Curiosity Of Errors

Style On The Dot

Dec 2

He put the British monarchy in the news, then a pair of royal names not intended to be mentioned mysteriously appeared in the Dutch version of his new book, and was described as "translation error". Speculation has been rife that it is a publicity stunt. Sensational hoopla or not, 'royal' writer Omid Scobie's name is now up in lights

The British writer Omid Scobie in the middle of a "translation" scandal, Illustration: Jim Sim

You can misspell names—sure, but mistranslate? How did a pair of British royals, supposedly never mentioned in a part of a new book about their famous family, suddenly got identified in a translated version? And, when discovered, the mishap was explained away as a "translation error"? Those are the burning questions on so many lips these past two days after the Dutch version of the tell-all Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy's Fight for Survival by British journalist/writer Omid Scobie hit bookstores early this week in Holland. Two royals were named in the book. They allegedly wondered about the skin colour of the unborn child of the now-disgraced, leaving-in-California Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as first revealed by Megan Markle during the couple's "bombshell" interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. Ms Markle did not say who it was or how many of them. In their self-serving Netflix documentary Harry and Meghan, there was no mention of that royal query. Her husband later denied that any royal racism was suggested. In his 2022 book Spare, he did not broach the subject at all.

Now, the duo, inexplicably brought up the Dutch translation, Eindstrijd, were identified by Piers Morgan during his ITV show Piers Morgan Uncensored as King Charles and Catherine, Princess of Wales who apparently discussed the skin colour of the unborn baby Archie. Initially, even when the names were seen in the book, the British press kept mum. But now, it's a stunning global reveal. As Mr Morgan reasoned, the people of Britain (and the Commonwealth?) had "the right to know". He added, "now we can start the process of finding out if they ever got uttered, what the context was, and whether there was any racial intent at all—like I say, I don't believe there was." In the UK, not everyone approves of Mr Morgan speaking out. Angela Levin, a vocal royal commentator, told the Daily Mail, "I think it's the wrong thing to do, because that, in a way, is helping Harry and Meghan to smirch the royals... to punish the royals and humiliate them... It's just so unnecessary and spiteful and nasty... I think we should all keep our mouths shut because we're not on Omid' side, are we?"

Initially, even when the names were seen in the book, the British press kept mum. But now, it's a stunning global reveal

Mr Scobie, a writer allegedly endorsed by the Sussexes, denied that he had anything to do with the naming in the Dutch version of the book he wrote. He even went on BBC Newsnight to say he was willing to "swear on [his] life" that the names included was not a stunt he orchestrated. In fact, he has happily appeared on several news shows on both sides of the Atlantic to refute allegations that he knew about the editorial blunder or that he had anything to do with it. On ITV's (the channel that hosts Mr Morgan's show) This Morning, he was adamant that he had "never submitted a book that had their names in it". Mr Scobie, 42, has a pretty-boy face, marked by very pronounced, very black brows. When he pleaded innocence to the allegations on television, you were inclined to believe him. Apparently he did not know about the erroneous mentions in his book, and, as he told the BBC, "found out on social media". But, Mr Scobie, for reasons that are hard to pint-point as we write this, does remind us of his compatriot Milo Yiannopoulos, the once-also-boyish-looking right-wing provocateur and political commentator who had an editorial stint with the controversial Breitbart News. Mr Scobie desperately tried to distance himself from the Dutch version of the book, insisting repeatedly: "I wrote, the book I edited, didn't have names in it".

Omid Scobie, a former tabloid-turn-royal reporter, who also started the K-pop entertainment news website IdolWow!, is known by other names: "cheerleader-in-chief" for Prince William and Meghan Markle and "Meghan's mouthpiece", just to name two, after his earlier book (that he co-authored with American journalist Carolyn Durand) Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of A Modern Royal Family was published. There has always been a question mark over how well he knows Ms Markle, but it appears that he is inclined to rally for her and, in turn, her husband. Yet, when referred to as a "pal" of the pair, he furiously denies the close association, claiming that his "scoops" and what he was able to unearth about their lives were due to the common friends they share. Barely a week ago, he told The Times, "I was going to work my damn hardest to make sure I was close to every single person in their lives, and become someone that, at the very least, people at the palace feel they can come to when they need to correct a story." It does not help Mr Scobie's defence when Endgame has been read as very critical of the royal family, the very one the Sussexes walked away from so that they could have a better life in the US. Or, as per The Telegraph's forthright flaming of his book, "ludicrous propoganda for Team Sussex".

The English version of Omid Scobie's new book. Photo: Chin Boh Kay

Born in Wales and raised in Oxford to a Scottish father and an Iranian mother (whom he prefers to call Persian "because, to Persians, there's a big difference"), Mr Scobie is thought to be sympathetic to mixed-race Meghan Markle and the perceived prejudicial treatment she received during her sojourn in London (which contrasts to his description of the Princess of Wales, whom he calls in his book "Stepford-wife-like"). He went to the London College of Communication to study journalism and after graduation, joined the British gossip periodical Heat as a celebrity reporter. The career path led him to a professional upgrade when he was hired by the American "entertainment magazine" Us Weekly. A bigger boost would eventually arrive when he joined Harper's Bazaar as their royal editor, a position he still keeps. Mr Scobie seems to enjoy the limelight that is as illuminating as that cast on the royals he reports on, especially the Sussexes, but insisted, in an interview with Paris Match: "I am not their friend and never have been." Strangely, for a famous individual, with a decent 40.1K followers on Instagram, he has only 12 posts on that social media account. He joined the platform only in 2020, presumably during the lockdown due to the pandemic. All the influencer-style photos show very coiffed and very groomed versions of him, spotting the usual KOL-preferred brands such as Louis Vuitton and Dior, in carefully-considered casualness.

Hitherto, there has been no explanation as to how such the "translation error" in Eindstrijd had occured. Or why the book's Dutch editors had no vetting systems in place to ensure that such erroneousness would not occur. We do read, for example, Chinese- and Malay-language news sources for information shared in our posts. Not all words and phrases in other languages can be directly translated in English, but we are careful to use English expressions that can best capture the meaning or essence of the non-English text. As for names, while we may adopt transliteration, we use what is written in any given published passages; we do not add what is not already there. Whatever truly happened in the translation of Eindstrijd, we may never know. The Dutch publisher Xander Uitgevers, who, according to their website, "will continuously dedicate itself with craftsmanship and devotion to each book it publishes in order to achieve the highest possible result", had withdrawn Omid Scobie's books from sale in Holland after they discovered the mistranslation and had, as they announced, pulped the books. If only the scandal that followed could be pulped too.