Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Foreign product names that don't translate very well


The Daily Mail has published a list of consumer products whose names may make perfect sense in their countries (and languages) of origin, but are . . . ah . . . shall we say, less than optimum when read in English. Here are a few examples.

Iranian washing-powder:





Cola from Ghana:





Rice crisps from China:





There are plenty more at the link. Good for a laugh!

Peter

4 comments:

  1. Yep, sometimes the 'English' gets a bit fractured... :-)

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  2. And of course, don't forget how General Motors marketed the Chevy Nova in Mexico. Couldn't sell a darned one when someone figured out "nova" means, "won't go".

    Bob Perrow

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  3. Not only the 'No-Va', but about 30 years ago, there was an attempt to sell 'Cue' toothpaste in France, which is the pronounciation (but not the spelling) of the French word for @ss.

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  4. One I ran into, years ago, while working in Germany - a "washing soda" (powdered detergent) for laundry branded "Dusch Duff".

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