Saturday, 14 May 2011
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Lost In Translation
Food companies and franchises spend millions of dollars to come up with advertisements that lure in potential customers. Reputable brands are known to have slogans that stick for generations (think Fanta's Do you wanna Fanta?). But what happens when these brands cross the borders and become an international brand? It's no secret that McDonald's, KFC and other companies make more money outside of the US than they do within it.
Well, sometimes, the real slogan gets lost in translation. Here are 4 advertisements that were translated and...well...lost their meaning.
Coca Cola in China
This one isn't really a slogan, but Coca Cola was pronounced as "Ke-kou-ke- la" in China. What does it mean? "Bite the wax tadpole" or "female horse stuffed with wax" depending on the dialect. But the people behind Coke weren't fools. They researched 40,000 characters to find a phonetic equivalent ("ko-kou-ko- le") that translates into "happiness in the mouth."
Gerber in Africa
Gerber used their same packing in the US when they first started selling baby food in Africa. You know, the world famous smiling baby on the label.They later learned, probably due to dwindling sales, that in Africa, companies put pictures on labels of what's inside since many people can't read. (Translation: People thought Gerbers bottled cooked babies.)
Pepsi in China
Pepsi's slogan "We bring you back to life" was read in China as "We bring your ancestors back from the grave.” They've since changed the slogan to mean it's good luck.
Got Milk? in Mexico
The Got Milk? campaign was so successful in the United States that they (the American Dairy Association) just had to branch out to Mexico. Unfortunately, the literal translation of Got Milk? is "Are you lactating?" While we're on the subject, asking a male Mexican grocer, ''Do you have eggs?'' is really inquiring as to his testicles.
Coors in Spanish
U.S. beer-making giant Coors apparently thought their slogan, “Turn it loose!” would translate to Spanish just fine. Unfortunately, “Turn it Loose” came out, “Suffer from Diarrhea” instead.
KFC in China
KFC was introduced to China in 1987 and the famous slogan "Finger-lickin' good" was translated into "We'll Eat Your Fingers Off" in Chinese. I'm guessing all was forgiven and forgotten since China is the KFC's most profitable country.
What's the funniest translation to you?
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About the Author
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- From: sbaral@xanga
- About Me: I'm a Rutgers University graduate who discovered a passion for writing in college when I found myself enjoying researching for and writing papers instead of working at biology labs. In my spare time, I enjoy cooking and watching movies--I am in pursuit of learning to fluently speak French and Italian after developing an interest in these languages from watching foreign films. Apart from foreign films and cooking, my interests include photography, traveling, art history and interior design. twitter.com/sushbaral
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Comments (16)
Honest to Zeus, I freaking love Spanish.
The version of the KFC story that I heard was that "finger-licking good" translated into "so good, you will want to suck your fingers."
I like this post, and those Chinese logos look so cool.
I love eating me some babies.
OMGOMGOMG!
I laughed so hard at the "we bring your ancestors back from the grave" translation! XD
oh gosh, the Spanish must be really funny!
Interesting. Very interesting.
Lol! These are awesome! XD
This article is a rip-off of my 2008 advertising text book.
Definitely the African baby-eating one, HAHA
HAHAHAH. "we'll eat your fingers off" HAHAHA.
:p I had coke and KFC in China--not bad. I think the KFC one is funny, but they are all pretty interesting after translated.
this is hilarious! are you lactating?
@mycontinuity@xanga -
Who Cares?
very interesting, thanks for sharing!
@HopeWithinReach@xanga - Me. I care. This wasn't something she thought about and came up with on her own; she copied it from someone else and didn't source anything.
haha, I love this kinda stuff. It's really funny. I can't choose a fave... but "bite the wax tadpole" would make a great name for an eccentric music group...