The Netherlands publisher has officially announced that Oman has secured the translation rights for a book by an acclaimed author.
However, the author has categorically denied any responsibility for an apparent translation error that included the names of alleged royal critics in the Dutch version of the book.
This translation error has sparked considerable skepticism among commentators, including royal experts, who find it perplexing that two names could be mistranslated.
Some have even speculated that this might have been a deliberate ploy to generate publicity and boost book sales.
Yesterday, the author, Omid Scooby, issued a statement acknowledging the translation error in the Dutch version and expressing his satisfaction that it was being corrected.
In contrast, the Netherlands publisher, Xander Yudis, vaguely acknowledged an error in the Dutch edition without openly admitting to a translation issue.
This significant difference in their statements suggests a clear difference of opinion on what actually transpired.
The notion that this was merely a translation error has left many commentators unconvinced, to say the least.
Royal reporter Phil Dampier, among the skeptics, boldly stated that it is difficult to believe that the error occurred solely due to a problem with translation.
Dampier, the author of the book “Royally Suited: Harry and Meghan in Their Own Words,” didn’t hold back in pointing out that skepticism is warranted when it comes to anything Omid Scooby says, given his track record of not being particularly truthful.
Dampier went further, unapologetically stating that Scooby is Meghan’s loyal supporter and it comes as no surprise that Prince Charles and especially Catherine found themselves named in this controversy.
Dampier suggested that Meghan has been seeking revenge ever since she failed to convince the Queen that she is on par with Catherine.
Furthermore, Dampier reminded everyone that Scooby has previously admitted to lying about his age, making it necessary to take anything he says with a grain of salt.
Dampier continued, emphasizing that Scooby is a master at creating spectacles to boost book sales.
He suggested that this entire controversy might just be another one of his orchestrated stunts.
However, Dampier stressed the importance of acknowledging that it is tremendously unfair to involve members of the royal family unwittingly in this nonsense.
Recent revelations on Tumblr have further fueled the fire, suggesting that Scooby himself was responsible for contracting the translation of his book, not the publisher.
It was revealed that last year, Scooby announced that he had contracted Endgame for World English Rights, effectively passing the responsibility of translating the book into languages other than English to Endgame, not the publishers.
The deal was brokered by Kerry Thornton at Day Street, an imprint of HarperCollins, which also published the controversial book “Finding Freedom” and held the North American publishing rights.
To clarify, the distinction between World English Rights and World Rights lies in the management of foreign translations.
With World English Rights, the author manages foreign translations, while World Rights cover translations with the foreign publisher’s payment deducted from the author’s advance.
In this case, Scooby’s sale of World English Rights meant that he retained foreign translation rights.
Consequently, Xander did not receive the manuscript from Harley Quinn but rather from Omid Scooby’s agent.
Unfortunately for Omid Scooby, most major reviewers, both in the U.S. and elsewhere, have not held back their criticism, likening his book to nothing more than a pile of rubbish.
Nevertheless, it is expected that by the time Katherine’s Christmas concert rolls around, this entire controversy will have been forgotten and relegated to the dustbin of history.