The Dalai Lama. Photo by Rex Features
By Pat Kelly. The Dalai Lama got a raw deal from a stenographer when a remark he made was interpreted as a profanity during a live video caption broadcast.
Those delivering talks at seminars or meetings take note — if the transcriber is unfamiliar with your accent, there may be the potential for misinterpretation.
The Dalai Lama recently undertook a tour of various locations in the US, including a visit to Brown University, an Ivy League university in Rhode Island.
He stressed to the gathering the importance of openness and the need to honestly share their deepest thoughts with each other, if other people found them to be interesting and beneficial. “If they are not relevant,” said the Dalai Lama, “then forget it.”
However the transcriber misheard the latter part of the statement and translated it in the live video closed caption as, “if they find they are not relevant or not of much interest, then f**k it” (see image), leaving the attendees open-mouthed as the profanity appeared over his head while he delivered his speech.
A still from the presentation. Photo by Tanner Larson/Facebook
According to The Daily and NBC News, a spokesperson for Brown University subsequently cleared up the misunderstanding, presumably urging attendees to… forget it.
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