Interesting. It’s well known that piracy of intellectual property is a major problem in Asian countries, but I wasn’t aware that part of the piracy occasionally involves making wholesale editorial changes to the product. For example, here is an article about pirating of Bill Clinton’s autobiography in China,
Translators are recruited by the counterfeiters to take out whole sections and even add others to make them more appealing.
Out went: “I was concerned about China’s continued suppression of basic freedoms” and “I went to bed thinking that China would be forced by the imperatives of modern society to become more open.”
In came: “She (Hillary) was as beautiful as a princess. I told her my name is Big Watermelon” and “China is a mysterious and unique place.”
I guess it depends on the meaning of “translation.”
Source:
Fake Clinton Biography. Sky News, July 21, 2004.