So do they talk at all, I mean the great Willem and Maxima? If I decide to shine in my wife's language I tend to ask her opinion.

Also does it make Willem the Great having done mistake or it's translator who lost it?

By Jon | November 6, 2009 9:56 AM

Just a small correction, it is not "Cámaron" but "Camarón" and let me laugh...I think it was so cool prince Willem made that expression, I'm really sure guests at the speech were not offended, we (Mexicans) use that word so much that even the "rudeness" of its nature is very common an popular!

By Pablo | November 6, 2009 11:18 AM

..has to be a joke!

By Native Latin - Spanish speaker | November 6, 2009 12:12 PM

It is certainly the translator who is at fault and a real bad one. I have family whom are translators and interpretors and such things are the first thing you avoid.

It is interesting that some of these differences were not already pointed out and especially when Princess Maxima is Argentine. I also have learnt my wife's language (Arabic) and the unique local terms were the first thing that came up.

Either way, the result is absolutely funny.....

By Solkhar | November 6, 2009 12:53 PM

Hi, this is far from real! Being Argentine myself, "Chingada" is not used at all in Argentina. Tide is "Corriente". Period. Unless the translator made use of an on-line translator....! I would like to be Maxima's translator...I could do a better job than the current translator!

By Martin | November 6, 2009 4:14 PM

I like it better, it's at least a memorable line.

By pieter | November 6, 2009 4:34 PM

Ah, they must be human, after all. Do none of us have faults, and make mistakes? Let's worry about the really big problems in the world, like killing soldiers at Ft. Hood.

By barbara | November 6, 2009 7:29 PM

The story got me a bit confused. I now inderstand, that the prince should have called it a South American expression (not Mexican) and the translator must have been a Mexican, not an Argentinian.

By Frans | November 6, 2009 9:29 PM

It's natural and logical to commit mistakes when you speak another language or dialect. Mexicans, in the other hand, are well-known because of their rude way of talking daily -- so they are probably not as annoyed as we think they are.

By dulaman | November 6, 2009 10:38 PM

This "... while chingada is considered everyday language in most of South America, in Mexico it is considered extremely vulgar..." is completely wrong. I have a lot of south american friends and they never use "la chingada", this is completely mexican and as Pablo said, it is normal for us, in Mexico being offensive depends on the tone more than words.

By Ray | November 7, 2009 10:33 AM

In Spanish of Spain or Castillian Chingada means nothing,is normal to have mistakes with the types os Spanish and words which have so many meanings.

By Miguel Carlos | November 7, 2009 10:37 AM

Surely that translator has never used a dictionary in his life, because in Spain is also a rude word (and quite probably, in other countries too), and if you check the dictionary, it clearly says MALSONANTE (rude)

By . | November 7, 2009 1:59 PM

I'm a resident of Mexico City - and I can tell you that the comment was received with sympathy. Most people believe he was the victim of a bad translation or a joke in bad taste, not that he actually meant to be rude. Furthermore - his visit would have passed all but unnoticed hadn't he made his point so aptly.

By Jaime | November 7, 2009 8:34 PM

Who can possibly blame a translator for something this stupid? Who needs a translator to translate a Mexican proverb into Spanish, since Spanish is the official language in Mexico, implying that Mexican proverbs have to be in Spanish... Unless of course William A. quoted a proverb from Aztek times, but I doubt he even knows what Azteks (or Mayas for that matter) are.
This mixed-up proverb is nothing but a simple "chingada"...

By dwarslezer | November 8, 2009 10:15 AM

Interpreters/translators could have been sacked for a mistake like that,I find the Dutch royalty rather fun to watch. They are showing their human side ( GASP )

By USADUTCH | November 9, 2009 12:38 AM

The only bad thing about all this issue is that unfortunately the prince didn't smile after the mentioned line, he probably wasn't fully aware about the meaning of these "spicy" words, it would've been nice if he have laughed about it...the cherry of the pie! At the end even royalty are humans as well! Good for Willem-Alexander!

By Pablo | November 9, 2009 8:54 AM

A recent study shows that on average, mexicans use over one-thousand obscenities in a single day. The word 'chingada' (as well as the verb 'chingar' and the many words derived from it) have as many meanings as you can imagine, so Prince W-A's only mistake was to use the word in a formal speech.

By Blaueskaefer | November 9, 2009 10:44 PM

I am a translator and one of the first things that we do is learn the differences between the dialect spoken in one country from another. Chingada is NOT used in any other country but Mexico. It is 100% mexican. The fact that the prince used it without knowing what he was saying only means that the translator did not know what he was doing. He (or she) was either new to the job or did not know enough Spanish to know all of the aforementioned facts. Can you imagine what happens when 'electronic' translators are used?

By FRANCISCO | November 26, 2009 12:51 AM

let me tell you, haha im Mexican and actually for more was not an offence at all, was so cool to hear the prince saying that, is not a proper word but as forigner and the context he used and the topic of the meeting, actually he show that he can talk to the people and not keep the status of royalty... i mean was so funny and cool he say that hahahahah

By dante | January 11, 2010 3:39 AM