(CNN) - When it comes to Russia, the Obama administration has been talking about “pressing the reset button.” It’s meant to symbolize a possible new start in U.S./Russian relations, which “crashed” after Russia invaded Georgia last August.
So when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton greeted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva Friday before sitting down to their working dinner, she was all smiles when she presented him a small green box with a ribbon.
Lavrov opened it and, inside, there was a red button with the Russian word “peregruzka” printed on it.
"I would like to present you with a little gift that represents what President Obama and Vice President Biden and I have been saying and that is: 'We want to reset our relationship, and so we will do it together.' ...
"We worked hard to get the right Russian word. Do you think we got it?" she asked Lavrov, laughing.
“You got it wrong," said Lavrov, as both diplomats laughed.
“It should be “perezagruzka” [the Russian word for reset]," said Lavrov."This says ‘peregruzka,’ which means ‘overcharged.’”
A quick comeback – and recovery – from Clinton: "We won't let you do that to us, I promise. We mean it and we look forward to it."
Ever the diplomat, Lavrov says he’ll put the “reset” button on his desk.
A few minutes later, Clinton senior adviser Philippe Reines sent an e-mail message to reporters covering the Secretary of State.
“Since we're all learning a little Russian today, ‘opechatka’ is Russian for ‘typo,'” he wrote. “So the *Opechatka* is being fixed, the gift will correctly read ‘Perezagruzka’ by the time of the joint press conference. If any of you travel with labelmaking devices equipped with Russian spell-check, please do let me know...”
From CNN Politics
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God I wish that was an ejection seat button...
nice. The translator should be fired. Oh, and the person that verified it, should be fired. Nothing says how little you care then messing up a one word translation.
When the State Department of the United States cannot translate a single simple word in Russian for our Secretary of State, we are in big trouble. Let's hope the word "friend" is not similar to "fire" in Russian
LOL... this was cute.. and a good gesture by the administration... now you just have to keep your word!
Great Diplomacy idiots....
give Russia a Red Button to play with.
This is seriously the most inept administration we have ever seen.
Please George Bush just come back for a month and DO NOTHING so we can have another election.
Wow... poor White House can't seem to get anything right.
LOL! Hey, if we can laugh together, it's a good first step:D
Someone's losing his or her job over this one. HRC will be spitting nails when she gets back to the Sec of State offices.
A sense of humor and open honesty has always gone further than bullying and pistol-whipping.
Everything can be handled with a sense of humor. Little mixups like this can actually bond the participants if properly handled. Kudos on both sides for not taking the issue too seriously!
Good thing it didn't say, "Goodbye Moscow"!
That is perfect. The Obama administration seeking change/restart, but in reality just overcharging us for poor government.
Now that is diplomacy!
Much better than the sabre rattling McCrypt and the shrub did over Georgia and Russia just so McCrypt might get elected.
The American electorate is not as stupid as you repubs thought!
Why am I not surprized. Like most of Obama's plans they are are under-thought and 1/2 done.
Looks like they both have a good sense of humor...leave it to Hillary to have a come back! I LOVE her as Secretary of State!
I bet G.W. Bush wish that button fires a couple of warheads on Moscow!
Happy that the "yanks and southerners" finally start to understand what world peace really means! All heil diplomacy!
...this picture is too funny for words. I wonder if Putin would cheese for that photo like that?
It's just a simple case of a foreign language barrier and worth a few chuckles. Thank goodness Americans speak english–well, most of us do–rather than speaking russian. Good luck Hillary, at least the red button didn't read "reset nuclear families!"
Diplomacy at work...
She meant to give the "overcharged" button to the American taxpayer, I hope this means we will be given a reset button soon.
That reset button crap makes me nervous
Good! It's about time.
its great to see them laughing as its minor mis-spell,,,, instad of getting angry,, laughters good,,, maybe now we can get things rolin on the right track,,,,with other countries
Latest sign of administration ineptitude
Excellent way to open up dialogue which gave Hillary a good feel for what to do and say next, this was no error. Got to give it to Hillary, she's a cunning and smart. I myself have used some of the same techniques in business and it does work, nobody likes a know it all.
LOL!!!
D,OH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As much as I would hate to say this, Former Sec. of State Rice would have probably not got that wrong. Nonetheless, its still a bit funny. Glad to see HR Clinton representing the USA.
This is diplomacy. I love it!! Good job Secretary Clinton.
What a joke our Gov't is
THIS IS EMBARRASING! Why the hell are we giving Russia anything with a little red button on it? "Reset"? What about "finger on the button"? Are we that far removed from the nuclear cold war? This was extremely poorly thought out even without the "typo" . . .
Funny but no big deal, we should keep it as is ("overcharge") because we could use the money.
You gotta admit, this was pretty funny...
SOS Hillary Clinton is doing one helava job as top diplomat. Going to Asia, Middle East and to Russia. Going abroad and trying to bring our one time friends back. She has the clout and she is loved. This is something that President Obama seen in her when he tapped her for this position. This makes Bill awfully proud.
What is this bunk that relations crashed after Russia invaded Georgia?
Relations crashed after the nutty president of Georgia "invaded" the separatist states of South Ossetia and Abkhazia with his army and committed genocide on the people there. He was angry that these states did not want to be a part of Georgia; they wanted to be independent and were much friendlier with Russian than Georgia.
It was pathetic during the debates that both McCain and Obama stuck to the tired old line of Russia being the big bad bear and ignoring the killings of people in those provinces by the Georgian army.
Granted the Russian are our rivals but that means we ignore state sponsored killings by the Georgian army because we want to play political games? All over Europe, the Georgian president was blamed for that mess (it is their backyard after all) but here in the US, the view we're fed is it was all the fault of Russia.
That's my girl. Hillary thinks fast on her feet and I am proud of her.
At least it didn't say something else... they could've triggered WWIII
Oh oh, I don't like the finger Lavrov chose to push the reset button. Is that the sign of a better relationship? just kidding
Are we sure it's not a listening device? What a good trick!
I'm just glad it wasn't the word for launch.
What about the EASY button!!??
lolol...man, what a bunch of clowns this administration is. If Bush's administration would've made that mistake the media would be dancing in the streets but because it's kommandant Obama's crowd, well, it's all in good fun.
To Hillary Clinton,
i came to America in the year 96, and since then i was thinking that america is democratic country but could not represent a woman as its president since last 122/of years why.........?
all though you miss the chance against Obama in the last election.
but President Obama had been equally genarious that he choose your
voice in his administration. and so are so humble that you took up the chance to change the world in a differnt way.
i till rember the stories of great fighting between the 2 big powers of then world in
from the years 1954 to and on wards competating in developing different
nucleare arms/missiles tanks atc.which they could utilised yet.
but brought tremendious pressure over the other worlds countries.
"mr gorbochov turn down that The Burliin wall dividing the unity of german people" was the american stratagies and then to break the Great Russian Empire. and so they did..
and this is the American policy i had read during my study of history.
president Bush went on war on iraq on the flimsy groud in the
name of securing the safety of america but in doing so he brought
unbeliveable soorows/hardship and down turn of american economy and
what not?
in view of this you are on right track to shake hand with russian/
and else where. President Obama is too. from mr.desai
Overcharge!? No, no, that's what Congress does to taxpayers...
Clinton is clueless. What a joke..
And the free spending of this administration continues
thanks for a laugh, on a edgy day.
now, get to work, mrs. clinton!
Nice. I like what I'm seeing from our foreign policy team
Whatever! it is still a very good sign. And oh! the smiles looks genuine. Great job madam secretary.
Since that button was purchased by the government, the word "overcharged" is entirely appropos!!!
I'm all in favor of restoring relationships with Russia,... but I just want to make sure I got this right... the President's idea for a gift to the Russians was a big red button? Didn't any public relations officer stand up at some point and go "Um,... sir. Maybe the symbolism of presenting them with "the button" might be innapropriate". Did we include a pair of two matching keys with it?
I love Hillary and President Obama...Hillary is always smiling, im so happy she's our Sec of State, she's the best face for this nation!
Glad we have incompetents representing the United States.
Great symbolism, present a button that looks like a nuclear detonator.
What a clown show our government has become.
Love her or hate her but she is one smart women.
Bravo,
I am proud to be an American agan! Thank you Hillary Clinton for serving our Country with diplomacy insted of guns. My great thoughts are with you. Best Peter Bek-gran Opera Restaurant Key West
LOL, well maybe that was meant for the American Taxpayer! Leave it to the overpaid bureaucrats to screw that one up too!!
ok, so beyond the typo, does it occur to anyone else that pushing a red button is an inappropriate symbol? Doesn't anyone else see the symbolic 'nuclear button'?
There is not one Russian language expert in the State Department who could have gotten this right?
That is too funny. A mis-place A could have started and international incident. Next time Hillary just present a nice bottle of Vodka.
lol.. no I think she had it right
No doubt women across America are going to be scrambling to get pregnant this weekend, so they can run out and get an abortion in a few weeks? Yeah, that sounds just as idiotic when read as it does when the false moralists spew it loudly and to ad nauseum.
instead of reset button that looks like a launch button, wow we pay how much in government tax dollars and we couldn't get a the russian word for reset right?
Cant help but feel that if Bush or one of his administration members did this,all the democrats would be shouting about how dumb he was.
The joke may not have worked as expected, but Hillary Clinton is intelligent, worldly, charming, and tough as nails! I'm happy that she is the Secretary of State and thankful that she is representing the United States abroad and not Sarah Palin -Dear Lord, just imagine that....
Why is it that only the Russians and the Asians still need translators to deal with the governments of other nations? South Americans, Europeans and Africans can all conduct diplomacy in the accepted international diplomatic language: English. They used to be able to do this in French, when it was the official language. There's a reason why there's an official language. It is so that there will be no impediment to communication between world leaders and their diplomatic consuls.
You get what you elect. I guess all that time as 1st lady is paying off in foreign policy experience
With so many past generations of Americans living in fear of a Russian finger on "the button" ... it makes me cringe to see our Secretary of State giving the Russians a button to push.
Oh, great, the beginning of "Gimmick Diplomacy" ...
Fabulous.
lol. Cute story.
I'm so proud of Hillary.
Can u imagine?? So many supposedly smart people in the State Department and they cant even get a simple translation right. Wonder who is clearing out their desk and being transferred to a weather station in Nome, Alaska over this one.
so, we can't even get someone that speaks Russian? That inspires confidence
All this money being poured into government, foreign policy, national security, etc., and no one at the state department can spell-check the word "reset" in russian or find someone else that knows...
Hope these guys aren't working for the cia. They might mistake lunch for launch and there goes WWIII...
At least he got the joke.
I mean, why might the Russians take a "red button" the wrong way?
Did it not occur to them that the image of Russia and the US pushing big red buttons together could be taken to mean something else entirely???
(Nope, not a political statement or criticism– I just think it's funny as heck.)
Not quite as funny as when JFK accidentally said "I am a jelly Donut" in Germany, but any laughter with our Russian allies would be good at a time like this.
Wow, good to know we got a bunch of detail oriented idiots running the show
guess that's our foreign policy...speak first, whoops, then reset. nothing changes....just the party
What is more a joke this week. Baracks insult to our greatest allies, the joke he looked like with his love note for Russia. The collection of DVD's for Brown, Hillary's maniacal laugh or this stupidity. They thought Bush was an idiot Obama has set the bar even lower this week.
That's Funny.
If this had been a Bush gaffe, the democrats would have been all over this. Obamorons will certainly gloss this over.
OMG. Their staff cant even translate the one word they present. Hope they don't mix up something important. The error people are back....Can't even blame Monica for distracting the White House for this error.
Cute
Oh....... MY....... GAWD.....................!!!!!!!!!! The idiocy and incompetence of this administration is absolutely amazing.
Hillary has proven herself time and time again what a great leader she is...the whole world loves the CLINTONS...they will get AMERICA back on track.....
The button that said 'supercharged' was at Monica's place.
That was an aweome joke.... should have checked it twice anyways... but to start a conversation with laughter is equally important... so it is a win win situation, I say
Clinton does and will continue to do a reasonably good job as long as she is in tune with Obama.
hehehe. good to see hillary can get chummy with her counterparts worldwide.
Haha! I think that's hilarious, given our former President's way with words! How ironic. But you know what? Humor is a great diplomat, and with all the seriousness of our situation with Russia, I think that this humanizes both sides! We are all one people sharing this Earth, and we have as much in common with eachother as we don't. God given free will in all peoples of this world will lead to conflct and disagreement, but God also gave us the ability to identify with eachother, and to work through those conflicts and disagreements. Thank you, humor!
In Soviet Russia, the reset button overcharges YOU.
"Reset button?" "Lost in translation"? Boy, am I EVER spitting up in my mouth. (Just saying.)
This was an idiotic gift esp. given the connotations of the big red button with nuclear war.
Maybe it was intentional?
too funny
NICE PHOTO!
While they are fixing the typo – how about writing the word in Cyrillic instead of romanization?
Why are my comments never posted on this site? I'm begining to think the neo cons might be right about this network.
Before all the hatefilled anti- Hillary remarks begin, let me first point out that Pres. Bush had a marker engraved to commemorate Katrina that was placed in Jackson Square. There were at least two or three misspelled words on it, and it wasn't even in Russian ( no translation required). Of course I know the President wasn't the one who engraved the stone, so I'm not blaming him. Before you start on Hillary, think about that, please.
OOPs... yes the "over-charge" button belongs back in DC where Obama and his Democrats push it daily.
Good lord – is THIS what our foreign policy has come to?? Gimmicks?? Oh and I'm sure our once solid allies in the region (Georgia, Poland, Ukraine, etc) just LOVE seeing Obama/Hillary bending over to accommodate Russia.
Yeah...we'll just forget about that little invasion incident in Georgia. Let's "start over".
(eyes rolling)
Proffesional Fighters come from the Old-Ceylon. Will work for anyone.
They are bitter since India invaded. You have to keep going back the Bigger picture. What has happened in that part of the World since 1956 etc...
lol overcharged
I know the Cold War is technically over, but the picture of us giving the Russians a big red button to push still looks quite ironic...
This woman has just proved how grossly unqualified she is to hold this post. She is a joke get rid of her now or just leave her over there I really don't care either way.
I actually found this a good article. A little on the fun side but we need that from time to time and the picture was a good one. Showed the playful nature of the event. Good reporting.
Good Hillary You have gotton off on a good start.....
Haha! I think that's hilarious, given our former President's way with words! How ironic. But you know what? Humor is a great diplomat, and with all the seriousness of our situation with Russia, I think that this humanizes both sides! We are all one people sharing this Earth, and we have as much in common with eachother as we don't. God given free will in all peoples of this world will lead to conflct and disagreement, but God also gave us the ability to identify with eachother, and to work through those conflicts and disagreements. Thank you, humor!
lol, hilarious...
Spell-check wouldn't have caught that mistake...
It should read, crude oil $20.00 a Barrel!
Having lived through much of the cold war, it's so nice to see the two countries laughing about a red button! I find it funny and light hearted, and not fear driven which gets so old.
If it weren't so sad it would be funny. This administration may make the Bush presidency look saavy and intelligent!
Mrs. Bill CLinton please stay in RUSSIA!
OMG! The Russian is flipping us the bird!!
you say POTATOE...
Hillary is an idiot and this proves it. Good job Hillary.
Heyyy... how did the OVER-CHARGE button get out of Obama's office? What will Nancy, Harry and Obama do on their weekly meetings without being able to push it???
Can't wait for the SNL spoof...
Someone should Photoshop the Easy Button into that photo.
Did anyone consider that a "button" may not be a good item to use as a symbol of friendly relations between the US and Russia, given that the number one threat to each other is pushing the (nuclear) button? Wouldn't the Obama administration and the Department of State have considered that? Now there is a photo of them both "pushing the button". Must be a comfort to others...
I second the red button thing...this administration needs to pull their head out of their butt. RED BUTTON??? Russia...nukes??? Let alone with all of the so called specialists they have at their disposal, they can't even get the correct translation. Talk about making the US look like a bunch of idiots!!! What kind of CHANGE is this??? From bad to even worse...what is going on in Washington?
Now this is simply human frailties. I have found with foreign languages that both parties get a kick out of the misunderstandings of language! And it is not taken as a serious offense! Wonderful photo says it all!
American's are dumb... all the way up to the top.
Dumb, dumb, DUMB!!!
Cute, Hill...real cute. Gimmicks ALWAYS work for the DemacRAT party. Just like JFK loving Berliners, 'the secret letter to Medvedev', and the 'Don't Mess with Joe' comments.
Quit it, already, with the gimmicks!!
She's a moron and doesn't deserve her position.
what would you expect from a nobama cabinet member. But the good news is she is not president. The russians are lol at Americas' CHANGE.
Overcharged is what the American taxpayer is for this garbage. Stop wasting our time and money Washington!
Relations with Russia went downhill after they turned into a smaller version of the Soviet Union, and started killing jounalists, oppostion figures, and anyone who disagrees with them. They have no free press, they are helping the Iranians obtain a nuclear bomb, and are bullying Georgia, Ukraine, and the Baltics. Oh, but let's suck up to them and tell them that's all (Bush's) fault.
Note to Hillary: the Russian isn't laughing with you. He's laughing at you. He's thinking,"How did the county that beat us in the cold war elected such a fool as Senator, and how can she be the (ugly) face of American diplomacy.
Maybe Hillary is hedging her bets with the Chinese, and is looking for another dictatoryship to get campain contributions from.
at least they talk about it, unlike some in the past who might have just started shooting...
I agree with John, that the first thought I had was the Cold War's "nuclear attack" button. What a stupid thing to do. And then we couldn't even get ONE WORD IN RUSSIAN CORRECT??? Makes the Americans look pretty stupid, and Clinton even stupider.
Yup....let's continue to make nice with the bear...Maybe next time it will be our little country they want to stomp on instead of Georgia. Whats next......Telling N. Korea "awe you're not so bad dunno what S. Koreas problem is"....maybe they will like us too.
AWESOME!
I'm sure that the poor translator at the State Department is looking for a new job. But Clinton handled it like a pro. She is really in her element. Go Hillary!
Oh well, it was the thought that count. And now there's a sweet story behind it, too. I think it's a good thing... a good error. A great error, even.
A red button with a mistakenly translated label sounds great. but one of those cool DVD sets of Hollywood movies always makes a nice thoughful gift for world leaders as well.
If the Russians want to regift the button, they could give it to the U.S. taxpayers. Its label "Overcharged" will make for a nice souvernier of the stimulus package and future budgets.
what an embarressment
fire them all and get new translators
also, should we be forgiving them for Georgia? I think Russia was way over the line
You would have thought the hyped brilliance of the Dems could have got one Russian word correctly. What a farce this show is becoming !
Dave, "she handled it like a pro"? How so?
She said "We won't let you do that to us, I promise. We mean it and we look forward to it."
What's the English translation of that?
I liked it. Everybody deserves an opportunity to do over. Get it fixed and let it symbolize what it intended. I'm not a Hillary fan but the gesture was timely!
You mean to tell me, we don't have one person in Washington who spoke Russian to ensure the word was right. Come on are you kidding me.....
If this where we are going with the Dems, I think I should have taken my chances with the Independents.
I think a set of DVD's would have been better.
What a joke this administration has become already! They insult the British with some stupid DVD collection – then misspell/misuse the Russian word for "reset". What a bunch of half-wit morons!
The Russians say they are very encouraged by "signals" from the Obama administration. Right- we say we'll abandon the missile defense shield, and they say will not help us put Iran in a box. Sounds like a rather one-sided arrangement. Who wouldn't be encouraged?
Is anyone giving odds on Keith Olbermann mentioning this unbelievable gaffe on his show tonight?
LOL. All you haters crawl back under your sad little rock. you never miss an opportunity do ya? I love HILLARY!
I have to say that this is a bit shocking. I took Russian in college and anyone who knows anything about a computer who's learned Russian will recognize the word for restart in Window's start ment is perezagruzka. Even the movie Matrix Reloaded was titles Matrix: Perezagruzka. Definitely made us look like ignorant Americans, the way many in the world see us. Whoever did that translation for her in the State Dept needs to be canned.
could tina fey do something brilliant with this or will it be swept under the rug (or slimy rock) that covers everything democrats do in our illustrious press!
She also got the names of two Europeon union members wrong and said that our Democracy has been around longer than theirs has, oops genius, they have us by a few THOUSAND years.
Can one of the flock of nitwits rationlize this BEYOND blaming or talking about Bush?
Bush is gone yay, but we are left with bigger little leaguers.
How about Obambi screwing Brown over with a couple of gift shop trinkets and movies that had NO MEANING, good job Barry, these people were our ALLIES that fought with us REMEMBER, and that was the best you can do?
I love you shep rationalizing THESE GAFFES, you would have been all over Bush and guess what, YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN RIGHT TOO,
One and done Barry.
This is the stupidest thing you will see for a very long time.
Someone else added to the unemployment line. hahahaha. man. you can guarantee that person got fired.
I found the incident sad. I was hoping this administration would show some substance. Instead we have tired, childish jokes by our Secretary of State and a water-cooler whiner for President. I don't think she presented an image of a competent diplomat, nor is our President acting Presidential. He spends most of his time complaining how everyone did everything wrong, how he's not at fault for anything, and how he's going to try to fix it but he's not sure how that will work. You can't fix what you won't own.
Hmmmm, alright, not bad...just don't look him in the eye Hillary! LOL!!!
You'd think they'd have a translator on staff, or access to one, at least. Good thing they didn't accidentally come up with a dirty word, or something like that.
I'm sure no one on this blog has ever made a mistake...you're all perfect, right? I think it's a funny story in an otherwise gloomy week. If they laughed...why aren't you?
We are the ones that got the "overcharged" button.
Big government, you know.
To hell with the typo, did nobody at the State Department think it was bad taste to photographically symbolize relations between the US and Russia with two foreign ministers pushing a red button......even as a joke? Guess it's a good thing "peregruzka" doesn't translate to "launch."
What's the Russian word for "we-surrender-so-feel-free-to-invade-and- take-over-whoever-and-whatever-you-want-button?"
I wouldn't be joking about any buttons with the former Soviet Union...
Fire the fool who made that mistake.
Its not funny.
Wars can start over the wrong words.
GREAT, a Sec. of State who uses idiomatic expressions. World War III, here we come...
Ha haha!!! this is laughable and a bit side numbing. President Bush made huge flops everyday and he can't pronounce a simple word, yet I have seen a Republican wince at his misquotes.
There must be mistakes in every corner and correction will always work as long as no pun is meant.
The best minds can't get everything correct but since this was so important (the reset button) it should have been right.
Chalk it up to human mistake and not a dumb or ignorant flip. After all the years Bush spent as President, he still can't pronounce nuclear.
Glad they had a laugh over it. We all need a sense of humor.
A little levity used to make a point. Way too subtle for the average Republican! No wonder they're getting worked up.
Wanted: Russian Translator
Where: U.S. Department of State
Starting Date: Earlier this afternoon
Hillary is the only Obama's senior cabinet member who is doing a decent job. Obama's economic team appears still impotent with the bad economy we are in.
Hillary is a breathe of fresh air, who is comfortable in eihter foreign palaces or poor villages. She was welcome by the Empress of Japan to her home during Hillary's visit there, and no other american secretary of state could have been given this privilege.