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The founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, is suing in Ecuador, the country that protects him since he's been on bail in London for sexual misconduct in 2012. Assange claims that Ecuador violates its rights in asylum by limiting its Internet access to the London embassy. the trial is already well underway. According to local Australian media, Assange does not understand his English translator and needs someone who speaks "Australian" fluently.
The Sydney Morning Herald announced that Assange was attending court proceedings via Skye, which sits at the Embassy of Ecuador in London. Assange, originally from Australia, would have called the translation services from Spanish to English "not good enough". The Ecuadorian judge who oversaw the case decided that Assange should be appointed translator who understands "Australian".
From the Sydney Morning Herald:
Judge Karina Martinez stated that it was essential that Assange testify and stated that the court was mistaken in appointing a translator who spoke only English, apparently under the impression that the Australian dialect was unintelligible to other English speakers.
It is not clear right away how long this could delay the case.
Assange is free to leave the embassy in London when he wishes, but he will probably be arrested by the British authorities for having jumped on bail. Ecuador explored different ways to take Assange out of the embassy, including turning him into a diplomat in Russia, but nothing worked. Ecuador shut off Assange's Internet access in March because he said the white-haired shit agitator was interfering in international affairs. The President of Ecuador, Lenin Moreno, also described Assange's presence at the embassy as "more than a nuisance".
The WikiLeaks Twitter account, now run by others not named Assange, was unusually unconventional today and did not mention the latter. WikiLeaks did not immediately respond to Gizmodo's request for comment.
Australian English, like American English, has developed its own nuances that distinguish it from the English of the Queen in recent centuries. But we do not know exactly what could cause so much trouble for Assange and the translator.
Here is a good video showing some of the many differences between Australian English and American English. Some of the differences are identical to those of Queen's English. For example, a stroller in American English is called a pram in Australian English. But others, like calling a "servo" at a gas station, are 100% Australian.
My personal favorite? The American-English calls a main course the entrance, which literally means "entry" into French. Australians call a "main" main course and an entrée is the dish before the main course.
We are all biased towards what has grown up with us, but when it comes to entry, I'm afraid the Australians are definitely not wrong on this point.
[Sydney Morning Herald]