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The Fifth Floor

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Faranak Amidi presents global stories from the Fifth Floor, home to the BBC’s 40 Language Services.

Faranak Amidi presents global stories from the Fifth Floor, home to the BBC’s 40 Language Services

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The Fifth Floor: Translating President Trump

Documentaries

President Trump

03/02/2017 GMT

Translating President Trump

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, Translating President Trump

How the off the cuff style of the American president is challenging his translators

President Trump in translation; Colombia's other armed group, the ELN; Somali elections; and how to show deference around the world. With David Amanor.

The new president of the United States has set a challenge to interpreters and translators. His off the cuff, informal style sometimes makes it hard to convey his exact meaning in other languages - even in English it can be unclear. We explore the intricacies of translating Trump into Farsi and French with BBC Persian's Siavash Ardalan and BBC Afrique's Olivier Weber.

Colombia's other war 
Much has been made of the peace deal between the Colombian government and the FARC rebel group to end five decades of conflict.  But less is heard about the war with another rebel group, the ELN, or National Liberation Army.  But now peace talks are set to begin.  Natalio Cosoy of BBC Mundo recently visited the town of Saravena close to the Venezuelan border, an area where the ELN is active.  

Yours respectfully - deference around the world
Cameroonian Sports Minister Pierre Ismaël Bidoung Kpwatt was recently pictured bowing down dramatically low to shake the hand of President Paul Biya.  This display of extreme deference kicked off a social media trend, with people competing to adopt the lowest, most theatrical bows and handshakes. So how is deference expressed in different countries, and can it be taken too far?      

Somalia election coverage
After months of delays, Somalia has finally nailed a date for its presidential election and BBC Somali are getting ready to cover it. Easier said than done in a country emerging from decades of war, where the electoral process is potentially tortuous and journalists face constant security risks. Mohammud Ali of BBC Somali in Nairobi is organising the team as they prepare for this historic election.

"Broken neck girl"
Every week, Marwa Mamoon of BBC Arabic ransacks history books and other archives for her weekly radio programme Story Shop. She recently found a story embedded in an everyday phrase used by Egyptian mothers to scold naughty daughters. It translates literally as "broken neck girl" and goes back to the sad fate of a Cairo aristocrat after the French invasion. 

And Fifi Haroon's pick of the world wide web.


Image: President Trump of the United States of America.
Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images.

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