Obama’s Pardon Of Turkey Named ‘Abe’ Causes A Stir In Chinese Media

Abe was the turkey pardoned today by President Barack Obama in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, DC, on November 25, 2015. The President pardoned Honest and his alternate Abe, both 18-week old, 40-pou... Abe was the turkey pardoned today by President Barack Obama in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, DC, on November 25, 2015. The President pardoned Honest and his alternate Abe, both 18-week old, 40-pound turkeys. The names of the turkeys were chosen from submissions from California school children. After the pardoning, the turkeys will be on display for visitors at their permanent home at Morven Park’s “Turkey Hill,” the historic turkey farm located at the home of former Virginia Governor Westmoreland Davis (1918-1922) in Leesburg, Virginia. (Photo by Cheriss May/NurPhoto) *** Please Use Credit from Credit Field *** MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

BEIJING (AP) — President Barack Obama’s pardoning of a turkey named “Abe” this Thanksgiving has led some Chinese to gloat at the Japanese prime minister’s expense.

As part of a peculiar annual tradition at the White House, Obama on Wednesday granted amnesty from the dinner table to two turkeys named “Honest” and “Abe” — from the nickname for President Abraham Lincoln. But a translation glitch in Chinese media replaced the character for single-syllable “Abe” with the surname of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (pronounced “Ah-bay”).

Several commenters in Chinese social media focused on comparing the prime minister to an animal.

Many Chinese harbor animosity toward Japan because of its brutal occupation of much of China during World War II, and they specifically scorn Abe because of his visits to a war shrine that is seen as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism.


President Barack Obama pardons Abe, the National Thanksgiving Turkey. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The faulty translation of Abe was published by state-run China Radio International and picked up by other outlets. A man who answered the CRI news hotline said editorial staff there had used the Web to translate the name “Abe.” Stories from Chinese media outlets that properly translated the name were circulating, but not as widely.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP photo: Abe the turkey.

Latest World News
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: