De Volkskrant’s extensive production last weekend about Wim Hof and the domestic violence he was guilty of was also translated into English because there was ‘foreign interest’. Anneke Stoffelen, one of the two authors of the article, said this to Villamedia when asked. Last modified: October 2, 2024, 9:18 AM
Op the newspaper’s website In addition to a Dutch version, an English translation was also published on Saturday.
‘In this case we had it translated into English, because after an earlier publication about Hof (in October 2023) was already approached by foreign journalists who also wanted to delve into his story. So then you actually already know that there is foreign interest.’
Film about Hof shut down
Following the publication of the newspaper, the British production house Genesius Pictures, which is currently working on an international feature film about Hof, decided to halt work on the film.
With the English version, the article reached a wider audience than just the Netherlands. Making the film was also the reason for Hof’s ex-partner and her children to contact de Volkskrant.
Exclusive stories
According to Stoffelen, it often happens that an English-language version of the article is published for ‘exclusive stories that you can suspect will arouse international interest’.
A dive into the archives of de Volkskrant shows that this has indeed happened several times in recent years, including in an article by Stoffelen and Ana van Es about the ‘White Helmets’ in Syria.
But also, for example, at the stories of migrant workers in the Netherlands and the role of the AIVD in proving Russian interference in the US elections.
