Ads lost in translation. Funny!
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Here are some of the best advertising screw-ups.
The name Coca-Cola in China was first rendered as Ke-kou-ke-la. Unfortunately, the Coke company did not discover until after thousands
of signs had been printed that the phrase means 'bite the wax tadpole' or 'female horse stuffed with wax,' depending on the dialect. Coke then
researched 40,000 Chinese characters and found a close phonetic equivalent, 'ko-kou-ko-le,' which can be loosely translated as 'happiness in
the mouth.'
In Taiwan, the translation of the Pepsi slogan 'Come alive with the Pepsi Generation' came out as 'Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from
the dead.'
Also in Chinese, the Kentucky Fried Chicken slogan 'finger-lickin' good' came out as 'eat your fingers off.'
The American slogan for Salem cigarettes, 'Salem - Feeling Free,' got translated in the Japanese market as 'When smoking Salem, you feel so
refreshed that your mind seems to be free and empty.'
When Parker Pen marketed a ball-point pen in Mexico, its ads were supposed to say 'It won't leak in your pocket and embarrass you.' However,
the company mistakenly thought the Spanish word 'embarazar' meant embarrass, and the ads said 'It won't leak in your pocket and make you
pregnant,' instead.
An American tee-shirt manufacturer in Miami printed shirts for the Spanish market which promoted the Pope's visit. But instead of the desired
'I Saw the Pope' in Spanish, the shirts proclaimed 'I Saw the Potato.'
In Italy, a campaign for Schweppes Tonic Water translated the name into Schweppes Toilet Water.
The Jolly Green Giant translated into Arabic means 'Intimidating Green Ogre.'
Bacardi concocted a fruity drink with the name 'Pavian' to suggest French chic . . . but 'Pavian' means 'baboon' in German.
Clairol introduced the 'Mist Stick,' a curling iron, into Germany only to find out that mist is slang for manure.
When Gerber first started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as in the USA -- jars with pictures of the cute little baby on
the label. Only later did they learn that in Africa, companies routinely put pictures on the label that describe what's inside, since most people can't
read.
And, as America's favorite chicken magnate, Frank Perdue, was fond of saying, 'It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken.' In Spanish,
however, his words took on a whole new meaning: 'It takes a sexually stimulated man to make a chicken affectionate.' -
Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead.
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the infamous car that refused to sell in Spanish-speaking countries.. the Chevy Nova..
no va means "it can't go" in Spanish
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Originally posted by ^tamago^:
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So Pope = Potato...
Cheers.
C.K -
Uh... got translation?Originally posted by ^tamago^:
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it is a literal translation of "KFC, we do chicken right" however, "chicken" in chinese is slang for "prostitute"
so it became "at KFC, it is right for us to be prostitutes"Originally posted by fudgester:Uh... got translation? -
Originally posted by the Bear:it is a literal translation of "KFC, we do chicken right" however, "chicken" in chinese is slang for "prostitute"
so it became "at KFC, it is right for us to be prostitutes"
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oh yah erm, don't drink pepsi during the Qing Ming festival.Originally posted by MooKu:Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead. -
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Originally posted by ^tamago^:
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LOLness +1
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Originally posted by jetta:And, as America's favorite chicken magnate, Frank Perdue, was fond of saying, 'It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken.' In Spanish,
however, his words took on a whole new meaning: 'It takes a sexually stimulated man to make a chicken affectionate.'
But overall really funny -
HAHA!! HAHAHAA!!Originally posted by ^tamago^: