PROGRAMA DE MARKETING

Y NEGOCIOS INTERNACIONALES
ANEXO LECCIN 4: 18 MARKETING SLOGANS LOST IN TRANSLATION
Resumen del caso a comentar en clase
It is hard to believe that this translated slogan has been used in China to promote the famous cola. The
soda selling giant translated the original slogan Pepsi brings you back to life into Mandarin meaning
Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave.

Surprisingly, this is not an isolate case. Numerous world-famous companies failed to transpose
accurately their original slogans into other languages, risking offended consumers and low sales figures.

Going global in a multicultural world

The potential of going global with a brand has never been as attractive as it is now: establishing an
international customer base, favourable economic conditions in other countries, competitive cost of
goods and so on. Companies enter the international market in the hope of successfully selling their
products worldwide and aim at achieving the above listed advantages of expanding overseas.
When companies decide to do so, their success depends on how well their product is received by
customers in each market. This means that advertising campaigns need to be reviewed, adapted if
necessary and translated. Nevertheless, preparing international marketing campaigns is not as easy as
literally translating from one language to the other.
It is important to consider cultural values, norms, rules of conduct, humor and slang when promoting a
product abroad. This is especially the case for slogans that represent the corporate identity of a brand.

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Anexo leccin 4: 18 marketing slogans lost in translation
Prof. Dr. Antonio Alonso Gonzlez

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The objective of a slogan is to differentiate a product or brand from other competitors in a positive way.
Unfortunately not all companies take this into account. A failing international marketing slogan can be
traced back to mistranslation, lack of cultural understanding or even intentional translation errors to
catch the customers attention.

18 Marketing slogans lost in translation

Here is a compilation of the 18 funniest marketing translation blunders. They are classic examples of
how failed translation can be crucial to a brands reputation.
1. The Jolly Green Giant for Green Giant in Arabic directly translates to Intimidating Green Ogre
(Source: White M. (2009) A short course in international marketing blunders Marketing mistakes made
by companies that should have known better. World Trade Press)
2. In 1977, Braniff Airlines ran ads on television and radio, publicizing the leather seats theyd installed
in First Class, with the slogan, Fly in leather. This was translated for Spanish-speaking markets as,
Vuela en cuero. But, when spoken, en cuero, or in leather sounds identical to en cueros, which
means naked when spoken quickly. In effect, Braniff advertised its slogan as Fly naked. (Source:
Brady, D. (2011)Essentials of international Marketing ME Sharpe)
3. Mitsubishi launched the rover vehicle Pajero 4WD in Spain ignoring the fact that the word pajero
means jerk in Spanish. The cars name has then been changed to Mitsubishi Montero.
4. The Italian mineral water company promoted their water Traficante in Spain not knowing that the
word traficante means drug dealer in Spanish.
5. When Kentucky Fried Chicken opened their first store in China, it did not take long before they
discovered their slogan, finger lickin good translated to eat your fingers off.
6. In Italy a campaign for Schweppes Tonic water translated the drinks name into Schweppes Toilet
Water. (Source: Haig M. (2004)Brand Failures: The Truth about the 100 biggest branding mistakes of
all time Kogan Page Limited)
7. Pepsodent promoted its toothpaste in a distinct area in Southeast Asia by highlighting that it whitens
your teeth. This campaign entirely failed because the locals chew betel nuts to blacken their teeth as it
is considered attractive. (Source: Verderber K. and R., Sellnow D. (2012) Communicate)
8. IKEA named one of its new desks FARTFULL to promote fhrt (speed) given the desks wheels and
the design. (Source: Rasmussen R., Mylonas A., Beck H. (2001)Investigating Business Communication
and Technologies Cambridge University Press)

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Anexo leccin 4: 18 marketing slogans lost in translation
Prof. Dr. Antonio Alonso Gonzlez

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9. The Brewing Company Coors translated its slogan Turn it loose into Suffer from diarrhea in
Spanish. (Source: Haig M. (2004)Brand Failures: The Truth about the 100 biggest branding mistakes of
all time Kogan Page Limited)
10. An American T-shirt designer printed shirts for the Spanish market to promote the visit of the Pope.
Instead of I saw the Pope (el Papa), the shirts read I saw the potato (la papa). (Source: Ardagh P.,
(2009) Howlers, Blunders and Random Mistakery)
11. The California Milk Advisory Board experienced tremendous success with their Got Milk?
campaign created by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. But when the campaign was extended to Mexico,
the Spanish version was interpreted, Are you lactating? The translation was offensive to the Latino
market, as the idea of a Latina mother running out of milk is not a laughing matter. Fortunately, the
disconnect between Got Milk? and Latino consumers was detected early.
12. Puffs tissues faced unforeseen challenges entering the German market, as the term puff is the
common term for a whorehouse in Germany. The brand name also prompted negative responses from
the British market, as puff is a highly derogatory term for homosexual.
13. When Ford introduced the Pinto in Brazil, they were confused as to why sales were going nowhere.
The company later learned Pinto is slang for tiny male genitals in Brazil. Ford ultimately changed the
cars name to Corcel, which means horse in Portuguese.
14. In 1991, Locum, a Swedish property management company, sent out Christmas cards to customers.
They decided to give their logo a little holiday spirit by replacing the o in Locum with a heart. We dont
need to spell it out for you, but some of its recipients could have misinterpreted the message.
15. During its 1994 launch campaign, the telecom company Orange had to change its ads in Northern
Ireland. Their successful campaign slogan was, The futures bright the futures Orange. However, in
the North the term Orange is linked to the Orange Order, the Protestant organization (viewed by many
Catholics as both sectarian and hostile). The implied message that the future is bright, the future is
Protestant, loyalist didnt resonate with the Catholic Irish population.
16. In 1988, the General Electric Company (GEC) and Plessey combined to create a new
telecommunications giant. This merger required a brand name that evoked technology and innovation.
The winning proposal was GPT for GEC-Plessey Telecommunications. The French population interpreted
the new name a bit differently, as GPT is pronounced in French as Jai pt or Ive farted.

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Anexo leccin 4: 18 marketing slogans lost in translation
Prof. Dr. Antonio Alonso Gonzlez

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17. Car producer Honda decided to keep the name Fitta when they introduced the car in Sweden. They
later learned, fitta was an old word used in vulgar language to refer to a womans genitals in Swedish,
Norwegian and Danish. The Honda Fitta is now sold in Sweden with the name of Honda Jazz.
18. The most famous story of international marketing blunders is that of Chevys Nova car marketed in
Latin America. Since the cars name, No va literally means, It doesnt go in Spanish, the tale explains
how Latin American car buyers shunned the car, forcing Chevrolet to pull it from the market. However,
what the textbooks and thousands of references to this tale on the Internet fail to mention is that, it
never happened. Though the Chevy Nova story may not be true, it continues to live on as a classic
example of how cultural awareness plays a vital role in the success (or failure) to adapting a campaign
for foreign markets.
All of these marketing blunders are examples of how even the smallest translation error can have a great
effect on a brands success overseas. Translation mistakes like these can be prevented by avoiding literal
translation, checking pronunciation in other languages and researching the countrys cultural norms and
values.
What about you? Have you come across any other marketing blunder?

Bibliografa

Nunes-Texeira, S. (2013). 10 Marketing Slogans Lost in Translation. TermCoord,

http://termcoord.wordpress.com/
Otras fuentes varias en internet relacionadas con la temtica y experiencias propias.

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Anexo leccin 4: 18 marketing slogans lost in translation
Prof. Dr. Antonio Alonso Gonzlez

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