User:DoctorWho42/Translation Error

"Translation Error" is a short story by American author Robert Silverberg. It was first published in the March 1959 issue of Astounding Science Fiction.

Background
Since its Astounding Science Fiction publication in March 1959, it was not recollected until the 1970 collection The Cube Root of Uncertainty.

Publication history
"Translation Error" was first published in the March 1959 issue of Astounding. It reappeared in The Cube Root of Uncertainty (1970), Transformations II: Understanding World History Through Science Fiction (1974), and Worlds of Maybe (1970).

Plot summary
Karn sees strange objects. His ship exits null-space into Earth's. They're satellites. He prepares to land. He did careful work in 1916. There would've been no war since due to the Treaty of Dusseldorf. It ensured a German victory. He hides his landing via scramblers. He transports autokinetically to New York City. He hovers over someone to duplicate. He chooses a grey-suited man. He must catch up. He had left in 1916. He visited in 1914. Germany should be dominant. Hethivar predicted Earth would enter space in centuries. Ultrabomb or internal intervention would solve things. They must remove the stimulus of war. He buys a newspaper but is shocked. In a park, he sits. Second Great War divided Germany. Russia and United States were adversaries. They would reach the Moon in ten years and later other planets. His work worsened things. Karn goes to the library. He scans a book. Everything was predicted correctly until 1914. Hethivar allowed war then. The Treaty of Dusseldorf did not end it. Germany provoked America in 1917. Russia overthrew its czar. There was an armistice in 1919. Germany rebuilt itself. Another war brought America out of isolationism. Germany and Japan were defeated. Earth is close to space travel. He transports and wants Hethivar to foment war. It would be easily instigated by a large American or Russian city's destruction. Karn reads their response. They can't make sense of his message. They order his return. Karn realises there's another Karn. They blend minds. His job is to protect Earth. He had shifted out of his world-line while leaving nullspace onto the wrong Earth. Karn had made a nearly 1% translation error. Nullspace had infinite exits and he chose incorrectly. He returns to orbit, converts to nullspace, and translates into his world-line. He finds no satellites. An Earther appears. Earthers could autokineticise now. Heinrichs asks if Karn is from space. Karn asks if he could blend minds. The World War ended in 1916. Earth was peaceful. They developed teleportation. Hethivar's limit was planetary. Earthers could autokineticise farther. It took Karn weeks to travel from Hethivar to Earth. Earthers could make instantaneous trips. Heinrichs probes his mind and was gone. Karn leaves Earth. He sends a radio message to Hethivar. It took weeks to reach Hethivar. He tells Adric about their autokineticising. Adric tells him about the Terran ambassador. They've signed the Treaty of Friendship weeks ago.

Reception
In 1971, SF Commentary's Barry Gillam said "Translation Error" reminded him of Arthur C. Clarke's "Rescue Party". In 1972, Vector's John Bowles decided "The plot staggers off in several different directions and finishes up by taking you absolutely nowhere except from page 55 to page 80 by, unfortunately, the longest route." Bowles compared it to "Absolutely Inflexible."