Newspapers love to report translation blunders and the readers enjoy reading them; however, there is nothing funny about a language translation blunder that cased a company to lose money, brand value, and customers. In this post, we have mentioned a few language translation errors that embarrassed business owners.
‘Deadly’ Translation Mistake
Well, this mistake is indeed deadly! In Epinal, France, a group of medical professionals interpreted a medication dose for prostate cancer without using the services of a professional translator. This mistake took the life of four people.
When ‘Colgate’ Turned Into a ‘Porn’ Magazine
Well, not literally! However, when Colgate’s new toothpaste named Cue didn’t sell in France, the reason was far from the quality of product. The reason was the name of the product. The company didn’t realize that ‘Cue’ was the name of a popular porn magazine in France.
Turn it Loose. May Be Not!
Most translation errors occur when businesses try to translate idiomatic phrases without any professional help. ‘Turn it Loose’ worked extremely well while selling Coors beer in America; however, it didn’t work as well in Spain. The popular phrase associated with Coors beer, when translated, promised of diarrhea for everyone who consumed it. Not a great reason to enjoy a cold beer.
Every business has a limited marketing budget and it is understandable that they want to save money. But losing your customers or recreating a campaign is much more expensive. If you are reaching international audience, make sure to take help of professional translators.
Read a translation blunder that amused you? Share with us in the comments section.