The colleagues of the Dutch translators have said that “it’s unthinkable the royal names were added in” after Omid Scobie’s bold statement today.
The royal author appeared on This Morning with Craig Doyle and Alison Hammond today where he denied responsibility for the Dutch translation of Endgame including the names of the two “royal racists”.
WATCH NOW: Omid Scobie on This Morning
“I obviously can’t speak Italian, German, French, Dutch, or any of the other languages that come out.
“So, the only time you hear about the book is once it’s come out in the public domain. I am as frustrated as everyone else.
“I make it clear in this book that I, in every way possible, want to adhere to the laws surrounding this subject.”
The two Dutch translators that were named in the preface to Endgame in Holland were Saskia Peeters and Nellie Keukelaar-van Rijsbergern.
Endgame was released in the UK on Tuesday
HarperCollins
The colleagues of these translators told The Mail that it would be “unthinkable” that these women would choose to insert the names of the “royal racists” unless they were already in the manuscript.
Paul Janse, who runs a book translation service, said: “I find it really unthinkable that a translator would mention names that weren’t there in their English version, especially such a sensitive matter.
“To me, it does not make sense. As a book translator, you work with what is in front of you.
“I think they must have used a version with the names in it.”
Another translator added: “Why would they choose these particular names out of all of those they could use?
“They are very experienced professionals who have so many credits to their name. Why would they risk doing this and who is to say they got the right names.”
The publishers of Endgame have refused to make any comment about the controversy.
A spokesman for Xander Uitgevers based in Haarlem said: “There will be no further comment.”
All copies of the book were removed from bookstores across Holland on Wednesday and will be back on sale on December 8.
