In 1977, President Jimmy Carter was in Poland for a state visit. While seeking a translator for his time there, the State department hired Steven Seymour, a freelance linguist known for his expertise in translating written Polish.

Carter's opening speech originally said: "I have come to learn your opinions and understand your desires for the future." However, Seymour translated the phrase into Polish as "I desire the Poles carnally."

That one mistake would have been bad enough, but Seymour's bad translation didn't end there. When carter stated how happy he was to be in Poland, it was translated as he was happy to grasp Poland's private parts. When he spoke about his departure from the U.S. it was translated to "when I left the United States never to return..." Lastly, when Carter went praised the Polish constitution of 1791 as one of three great documents in the struggle for human rights, Seymour told the Poles that their constitution was being ridiculed.

Reasonably enough, the Polish people were left angry and confused at the the leader of one of the most powerful countries in the world after hearing of his desire to fondle them and mock their constitution