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Lost in Translation?This month we are continuing to report on the infamous errors made by multinational corporations when translating brands or slogans abroad. We hope you will be entertained! When Pepsi entered the Chinese market a few years ago, the translation of their slogan "Pepsi Brings you Back to Life" was a little more literal than they intended. In Chinese, the slogan meant, "Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back from the Grave". In Italy, a campaign for "Schweppes Tonic Water" translated the name into the much less thirst quenching "Schweppes Toilet Water". Sometimes it's one word of a slogan that changes the whole meaning. When Parker Pen marketed a ballpoint 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. Instead the ads said "It won't leak in your pocket and make you pregnant." Foreign companies have similar problems when they enter English speaking markets. Japan's second-largest tourist agency was mystified when it expanded to English-speaking countries and began receiving requests for unusual sex tours. Upon finding out why, the owners of the Kinki Nippon Tourist Company changed its name. The company didn't change the name of all its divisions though. Visitors to Japan still have the opportunity to take a ride on the Kinki Nippon Railway. Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer Electrolux used the following in an American campaign: "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux". Did you know....?Chinatown in San Francisco is the largest Chinese community outside of Asia. There are more bagpipe bands in the U.S. than in Scotland. In China, the dark shadows forming a face on the moon are seen as "the toad in the moon," not "the man in the moon." The Great Wall of China is the largest construction project ever undertaken by man, and its stones could build an 8-food wall around the world. It's against the law to stare at the Mayor of Paris. In Alaska, it is illegal to throw a moose from an airplane or any other flying object as long as it is still alive. Dueling in Paraguay is legal as long as both parties are registered blood donors. It is illegal to plow a field in North Carolina with an elephant. Fortune cookies were actually invented in America in 1918 by Charles Jung.* Source: Internet; no guarantee is given for the correctness of this information. NewsGM, Chrysler execs defend dealership closings GM CEO Henderson: Cuts 'quite painful,' but necessary to preserve jobs WASHINGTON - General Motors and Chrysler executives defended the closings of hundreds of dealerships Friday as House lawmakers questioned whether the decisions would save any money or help the troubled companies rebound. "Many dealers and the communities they serve frankly feel blind-sided," said Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore. CEO Fritz Henderson told a skeptical House panel that the dealer cuts were "quite painful" but necessary to preserve over 200,000 jobs at GM's remaining dealers. "In essence, this is our last chance," Henderson told the House Energy and Commerce Committee's oversight and investigations subcommittee. The committee released a GM document that provided a state-by-state list of 1,323 dealerships the automaker plans to wind down. Pennsylvania had the most with 90, followed by Ohio with 79, Illinois with 66 and California with 65. New York had 60 and Michigan, where GM's headquarters is based, had 58 outgoing dealerships. Alaska was the only state spared. The complete article is available on www.msnbc.msn.com (as published on msnbc.msn.com) |
