An attempt to translate the paper outlining the UK's exit from the EU has unleashed a wave of ridicule from native speakers on the continent. The German version is said to be "archaic" and "mythical" in its word choice.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Dawson
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The British government has been ridiculed by German-speaking officials in Brussels, as well as amused social media users, over the publication of the Brexit white paper in 22 European languages.
The translation offerings have been seen by some as an attempt to step around the European Commission and deal more directly with individual member states, as the UK continues to hash out a Brexit agreement with the EU, which it is due to leave on March 29, next year.
The German translation got off to a bad start, with a grammar mistake in the headline description of the white paper on the government’s official website, British newspaper The Independent reported.
The paper was described as being written in "Deutsche" instead of the correct spelling without an "e" on the end. It has since been corrected.
One German speaker in Brussels told British newspaper The Independent that the language used was "old school to the max" and made Brexit sound "very mythical" because of the "archaic and needlessly complex" language.
"It’s written really weirdly. It reminds me of Old German texts," the unidentified source said.
Another senior EU official who is a native German speaker told The Independent that: "To be honest I haven’t seen it. I have worked with the English translation so far and while my English isn’t perfect, the questions I would have are not related to language problems and more related to content."
Deal or no deal? Brexit options boiled down
There's a spectrum of options on Britain's future relationship with the EU, each with a distinct set of advantages and disadvantages. While euroskeptic purists favor a clean "hard Brexit," others favor a softer landing.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R.Vieira/W.Rothermel
Hard or soft options
It's essentially a choice of a harder or softer Brexit. Harder prioritizes border control over trade. UK firms would pay tariffs to do business in the EU, and vice versa. The softest Brexit would see access to the single market, or at least a customs union, maintained. That would require concessions — including the payment of a hefty "divorce bill" — to which the UK has provisionally agreed.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R.Vieira/W.Rothermel
A leap into the unknown
Businesses have expressed concern about a "cliff edge" scenario, where Britain leaves the EU with no deal. Even if an agreement is reached at the EU bloc level, the worry is that it could be rejected at the last minute. Each of the 27 remaining countries must ratify the arrangements, and any might reject them. That could mean chaos for businesses and individuals.
If there is no agreement at all, a fully sovereign UK would be free to strike new trade deals and need not make concessions on the rights of EU citizens living in the UK or pay the financial settlement of outstanding liabilities. However, trade would be crippled. UK citizens in other parts of the EU would be at the mercy of host governments. There would also be a hard EU-UK border in Ireland.
Image: Imago
Divorce-only deal
The EU and the UK could reach a deal on Britain's exiting the bloc without an agreement on future relations. This scenario would still be a very hard Brexit, but would at least demonstrate a degree of mutual understanding. Trade agreements would be conducted, on an interim basis, on World Trade Organization rules.
Image: Fotolia/Jens Klingebiel
Limited arrangement, like with Canada
Most trade tariffs on exported goods are lifted, except for "sensitive" food items like eggs and poultry. However, exporters would have to show their products are genuinely "made in Britain" so the UK does not become a "back door" for global goods to enter the EU. Services could be hit more. The City of London would lose access to the passporting system its lucrative financial business relies on.
Under the Swiss model, the UK would have single market access for goods and services while retaining most aspects of national sovereignty. Switzerland, unlike other members of the European Free Trade Area (EFTA), did not join the European Economic Area (EEA) and was not automatically obliged to adopt freedom of movement. Under a bilateral deal, it agreed to do so but is still dragging its feet.
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The Norway way
As part of the European Economic Area, Norway has accepted freedom of movement – something that no Brexit-supporting UK government would be likely to do. Norway still has to obey many EU rules and is obliged to make a financial contribution to the bloc while having no voting rights. Some see this as the worst of both worlds.
Image: dapd
A Turkey-style customs union
Turkey is the only major country to have a customs union with the EU, as part of a bilateral agreement. Under such an arrangement, the UK would not be allowed to negotiate trade deals outside the EU, instead having the bloc negotiate on its behalf. Many Brexiteers would be unwilling to accept this. It would, however, help minimize disruption at ports and, crucially, at the Irish border.
Image: Reuters/N. Hall
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'A national humiliation'
People took to Twitter to express their embarrassment over the botched translations.
Oscar D Torson labeled the paper "awful to read" and "not German," tweeting that "it was translated by someone who learned German in school to a decent level but who never really spoke it, and who is also not a professional translator."
Oliver Kamm, a columnist for British newspaper The Times, tweeted that the translation was "a national humiliation."
"The opening paragraphs of the German version provide enough material for at least 2 seminars on pitfalls and problems in EN-DE translation," Kerstin Pfeiffer wrote.
When translating that Brexit was "the biggest democratic exercise in this country’s history," democratic exercise became "demokratische Übung," which would more commonly be translated to "practice," "training" or "drill" in English.
And it wasn't just the German translation that was the object of ridicule. French speakers pointed out the errors in the French translation, which translated "a principled Brexit," meaning a Brexit based on principles, as "un Brexit vertueux," or a "virtuous Brexit."
The Dutch translation also did not go unnoticed. "Dear UK GOVT. We appreciate the effort and you probably have no clue, but please stick to English if you want us to understand you. This is horrible. Kind regards, The Netherlands," Max den Blanken tweeted.
