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Translators around the world reported that it’s a struggle to accurately interpret Donald Trump’s speeches, statements and interviews – a challenge which shows no signs of abating as the dominant newsmaker assumes the world’s most influential office.

“For translators, Trump is an unprecedented and desolating struggle, wrote professional translator Bérengère Viennot in the French version of Slate last month.

In the widely circulated article, Ms Viennot lamented the president’s disjointed syntax, run-on sentences and limited vocabulary.

“When it comes to speaking of something other than his victory, he clings desperately to the words contained in the question put to him, without succeeding in completing his own thought, she wrote.

“The poverty of the vocabulary is striking.


I would have thought Dubya was as bad, but, come to think of it, Dubya did use the teleprompter often. Laura Bush probably helped him out too.

Translators are struggling to interpret Donald Trump | SBS News

It's not only foreign language interpreters that have difficulty interpreting his words. He can change topics in the middle of a sentence and then never complete a thought for either topic. The only other person I have heard that is that difficult to comprehend is Sarah Palin.

I think it's deliberate: he throws out a shocking statement and does 6 other appalling things while the Press and opposition explode over the statement and fail to notice the 6 other things. Part of the shock is the crudeness of the way the message is put across. It is also language his core voters identify with.

edit: Rather more on-topic (oops): I think the fact he has said little that is substantive is deliberate. He's arrived in office with a number of individual actions he is committed to, but no real policy - ie a number of actions deliberately strung together to achieve an end. The actions, like the wall, that he is committed to are crass, clunky, and unlikely to achieve their purpose. Unless his purpose is to become steadily more extreme. Effectively the only commitment he is tied to is to do what the hell he likes.

Wandrin;1505978 wrote: It's not only foreign language interpreters that have difficulty interpreting his words. He can change topics in the middle of a sentence and then never complete a thought for either topic.That's true!

I have the impression Trump is a guy with a speeding brain that jumps around and animates him but can also focus intensely when necessary. Not the best attributes for public engagement purposes, for sure.

Using prepared notes would definitely help those listening. However, as Clod points out, it might be intentional to some degree and serve Trump if, in fact, he does wish to confound others.

Politics, it would appear, works best when there's at least the illusion of transparency and predictability, whereas business doesn't necessarily require that effort, except to a small group of shareholders or owners/partners.