France's President Emmanuel Macron has been left slightly red-faced after a lost in translation moment during his visit to Australia.
France's President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during a joint press conference in Sydney on 2 May, 2018. Photo: AFP
Mr Macron, who arrived in Sydney on Wednesday, switched flawlessly between French and English as he was quizzed at a press conference alongside Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
At the end of the conference, he came unstuck as he thanked Mr Turnbull's wife Lucy.
"I want to thank you for your welcome - thank you, and your delicious wife," he said.
"Thanks to you and Lucy, thanks to you very much, Mr Prime Minister."
He may have had the word "delicieux" in mind, which would translate into "lovely" or "delightful".
While more often used to describe a pastry or a meal, the word "delicieux" can also describe a person, even if it is a somewhat old-fashioned usage.
The comment lit up social media, replacing discussion about the leaders' deliberations on more weighty issues such as China's growing influence in the region.
Macron just said he wanted to thank Malcolm Turnbull and his "delicious wife".
— Alice Workman (@workmanalice) May 2, 2018
You can take the man out of France but...
I think President Macron just described Lucy Turnbull as "delicious"
— Jamie Cummins (@jc_cummins) May 2, 2018
The French President @EmmanuelMacron just referrened to @TurnbullMalcolm 's "delicious wife", in a slightly awkward mistranslation I imagine
— Nadia Daly (@nadiasdaly) May 2, 2018
During his visit he and Mr Turnbull also signed a series of agreements for closer military ties and cooperation on cyber security threats.
-BBC / ABC
