As an experienced professional interpreter and translator, I'd like to remind pedes that any simultaneous interpreting is going to omit at least 30%+ content and meaning from the interaction.
This is an unavoidable result of the interpreter having to both listen and speak at the same time, and to operate in real time at the same speed of the person who is speaking. Interpreting from one language to another is a highly complex activity requiring massive amounts of mental energy, and it is simply impossible for an interpreter to effectively both listen and speak at the same rate that the original speaker is thinking and talking.
Moreover, when an interpreter does not have native-level fluency in the target language, also, a variety of nuances can be lost.
Listening to the interpreter ("interpreting" = audio or spoken translation, "translation" = translation of a text), it is clear when certain nuances were omitted, and sometimes not well expressed in English.
For example, at one point, the interpreter for Putin says "That's a subtle question". It seems clear from context that what he means here is "that's a crafty question" "that's a clever/sneaky question", edgy. That is, a question designed to prod, trick, maneuver or even manipulate the respondent, even though the emphasis isn't that strong.
Edit: Another example is when Putin appears to be speaking in the first person, obviously conveying what 'Ukraine' is saying, but the interpreter says "we, you" etc, and that can be a bit confusing at times. Is he saying "We, the Russians", or is he saying "We, the Ukrainians", or "We, the Germans", etc?
Recommended: to really understand and grasp the content of Putin's replies, seek out a translation into English of a transcript of his answers.
(What I mean is, at some point, someone - probably an official Russian agency - will publish a transcript of Putin's actual words. Hopefully, someone or some party will then undertake a professional translation of that transcript. Such a translation will show much more clearly what Putin was actually saying.)
When a transcript is created, all the words spoken are recorded and then a translator can spend much more time and effort refining the translation and conveying the nuances, subtle meanings, and exact expressions in the target language - in this case, English.
Simultaneous interpreting delivers only a very broad foundation for interaction and dialog, but necessarily omits a lot of the meaning. The core elements are there, but many of the nuances get lost.
Addendum: Here is a transcript of the interview, but NOTE, this is a transcript of Tucker and the Interpreter, and technically, these are not Putin's own words.
Sadly, many outside the interpreting profession have little awareness of the natural and necessary limitations of simultaneous interpreting, and tend to deal with an interpreter's words as if they are the original speakers own words. They are not. So it is critical to allow for at least a 20%+ margin of error.
This exact interpreter has apparently been working with option translations for a long time, though- it's the same voice I've heard for many events now- go search and listen, don't just believe me.
Anyway, I've volunteer interpreted (for less auspicious personages), and also helped with written translations of material, yes I agree that perhaps nuance is lost, but that's true no matter how much time you have. All pro interpreters will do the complex, context-related best they can, and I also think that "a subtle question" was the right translation. Putin is familiar with being translated and do you all not think he speaks English by now?
Thanks for your comments.
Yes, no translation can ever perfectly convey all the meaning of the original. But the point is that interpreting is far more limited due to time constraints in terms of how accurate it can be. That's just a fact. I say that on the basis of more than 30 years experience in translating and interpreting.
If people can mentally take stock of the fact that what they listened to was not Putin, but an interpreter doing his best to convey what Putin was saying, and draw the distinction between the two, then that would be a good take away.
I know by experience that some people tune so deeply in to what an interpreter is saying that they think its actually what the original person is saying, and they mentally conflate the two.