Make Sure You Translate Properly

[Guest paul thompson]

I am studying a course in Marketing and I came across these translations of ads for big corporations

 

Parker pens ad catch line was "It won't leak in your pocket and embarass you" embarazar in spanish means pregnant so it translates to "it won't leak in your pocket and make you pregnant"

Chinese cocacola was named Ke-kou-ke-la to make it sound like the original, but in certain dialects means female horse stuffed with wax

 

and Come alive with pepsi was translated into Tiwanese meant Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead!

 

Brilliant, note all American companies.

[Guest Martin.cma]

The Americans can't take all the blame. A certain British company flopped a US product launch by proclaiming "Nothing sucks like a Hoover". Two countries divided by a common language.

[Peter Bell]

There are some car related ones too, the MR2 isn't so called in france as it sounds like merde! and many years ago Vauxhall were going to call the Chevette Vixen, but in german it sounds something like a bloke playing with himself apparently. I am sure there must be many more.

Peter

[Guest TerryBarry]

Another GM one - in Spain ( and most of Europe) they sold the Corsa, since Nova sounds like "Doesn't Go"

 

Hmmm, apparently this is an urban myth, sorry for any confusion

 

Although there is some truth in the Mitsubishi Pajero - this was sold as the Montero

Pajero is a vulgar spanish term for what the referee is often called - W******

Edited March 28, 2007 by TerryBarry

[Bob Tucker]

And a Formula 1 team had to cover up their sponsor stickers racing in Portugal.....

Thier sponsor was CONA coffee........

 

You work it out....