West Wing Writers’ dour Scottish client
The left-of-center British newspaper The Guardian has broken the news that beleaguered British Prime Minister Gordon Brown paid Washington, DC based West Wing Writers fees totaling $40,000 for speechwriting services. The most recent fee of $7,045 was paid for editing his March 4th address to the Joint Session of Congress. Speculation is that Brown felt the need for American assistance with his rhetoric on a number of occasions, both as Chancellor and Prime Minister.
The relatively small fees would indicate that the American speechwriters tweaked the talk for cultural nuance, rather than deciding wholesale the content of a speech given by a foreign head of state. Nevertheless, reports The Guardian, because the work was done for a foreigner:
Details of the payments have emerged from documents West Wing Writers filed with the US justice department, required because the company was working on behalf of an agent of a foreign government – Brown.
It could be argued that by preventing the potential misunderstanding of British phrases such as “batting on a sticky wicket” or “horses for courses” the speechwriters more than earned their fees. On a more serious note, the need - in a world facing global challenges - for culturally appropriate language in important speeches must involve not just accurate translation into different languages by trained linguists, but the advice of speechwriters who understand the audience in the country where the speech is to be delivered.
Consider the alternative. Brown makes reference to the disparaging “Old Europe” phrase coined by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in the era of the Bush White House. Better a second pair of eyes on a speech attuned to local sensitivities than leaving a clanger like that in a text.
Judge for yourself if the dour Scot received value for money:
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