I went to the theater to watch the latest film “Oppenheimer” last week. The film, which was directed by the renowned filmmaker Christopher Nolan, won 7 Academy Awards this year. I was eager to watch it because I’m a big fan of Nolan’s works, and the story seemed intriguing to me. Like many of his other films, “Oppenheimer” was complex and profound, but I believe it’s worth seeing especially if you’re interested in World War II history.
Please allow me to share the plot of the film. The story revolved around Oppenheimer, one of the physicists involved in the Manhattan Project. In other words, he played a key role in creating the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There seem to be a variety of opinions regarding him and the film. Many say the film is kind of one-sided and made from an American perspective, which I find understandable. I may make another post including my opinions about the movie later, but for now, let me share something similar that I recently came across.
The other day, I stumbled upon an interview on Youtube featuring a physicist involved in the development of the atomic bombs and Japanese victims. It was intense and thought-provoking, and both sides’ claims seemed understandable to me. Aside from that, I was very surprised by what the interpreter translated during their conversation.
During the interview, the physicist stated, “No apology” (of course he explained his reasons). However, the interpreter translated his statement into something like “I feel apologetic” in Japanese. While he didn’t clearly mention he had no feelings of apology, it seemed as though the interpreter intentionally misinterpreted his words. At first, I was not sure if this was acceptable, but I realized she might’ve been trying to avoid causing further distress to the victims.
What she did may be controversial, but it highlights a unique aspect of human communication that AI cannot replicate (so far).