When Taglines Get Lost In Translation

When Taglines Get Lost In TranslationWhen Taglines Get Lost In TranslationAlmost every brand has a tagline. And some brands have multiple taglines for multiple products, including Proctor Gamble, Pepsi, and Chrysler Jeep. You may not have given this much thought, but what happens when some of Americas greatest taglines are put through the translation filter? Its not actually as cut and dry as simply hitting the translate button, due to different cultural references. For instance, in some countries, it is common practice to put a picture of the product inside the can on the label. Imagine how they would react to baby food or dog food So, we went through the advertising archives to find some of the best examples of tagline crash-and-burn. Although its funny, its also very expensive to these companies (and embarrassing to the copywriters). If they dont do their homework, they could end up paying millions of dollars in reprint costs, reshoots and apology ads. Heres the list, in no par ticular order. We start with the most famous of the last few decades. COORS Tagline Turn It LooseAH, who doesnt love an ice-cold beer on a hot summer day? The tagline from Coors, Turn It Loose, was based around setting the flavor of Coors free. Alas, the Spanish translation made people think they were setting something else freeSpanish Translation Suffer From Diarrhea Pepsi Tagline Come Alive With the Pepsi GenerationSounds great, doesnt it? In fact, its not a million miles from some of the taglines being used by todays energy drinks. However, it didnt go down to well in China. After it was put through the translation machine, it came out asChinese Translation PepsiBrings Your Ancestors Back from the Dead KFC Tagline handglied Lickin GoodMmm, mmm, mmm. Which meat-eating connoisseur doesnt like to tuck into a plate of hot, crispy fried chicken? Well, once again this tagline fell foul of Chinese translation, becoming something quite the opposite of tastyChinese Translation Eat Your Fingers Off Parker Pens Tagline It Wont Leak In Your Pocket and Embarrass YouNot the catchiest tagline but its a straight-up brand promise. After all, who wants nasty ink stains on their crisp shirts and blouses? But the folks at Parker made one small snaffoo. They thought the Spanish word embarazar meant embarrass. Nope. And this is how the ads ran in MexicoSpanish Translation It wont leak in your pocket and make you pregnant Milk Tagline GOT MILK?Its one of the most famous, and most copied, taglines ever. We all know it. However, Latin consumers also got to know it for all the wrong reasons. They must have thought the American Dairy Association were smoking something very strong when this came outSpanish Translation ARE YOU LACTATING? Coca-Cola Product Coca-ColaAnother example of things going haywire in China. In the 1920s, Coca-Cola decided to export its product to China, but wanted a name for it that sounds similar to the English pronunciation. After some bac k and forth, they went with a phonetic translation, and the result was quite confusingChinese Translation Bite the Wax Tadpole Electrolux Tagline Ingenting Suger Som en Electrolux.You are forgiven if you dont know what the tagline means. Its Swedish and comes from the home of Swedens famous vacuum cleaner manufacturer Electrolux. However, when they used the tagline in the USA, it translated well with one unfortunate drawback - in the USA, sucks has more than one meaningEnglish Translation Nothing Sucks Like an Electrolux General Motors Tagline Body by FisherBody By Fisher is not actually a tagline but a sub-brand of GM. It was basically responsible for a lot of the bodywork done on GM cars (and was bought out by GM in 1925). Of course, there was a glitch with the name. This time, it was Belgium that had the problem, and its not something that makes any car alluringBelgian Translation Corpse by Fisher Ford Product PintoAgain, not quite a tagline, this was the model of a car you know all too well. But in Brazil, its not a bean. Well, not unless youre talking about the frank or the beans. Yes, PINTO was probably the most insulting name you could give a car. They changed it to the CORCEL, which means HORSE. Good thing tooPortuguese Translat?ionTiny Male Genitals Perdues Chicken Tagline It Takes a Tough Man to Make a Tender ChickenPerdues chicken has been producing its products since 1920, and put himself on TV saying the infamous tagline it takes a tough man to make a tender chicken. Lovely play on wordsin English. Of course, when it got translated into Spanish, something went awry, and Frank was saying something best put in the WTF CategorySpanish Translation It Takes an Aroused Man to Make a Chicken Affectionate Otis Engineering Tagline Completion EquipmentOtis Engineering has significant ties to Halliburton, and so its a different kind of scandal that usually rocks the boat here. However, when Otis was asked to take part in a Moscow exhibition , it did so and got a little help from the translation department. It probably had the most interest it has ever had in its productsRussian Translation Equipment for Orgasims Clairol Product Mist StickWhat is it? Not a deodorant but a curling iron. Clairol launched the product in Germany under the same name, not realizing that mist is manure in that country. Sales of the product were appallingGerman Translation Manure Stick Hunt-Wesson Product Gros Jos(Baked Beans)At last, a flub that didnt actually hurt sales And youll soon see why. When Hunt-Wesson launched its brand of baked beans in Canada, it was surprised at the sales figures. They didnt realize that the term means, well, see for yourselfFrench-Canadian Translation Big Breasts McDonalds Product Big MacIf youve ever watched Pulp Fiction (and if not, why not?) youll know the whole McDonalds issue with the Royale With Cheese. It turns out, of course, that theres another issue on the table. Big Mac, translated into Fre nch, became Gros Mec. And this means something very differentFrench Translation Big Pimp Braniff Airlines Tagline Fly in LeatherOh, what a promise. In 1987, Braniff Airlines introduced some very new and stylish leather seats to their planes. The tagline seems perfectly fine until its translated into Spanish. Then, its a proposition that most of us would not want to happen, at allSpanish Translation Fly Naked