Netizens are complaining on social media after some of them claimed that the translator during the Miss Universe 2018 pageant did not give the correct translation of Miss Vietnam H’hen Nie’s answer which might have cost her the crown.
During the first question and answer round during the Miss Universe 2018 beauty pageant held last December 17, Nie was asked to give her opinions about the woman empowerment movement #MeToo.
Nie was asked: “The #MeToo movement has sparked a global conversation. In response, some have said the world has become too politically correct? Do you think the #MeToo movement has gone too.”
The Vietnamese beauty queen answered in her native language and the interpreter translated H’Hen’s answer as: “I don’t think that it has gone too far. Protecting women and women’s right are the right things to do. Women need protections and rights.”
As reported by Philippine Star, a Twitter user named Audrey who claims to be a “native Vietnamese speaker” pointed out the inaccurate translation after the pageant and said that it should have been: “Protecting women’s well-being/health and protecting women from sexual abuse is the right that every women need. Everyone of us needs to be protected and we need freedom. Thank you.”
Audrey added that the translator “completely missed out the part that includes “well-being/heath”, “sexual abuse” and “freedom”, which are the main three keywords of her answer and ultimately made it less in-depth than the original one.”
She even added that the translator giving an inaccurate translation is “unprofessional”.
Philippine Star also quoted Thu Huong Nguyen, editor of Vietnam online news site VnExpress and a Vietnamese native speaker, as saying that the translator was “not good in this situation.”
“There were two problems. At first, she didn’t translate the phrase ‘In response, some have said that the world has become too politically correct.’ Second, the answer of Miss Vietnam was cut off. Even though many Vietnamese also H’Hen Niê do not blame the translator,” Nguyen said.
After Audrey’s tweet became viral, many then said that Miss Vietnam could have been part of the Top 3 if the translator made her answer a bit more accurate.
Nevertheless, Nie still made history by becoming the first representative from her country to make it to the pageant’s Top 5.
