Tuesday, Dec. 08, 2009
Hillary Clinton Gets Lost in Translation
"We want to reset our relationship ... We worked hard to get the right Russian word. Do you think we got it?"
— Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, handing Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov a gift-wrapped reset button just before he informed her that the word on the button in fact translated to "overcharged" (March 6)
Clinton and her aides should have checked the Russian dictionary before presenting Lavrov with a gift meant to symbolize a new chapter in U.S.-Russia relations. Clinton tried to laugh it off when Lavrov called her out and told her what the word actually meant. Clinton followed up with, "We won't let you do that to us, I promise." The White House later fixed the error and resent the gift.