March 18th, 2010, 09:10 am A great post about interpreters work by alexpgp What if Khrushchev wanted peace, but his interpreter wanted war? – Woody AllenNikita Khrushchev – whose "We will bury you!" became a Cold War catchphrase – is said to have once attended an international trade fair where he came upon a piece of machinery that won his admiration with its elegant lines and impressive appearance. He turned to his entourage and began to speak loudly and gesticulate, demanding to know why something like this – pointing at the machine – couldn't be manufactured in the Soviet Union.Well, as it turned out, everyone – except Khrushchev – was uncomfortably aware that the machine in question had been made in the USSR, and it appeared that the Soviet leader was on the brink of looking foolish in front of the world press when journalists (who had been following Khrushchev around the exhibits) looked to the Soviet delegation's interpreter for some insight into Nikita Sergeyevitch's energetic outburst. The interpreter smiled as he turned to face them.
