Monday, May 21, 2007
MISLAID IN TRANSLATION
Valerie writes -- "In the 30s in Spain the majority of the working class, especially women, were illiterate so the graphics on posters were important and hence all theamazing civil war stuff. The guy who did this one, Manuel Monleon, is a favorite artist.
It says "Woman, your conjugal bliss is in you hands."
While Wendy has sent the following unfortunate language anomalies…
Coors
Beer maker Coors discovered that its slogan "Turn it Loose" translated into Spanish as "Suffer from Diarrhea". The company immediately pulled the advertisements and changed the campaign's slogan to "Won't Slow You Down" which it said "better resonated with Spanish-speaking audiences".
Reebok
In 1996, Reebok named a new women's tennis shoe Incubus. Unfortunately, Incubus, according to medieval mythology, was a demon who ravished women in their sleep.
Coca-Cola
The corporation's slogan "Coke Adds Life" was reportedly translated into Thai as "Coke Brings Your Ancestors Back from the Dead".
David Beckham
The footballer thought he had made a public statement of love and affection for his wife until it emerged that a tattoo on his arm bearing Victoria's name in Hindi had been misspelt. "Whoever wrote this tattoo is clearly not a Hindi expert," said Padmesh Gupta, president of the United Kingdom Hindi Committee.
Ford Pinto
When Ford launched its Pinto car in Brazil, it was forced to rebrand the range after someone pointed out that "pinto" was slang for "tiny male genitals".
The secret word is Foreign
There was also the Chevy Nova, which translates to “no go” in Spanish.
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