Say what? Dalai Lama's strong accent turns 'forget' into profanity

By NBC News and wire services

The Dalai Lama didn't curse at a Brown University event, the school swears — even if closed captioning being shown with a live video stated differently.

The exiled Tibetan leader was urging listeners Wednesday night to share his thoughts with other people if they found them interesting. If not, he said, they could "forget" it.

But a person transcribing the Dalai Lama's remarks for closed captioning misheard the word "forget" for a profanity, a university spokeswoman said.

The closed captioning on a large screen at the Rhode Island Convention Center transcribed the remark as "f*** it."

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Some in the audience also believed the Dalai Lama, who has a strong accent, had used a profane phrase. Questions have arisen previously over the same comment in other venues.

The Dalai Lama is interviewed by NBC's Ann Curry during his October 2012 visit to New York. In the interview he discusses the more than 50 Tibetans who have set fire to themselves in search of religious freedom.

The Dalai Lama has been visiting various cities over the last month.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.