Rafael Devers made a statement that may have been lost in translation Thursday.
Boston Red Sox superstar slugger Rafael Devers gave a statement to the media on Thursday, following the team’s 5-0 win over the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park. In that statement, he appeared to give a flat refusal when asked if he would be willing to take over first base duties, following a season-ending injury to regular Boston first baseman Triston Casas.
But did he really say that?
Several media members and Red Sox social media influencers took to their X (formerly Twitter) accounts shortly after Devers’ statements were initially reported. Devers, a native of the Dominican Republic, gave his statement in Spanish with a translator as he does for all public interviews.
Lost in Translation?
The media members and others, however, said that the translator’s interpretation of Devers’ statements was flawed, and failed to capture an important nuance. Namely, that Devers did not say he would refuse to learn the first base position — only that he did not feel ready to make the shift at the present time.
That was the point made by podcast host Robbie Hyde.
Just had my Spanish speaking girlfriend translate this. Raffy is basically saying the Red Sox wanted him to play 1B, but it’s not a good decision to play there right away since he needs time to adapt, and he’s not like other players who’ve done it quicker.
Another online Red Sox influencer account, Boston Strong, also said that the translation was faulty and that Devers, at least in the excerpts of his statement posted online, was not ruling out a move to first.
The person that translated every quote from Rafael Devers today should be FIRED right now, he made him look awful and didn’t translate what Devers said exactly. He even asked him twice to repeat what he said because he didn’t understand the first time.
But MassLive Red Sox beat reporter Chris Cotillo pushed back against the online criticism of the translator’s rendition of what Devers had to say, stating that the allegedly mistranslated lines were followed by “about 6 mins of confirming he didn’t want to play first after this.”
Cotillo then posted his own version of the Devers statement, in translation.
“They told me that they didn’t want to allow me to play any other position,” Devers said. “And now I think they should do their job essentially and hit the market and look for another player (to play first base). I’m not sure why they want me to be in between, the way they have me now,” Cotillo quoted Devers as saying.
The MassLive reporter added that when Devers was asked if he would change his mind about playing first base, he clearly answered “no.”
What continued to remain unclear, however, is whether Devers actually gave a blanket refusal to plat first base now or at any time in the future — or if he meant that he would be open to the position switch at some later date.
“I think this is probably because translating word for word in real time is not the expectation because it is legitimately impossible as a human being to listen to 45 seconds and go verbatim,” Cotillo added, on his own social media. “From what I understand, you’re trying to convey the spirit in the moment. Devers is a fluent English speaker who can stop him at any time to correct/re-direct. Importantly, he did not.”
More Literal Translation Reveals Devers’ Meaning
The SB Nation Red Sox blog Over The Monster posted its own version of Devers Spanish-language statement, followed by an English translation. Here is how the blogger, Avery Hamel, interpreted Devers’ words:
“So what happened with Casas came to me and I know that I am a player, but I can’t play all the positions either, I can’t adapt like any other player to a different position. If I play first, they know that I won’t play at once [that I won’t play right away].”
In the Over the Monster version, Devers appears to admit that it takes him longer than other players to adapt to a new position, and for that reason, cannot make the shift to first “at once,” a considerably different interpretation than the categorical refusal that was initially reported.
