Absolute Nothing

我一直很好奇，“scientific development”、“three representatives”、“harmony society”、“Eight honors and eight disgraces”之类的概念，到底翻译得对不对，外国朋友见到了，会有什么想法。《福布斯》的这篇忏悔录，解开了我心中的谜团。

容我摘录两段在这里，第一段很直白，第二段很搞笑。

It was often impossible to improve the copy anyway, particularly when it came to the statements released by the diplomatic desk, which were routinely drier than a rehab clinic. These reports on talks between China and other countries were all designed to say, in the vaguest terms, exactly the same thing: absolutely nothing.

A few plotted graphs and some articulate reasoning later, the China Media Project experts concluded that the party’s basic direction for the next five years was “first and foremost a reaffirmation of the path of reform and opening in response to the left’s opposition and call for a turn back.” Simple as that.
For the rest of the world, however, it was anyone’s guess what Hu was trying to say, and the uncertainty was reflected in contrasting headlines. Following the speech, Agence France Presse went with “Hu flags political reform for China.” The New York Times plumped for “China’s leader closes door to reform.”

Forbes : Confessions Of A Propagandist