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Translator Jayakumar addresses the controversy surrounding the translation of PM Modi's speech at the Vizhinjam Port commissioning, citing technical issues.
Thiruvananthapuram: Pallippuram Jayakumar, the translator for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech at the Vizhinjam Port commissioning, has responded to the controversy surrounding the translation errors. In an exclusive interview with Asianet News, he explained what happened on stage.
Jayakumar said there were minor issues with the audio output, making it difficult to hear correctly, leading to errors on his part. He added that when he realised the Prime Minister had noticed the mistake, he considered correcting it, but the speech had moved on to the next section. He was contacted by the District Collector's office for the assignment. Jayakumar mentioned being a BJP sympathiser since childhood and having translated over a hundred Mann Ki Baat episodes. He also translated the Prime Minister's speech during the Vande Bharat inauguration. This time too, he received the Prime Minister's speech in advance. However, after PM Modi's arrival, an SPG officer informed him of some additions to the speech. Due to audio problems, he said he could not hear these additions clearly. This led to the mix-up, which the Prime Minister met with a smile. He then said that even if the translator didn't understand, the people did.
However, the incident has received backlash from several BJP supporters on social media. Karthik Gopinath wrote, “He clearly sends a message to the Indi alliance with its leaders on the stage . The translator tries to play a spoil sport but PM immediately understands that and says “Message is conveyed”. You can’t fool around with a leader like @narendramodi ji ! (sic).”
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“You can't fool Modi..how he catches wrong translation even when it was in Malayalam. Curious…Who was responsible for this translator…since this was a state function…was it state (sic),” a user Mac wrote on X.
BJP state secretary S Suresh told Asianet News, “When the Prime Minister is commending Kerala's development, the translation could have been in pure Malayalam that upholds the language's cultural pride. I am not speaking too much about it, but it was an event that the whole world was watching. The translation had a lot of English words as well,” he added.
The incident also saw supporters of opposition attempting to counter the narrative. A fan account of Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra wrote, “Whoever hired the translator deserves a raise. Modi spoke about an alliance, the translator explained it as airlines. Kerala doesn’t want BJP, so it looks like the translator deliberately changed Modi’s words!”
Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stated that Vizhinjam project was a testament to the LDF government's willpower. "This is the first time in India that a major port construction is being undertaken at the initiative of a state. The state bears the majority of the cost. Out of a total of 8,686 crores, the state is contributing 5,370.86 crores, the Chief Minister said.
