<figure id="attachment_89109" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-89109" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-89109" class="wp-caption-text">Bucharest Romania – days of turbulence and upheaval.</figcaption></figure>

We’re trying something new today – if it works it will mark a significant change in how Past Daily covers history. As you know, Past Daily doesn’t just cover history that has involved America – it’s what has happened all over the world. But unless those events were covered in English, it was hard to provide even adequate translation of the many thousands of hours of overseas newscasts we have in the archive going back to the 1930s. Someday we were hoping technology would provide a method of being able to translate large chunks of audio and make them available as readable text. And although it’s far from perfect, companies like MacWhisper are perfecting methods of translation that are a few steps beyond “gist translation” in order to give you a better idea of what’s being said.

This broadcast, from Radio Bucharest is a combination of eyewitness accounts, messages to separated loved ones – commentary and reports from other news sources – I haven’t yet been able to sift through all the reports from all the days preserved, but needless to say it chronicles a tumultuous time, not only in Romania but Eastern Europe in General as the former Communist Bloc nations declare independence, one after the other.

What’s here is a 16 minute snippet of several days broadcasts from Radio Bucharest, reporting on the events surrounding the overthrow of Nicolai Ceausecu and his execution on December 26 – above is the audio and below is the translation from that broadcast. Ultimately, I would like this to be simultaneous with the audio feed but I’m working on that. In the meantime:

Like I said, this translation method is something new and I don’t know if this is going to work out – but we’re trying and if not now, then soon when technology makes it happen:

PDF file of the translation (click on the link and it will open in a new window):

Romanian Broadcasting – December 26, 1989

Comments would be welcome. (below is the plain text).

“In the message that the Romanian people transmitted to them, the reader of the Radio and that was the second armed Romanian people, I thank them from all the heart.

I thank the one who fought, who did not work 24 hours with 24 Roman brothers.

I watched the television images from the West and I saw what was in the state to do the criminal car and I was taken care of by a man named Ceausescu Nicolae.

The name that I have given, the name of the Romanian people, the words that you, Romanian brothers, will wash with your blood.

The Romanian brothers, your courage, have been mentioned throughout Europe, which is the strength of you.

The strength of the people who say that your courage is the gift of the goodwill of the Romanian people and you can no longer be judged.

It seems very bad that you cannot be the strength of yourself, but my heart and my soul are the strength of you, Romanian brothers.

My name is Alexandro Vidio. I am Romanian and as a Romanian citizen I am one of the most important.

The new government does not accept the help of my brother-in-law. Do not forget the history of the Romanian people.

Everyone ate and ate his wealth. The Romanian people can be the only one left who in a short time will be taken from the wind that will not return.

I and all the Romanian people are ready to come to help the people. I will be happy to have the permission to fight the battle of my people even with the risk of life.

In front of my eyes, even at the present time, the troops of the group of the commando, of the commissary, of the young, of the young, of the troops on the road.

To know that for us, too, those from the United States, feelings are the ones that can be harder.

We have fought to bring them to the bank of accusation, to criminal crimes, without a judge and without a heart.

My dear Romanian brothers, do not be angry eating your hands with your blood spilt. You must judge that it will be much harder for them.

The new government of Romania, do not forget that the demonstrations have reached the end of the life, time, freedom and democracy.

The Romanian people have been forced to fight for freedom, demonstrations along the path of the enemy and they have succeeded.

Leave the Romanian people to choose what they want, because their blood and children have been the roads of Romania. It is the right of the Romanian people.

The people of Ceausescu declared that they do not have the borders of recognition.

I hope that the new government will forget that for 45 years, the Romanian people cry out to their children, brothers, sisters, mothers, who, fortunately, helped these 4-5 Romanian people who did not have the borders of their sufferings.

They are Romanian people who were partly killed because of the deportations and the windows of Siberia and Kazakhstan.

The Romanian people have been forced to move to the free Europe by a message they have sent, a truth.

They have taken the end of World War II for Romania, once with the fall of the fascist regime, led by the support of the Ceausescu family.

But if the World War II is over, this means that Bosnia, the province and the country of Herzegovina can be destroyed.

We are Roman people, living in Romania, great and free.

Maybe now you will hear that for 45 years their voices have not been heard.

They have been in this wonderful, long and happy days.

The Romanian people are more likely to show that the Romanian people have their place in Europe and do not accept to live as free.

In the West, until now, the Romanian people have been forced to endure this torture.

One day, I was told, look at Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, the name of Romania is defamed, let’s destroy the Ceausescu government.

Today, the Romanian League has exploded. I was welcomed by the peat of the heart, the people are more likely to see that the Romanian people do not exist.

I love you, I am proud of you, you are the best of the Europeans.

And now I want to convey the words of the Romanian people.

I know that the European Union has heard your prayers, you have seen the Romanian people’s voice.

You can’t see that they are angry. Your hearts and necks will be taken away from your hearts all your life. You have one more chance, you will be given, you will be transmitted to all the Romanian people from all over the world.

Happy holidays.

The Romanian people are happy holidays and you will have the real Romanian people.

Thank you.

My address is Alexandro Viliu, Beowblingen, Austria, number 8, Federal Republic of Germany. Telephone 07-031-228526.

Thank you very much.

Thank you and a friend.

As you have already seen, the Romanian television announced that it will broadcast a movie about the process of the execution of the Nicolae and the Ceausescu island during the day. The film will be presented tomorrow evening.

The Bucharest made known to the people that because of the struggles, the transportation of the original films during the night was very risky.

A communication between the Council of the National Salvation Front,but today’s publications on te