I think Davel has hit on a definitive cite regarding the problems which have arisen due to mistranslation of some witness statements.
http://miscarriageofjustice.co/index.php?topic=6044.msg256351#msg256351It stands to reason that given the circumstances of the event that although people were doing their best the hurried translations were never going to be perfect.
What a shame so many misconceptions have been allowed to arise at the time and to stand unnecessarily for over eight years.
Hopefully the PJ will manage to get a definitive solution to the problem.
Quote ...
Interesting snippet from a telegraph article for those who want to pretend there are NO inaccuracies in the translations...looks like the Portuguese police think otherwise
Portuguese detectives investigating the case of the missing four-year-old have admitted that they are reassessing the original witness statements to look for inaccuracies in their translation.
"In the early days of the investigation there were dozens of statements being given at what was a very confusing time," a police source said.
"Obviously the police acted in good faith in their selection of translators but given all that has been said about the various contradictions in the versions of events, detectives are now re-examining the possibility that there may have been some problems," he said.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1569143/Madeleine-McCann-Possible-translation-errors.html