Lack of Translator that Speaks "Crazy Talk" Hampers U.S. Discussions with Iran

Recent discussions between the United States and Iran have become complicated by the lack of a translator who speaks the particular "crazy talk" dialect used by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The talks come as Ahmadinejad, who denies the Holocaust occurred and says the destiny of Israel and her allies is to be destroyed, has obtained a threatening nuclear capability.

The shortage of crazy talk translators began when the translator assigned to Muammar Gaddafi, the leader of Libya, collapsed 75 minutes into Gaddafi's recent hour-and-a-half rant at the United Nations. The beleaguered translator's last words were "I just can't take it any more."

State Department officials said the remaining translators "know crazy talk, but not the nuances of President Ahmadinejad's unique variety of crazy."

Associated articles: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471504574442901560824682.html; http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/opinion/30milhollin.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=%20Gary%20Milhollin&st=cse; http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1216068/Gaddafis-translator-collapsed-exhaustion-UN-rant.html