jan 13, 2004

Originally posted by dfb547490
Mike has a political agenda, and so does the guy in Bill's link.
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The difference, of course, is that Mike's political agenda seems to be the advancement of the Accuracy Party.

house18 · Jan 13, 2004

I think the main thing we see in this thread is that Dave and Lastort care more about ripping conservatives then seeing the positive things that have occured. Whether the reason to go to Iraq was right or not you can't deny that people are better off and most are very happy about it. Of course to acknowledge that would be giving Bush and his people some credit and we know they can't do that!

MikeLastort2 · Jan 13, 2004

Originally posted by house18
I think the main thing we see in this thread is that Dave and Lastort care more about ripping conservatives then seeing the positive things that have occured. Whether the reason to go to Iraq was right or not you can't deny that people are better off and most are very happy about it. Of course to acknowledge that would be giving Bush and his people some credit and we know they can't do that!
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What in the hell are you talking about?

I translated the ENTIRE ARTICLE, as it was posted on the Berliner Morgenpost's website. The original link that Bill posted did not translate the ENTIRE ARTICLE. The translation there left out anything at all that was negative, from the idea of the awakening Iraqi being a Sunni, the brother driving a taxi in a "vision of hell," high crime, unemployment, lack of electricity, rising prices, to Iraqis not being allowed to go abroad because they don't have passports.

Why? Why didn't the orignal translator translate everything?

I also didn't add the bit that the original translator did making it seem as if the quotes from the Iraqi were part of the story at the Berliner Morgenpost as well.

Please tell me how posting my translation was "ripping conservatives."

superdave · Jan 13, 2004

Actually, house, I'm just ripping lying liars and the lies they tell.

Oh, wait I get it...yeah, I guess you're right.

ElJefe · Jan 13, 2004

I also speak fluent German and Mike's translation was stellar, with one exception. The last paragraph should be:

Of all the dreams the awakened Iraqi had in previous times, only one remains unfulfilled - the ability to travel abroad. With his new freedom and with enough dollars in his pocket, he hopes that now even this could suddenly be possible. Here the relatives must unfortunately dissapoint him. The military occupation authority isn't giving out passports, but instead one receives a piece of paper, in English, which no customs official in any other country in the world would easily accept. In this regard Iraq is exactly what it was under Saddam - a large prison. However it is a prison of barely limited possibilities, for those that know how to use it. It is a prison of in a state of conceivable disrepair, in which at any moment a brick could fall from the ceiling killing someone, but not the jailer. He has vanished and he won't be coming back.
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Certainly, Mike's translation is that of the entire article, not a conveniently edited one like the one that Bill forwarded from elsewhere. Which is sort of a shame, since the op-ed piece in its entirety does a good enough job of getting Bill's main point across -- namely, that for all the problem that currently exist, the life for Iraqis is much better today because of the US invasion.

I don't think that Bill knew that he was getting an edited translation of the op-ed piece. But honestly, I think that if he wants to be true to what the writer actually wrote, he should reply to the person who sent him the original translation with what Mike translated, because other than the one notable error, it is exactly what appeared in the Morgenpost.

flanoverseas · Jan 13, 2004

Pro War Conservative UK Newspaper 'gets it'?

Remember, this is a conservative pro-coalition newspaper in the U.K. The dumbass article that Archer posted was an op-ed piece.

This tells a bit of a different story.

Security: This remains the most pressing issue for Iraqis. On the streets of Baghdad everyone has a tale of armed robbery, kidnap, rape or murder that they say would have been inconceivable under Saddam Hussein.

Women and children are rarely allowed out of doors, and the number of deaths by violent crime has more than tripled compared with pre-war levels.

The coalition has re-established an Iraqi police force and numbers are now nearing the estimated 70,000 required, although they are often poorly equipped. Even so, many Iraqis feel they have no one to turn to if they are the victim of crime - ransoms are often paid to resolve kidnaps, for example.
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/01/01/wirq201.xml

MikeLastort2 · Jan 13, 2004

Originally posted by ElJefe
I also speak fluent German and Mike's translation was stellar, with one exception. The last paragraph should be:

Certainly, Mike's translation is that of the entire article, not a conveniently edited one like the one that Bill forwarded from elsewhere. Which is sort of a shame, since the op-ed piece in its entirety does a good enough job of getting Bill's main point across -- namely, that for all the problem that currently exist, the life for Iraqis is much better today because of the US invasion.

I don't think that Bill knew that he was getting an edited translation of the op-ed piece. But honestly, I think that if he wants to be true to what the writer actually wrote, he should reply to the person who sent him the original translation with what Mike translated, because other than the one notable error, it is exactly what appeared in the Morgenpost.
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Thanks Dustin.

Yeah, in context jailer makes a LOT more sense than inmate. I never heard the word Zellwart before, so I took a guess at it. Zell is "cell" and wart is "wait," so I figured cell waiter is inmate. It's more like cell watcher. I wander if warden is even more appropriate. Of course it's a reference to Saddam.

DavidKaspar · Jan 13, 2004

Mike:

I don't quite understand your reasoning.

"The translation leaves out quite a bit, especially the first few paragraphs which mention problems Iraqis face, and the last paragraph which compares Iraq to a prison."

First of all: when we present articles in the "Medienkritik" blog, we usually leave out "quite a bit". We concentrate on what's important (in our opinion - we don't know yours in advance, so please excuse us). This in the interest of readability.

The "first few paragraphs which mention problems Iraqis face" are repeated in zillions of articles in CNN, NYT, LA Times... and lots of German newspapers. Actually, it's just one paragraph that summarily mentions problems, not the "first few paragraphs". The author of the Morgenpost article quite obviously wanted to concentrate on the good things happening in Iraq. That's the main message of the complete article.

"...the last paragraph which compares Iraq to a prison" (was left out). That's true - I left out this paragraph of the Morgenpost article. It did not add much of importance, anyway. This paragraph says (basically): with all the good things happening in Iraq, you can't travel out of the country. So it's a prison, but "it is a prison of barely limited possibilities, for those that know how to use it. It is a prison of in a state of conceivable disrepair, in which at any moment a brick could fall from the ceiling killing someone, but not the jailer. He has vanished and he won't be coming back." (your translation). So where's the problem? Does this paragraph justify your remark, "The translation leaves out quite a bit ...and the last paragraph which compares Iraq to a prison"? I find your description "...compares Iraq to a prison" inappropriate, looking at the wording of the complete paragraph.

"It also adds a few paragraphs at the end. The last four paragraphs are not in the original story at the Berliner Morgenpost." This is ridiculous. The last "few paragraphs" are clearly marked as not belonging to the Morgenpost article. We even linked these paragraphs to the source, an Iraqi blog. We even mentioned that it's from a translator. Why you would hint at a deliberate attempt to mislead the reader - I don't get it.

And thanks a lot for translation of the complete article. Except - I don't understand why you did it, because we already presented it in an English version. There are some inaccuracies in your translation, but I don't blame you - we have some inaccuracies as well in our translation. It's not easy to translate a German article without at least some inaccuracies. But in both cases the translation in essence capture what's in the original German article. You could have saved a lot of time...

MikeLastort2 · Jan 13, 2004

Originally posted by DavidKaspar
Mike:

I don't quite understand your reasoning.

"The translation leaves out quite a bit, especially the first few paragraphs which mention problems Iraqis face, and the last paragraph which compares Iraq to a prison."

First of all: when we present articles in the "Medienkritik" blog, we usually leave out "quite a bit". We concentrate on what's important (in our opinion - we don't know yours in advance, so please excuse us). This in the interest of readability.

The "first few paragraphs which mention problems Iraqis face" are repeated in zillions of articles in CNN, NYT, LA Times... and lots of German newspapers. Actually, it's just one paragraph that summarily mentions problems, not the "first few paragraphs". The author of the Morgenpost article quite obviously wanted to concentrate on the good things happening in Iraq. That's the main message of the complete article.

"...the last paragraph which compares Iraq to a prison" (was left out). That's true - I left out this paragraph of the Morgenpost article. It did not add much of importance, anyway. This paragraph says (basically): with all the good things happening in Iraq, you can't travel out of the country. So it's a prison, but "it is a prison of barely limited possibilities, for those that know how to use it. It is a prison of in a state of conceivable disrepair, in which at any moment a brick could fall from the ceiling killing someone, but not the jailer. He has vanished and he won't be coming back." (your translation). So where's the problem? Does this paragraph justify your remark, "The translation leaves out quite a bit ...and the last paragraph which compares Iraq to a prison"? I find your description "...compares Iraq to a prison" inappropriate, looking at the wording of the complete paragraph.

"It also adds a few paragraphs at the end. The last four paragraphs are not in the original story at the Berliner Morgenpost." This is ridiculous. The last "few paragraphs" are clearly marked as not belonging to the Morgenpost article. We even linked these paragraphs to the source, an Iraqi blog. We even mentioned that it's from a translator. Why you would hint at a deliberate attempt to mislead the reader - I don't get it.

And thanks a lot for translation of the complete article. Except - I don't understand why you did it, because we already presented it in an English version. There are some inaccuracies in your translation, but I don't blame you - we have some inaccuracies as well in our translation. It's not easy to translate a German article without at least some inaccuracies. But in both cases the translation in essence capture what's in the original German article. You could have saved a lot of time...
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My point was that you took out some of the stuff that did seem negative that was in the article. I agree that the article itself presented a positive view. I was just a little surprised by some of the edits that you made. IMHO it would’ve been better if you had translated the entire thing.

Oh, and the reason I did it wasn't to waste time. The reason I did it was so people who can't read German were made aware of the ommissions.

BTW, welcome to Bigsoccer. Do you live in Germany? If so, where?

superdave · Jan 13, 2004

David Kaspar, welcome to bigsoccer. I invite you to contribute to the Yanks Abroad and Germany forums.

PS...loved Run Lola Run. And The Tin Drun. And Das Boot.

MikeLastort2 · Jan 13, 2004

Originally posted by superdave
David Kaspar, welcome to bigsoccer. I invite you to contribute to the Yanks Abroad and Germany forums.

PS...loved Run Lola Run. And The Tin Drun. And Das Boot.
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Especially the German forum, which I moderate. We need more posts there.