January 12, 2018

The Foreign Press Is Having a Hard Time Translating “Shithole”

“Countries that are dirty like toilets.”

fstop123/Getty Images

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.

When news broke that President Donald Trump referred to Haiti, El Salvador, and African countries as “shithole countries,” newsrooms across the country had to decide how to handle the expletive. (Trump has since denied calling Haiti a “shithole.”) On CNN, anchor Wolf Blitzer avoided using the word by saying “s hole” (over and over) instead. The Washington Post boldly put “shithole” in the headline of the scoop and many outlets followed suit.

But media in non-English speaking countries are having a different challenge in translating the term.

Here’s a quick look at how some international bureaus and news outlets are handling Trump’s obscene outburst. 

https://twitter.com/AskAKorean/status/951672849894400001

https://twitter.com/NalinaEggert/status/951713395996352512

https://twitter.com/trekonomics/status/951615316659904512

Go back

Your message has been sent










BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

December is make or break for us. A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. A strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength. A weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

The December 31 deadline is closing in fast. To reach our $400,000 goal, we need readers who’ve never given before to join the ranks of MoJo donors. And we need our steadfast supporters to give again today—any amount.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do.

That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

December is make or break for us. A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. A strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength. A weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

The December 31 deadline is closing in fast. To reach our $400,000 goal, we need readers who’ve never given before to join the ranks of MoJo donors. And we need our steadfast supporters to give again today—any amount.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do.

That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate