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

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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. 

Watching Chinese-language media try to translate 'shithole countries'

CNA in Taiwan have opted for an idiom that literally means 'countries where birds don't lay eggs' 「鳥不生蛋國家」 which is perhaps best translated as 'godforsaken countries.' https://t.co/dZ4Vdcykw6

— Aaron Mc Nicholas (@aaronMCN) January 12, 2018

Japanese media translation of “shithole” = “countries that are dirty like toilets” https://t.co/tw7WCMTX3G

— Anna Fifield (@annafifield) January 12, 2018

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

Jorge Ramos just confirmed shithole is "mierda" in Spanish pic.twitter.com/r1XySBeEnJ

— Jorge Rivas (@thisisjorge) January 11, 2018

#ULTIMAHORA: Fuentes AP: @realDonaldTrump le pregunta a legisladores por qué EEUU debería permitir el ingreso de personas que provienen de “países de mierda” .

— AP Noticias (@AP_Noticias) January 11, 2018

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

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

American media : ‘can we say ‘shithole’?’
British media ‘shithole shithole shithole shithole shithole shithole shithole shithole shithole shithole …’etc
Free speech paradox

— emily bell (@emilybell) January 12, 2018