Happy International Day of Translators to PINA

[Like an Angel]

:DCongrants Pina!!!!! but how weird... the Spanish to English and the company is in Hong Kong ... Well it doesn't matter the place, you got new clients!! Good!!!

Mariana

[Pina]

Here are some very badly translated product names and slogans. See what we have to put up with? ;D

Coors put its slogan, "Turn it loose," into Spanish, where it was read as "Suffer from diarrhea."

Clairol introduced the "Mist Stick," a curling iron, into German only to find out that "mist" is slang for manure. Not too many people had use for the "manure stick".

Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer Electrolux used the following in an American campaign: Nothing sucks like an Electrolux.

The American slogan for Salem cigarettes, "Salem-Feeling Free", was translated into the Japanese market as "When smoking Salem, you will feel so refreshed that your mind seems to be free and empty."

When Gerber started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as in the US, with the beautiful baby on the label. Later they learned that in Africa, companies routinely put pictures on the label of what's inside, since most people can't read English.

Colgate introduced a toothpaste in France called Cue, the name of a notorious porno magazine.

An American T-shirt maker in Miami printed shirts for the Spanish market which promoted the Pope's visit. Instead of "I saw the Pope" (el Papa), the shirts read "I saw the potato" (la papa).

In Italy, a campaign for Schweppes Tonic Water translated the name into "Schweppes Toilet Water."

Pepsi's "Come alive with the Pepsi Generation" translated into "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave," in Chinese.

Frank Perdue's chicken slogan, "it takes a strong man to make a tender chicken" was translated into Spanish as "it takes an aroused man to make a chicken affectionate."

When Parker Pen marketed a ball-point pen in Mexico, its ads were supposed to have read, "it won't leak in your pocket and embarrass you". Instead, the company thought that the word "embarazar" (to impregnate) meant to embarrass, so the ad read: "It won't leak in your pocket and make you pregnant".

[Like an Angel]

LOL!!! Pina so, it seems we have to beware with 'some' tranlators eh? ;D ;D ;D and this Japanese slogan "When smoking Salem, you will feel so refreshed that your mind seems to be free and empty." should be forbidden or just allowed in Jamaica ;D ;D ;D

[Pina]

This is a good thread to thank Paulo for sending a GREAT translation job my way! Thanks for the referral, Paulo!

[Paulo]

I've always said if you want something done properly - get a professional to do the job!

Thank you, Pina for sorting out that translation job. ;D

[Like an Angel]

I'm having some spare time ... so I'm surfing in the net and I've found something that I believe it is related to this topic...

Coverdale, Miles. 1488--1568, the first translator of the complete Bible into English (1535)

so maybe in a past life Pina and David were co-workers ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D