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This
Month: "Translation Blunders and How to Avoid Them"
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THE
SOFTWARE MARKETER’S CROSS-CULTURAL TOOLKIT
Volume I,
Issue 1, April 2006
Dear
Software Marketer:
Translation
errors are the cause of some of the biggest and most
embarrassing (albeit amusing) blunders in
international business. Yet with a little extra
care, errors are easily avoidable. This month I
examine three types of translation errors and how to
avoid them.
Read through
the examples for a good laugh or skip to the end to
find out how to avoid these blunders.
There are
three basic types of translation errors:
- Sloppy,
inaccurate translations
-
Multiple meanings
- Idioms
Sloppy,
Inaccurate Translations
Simple,
“small” translation mistakes can result in
embarrassing or damaging situations that reduce
sales. Here are some “small” examples:
- The
Olfa Corporation of Japan sold knives in the US
with a warning on the package: “Caution: Blade
Extremely Sharp! Keep Out of Children.”
- The
Frank Perdue Company, a wholesaler of chickens
used the slogan “It takes a tough man to make a
tender chicken.” Unfortunately, this was
translated in one country as “It takes a
sexually excited man to make a chick
affectionate.”
- A firm
in Quebec used the term “lavement d’auto” (car
enema) instead of the correct “lavage d’auto”
while another company boasted of “lait frais
usage” (used fresh milk) when it meant to boast
of “lait frais employe” (fresh milk used).
- A food
company advertised its giant burrito as a “burrada.”
The colloquial meaning of the word “burrada” is
“big mistake.”
Multiple
Meanings
Translated
messages can often convey more than one meaning or a
different nuance. And the Spanish spoken by Puerto
Ricans is different from that spoken by Mexicans or
Spaniards, as is the French spoken by French
Canadians, Belgians and French people.
- “As
smooth as a baby’s bottom” was translated into
Japanese as “As smooth as a baby’s ass.”
-
Tropicana tried to sell its orange juice in
Miami claiming that it was “jugo de China.”
“China” means “orange” to Puerto Ricans, but not
to the Cubans in Miami. Thus, the Cubans thought
that it was “juice from China” and were not very
interested in the product.
- A US
airline advertised swank “rendezvous lounges”
aboard its Boeing 747 jets, not realizing that
in Portuguese, “rendezvous” represents a room
that is rented out for prostitution.
Idioms
Because of
the culturally-specific nature of idioms,
translating them can often be extremely difficult.
- A
European firm translated the expression “out of
sight, out of mind” as “invisible things are
insane.”
- An
American company advertised its product to a
Spanish audience, claiming that anyone who
didn’t wear its brand of hosiery “wouldn’t have
a leg to stand on.” But the translated message
was that anyone who didn’t wear its hosiery
would “only have one leg.”
- A
campaign in French claimed that a laundry
detergent was effective against especially dirty
parts of the wash, “les parts de sale.”
Unfortunately, the company subsequently
discovered that this phrase is equivalent to the
English phrase “private parts.”
How to
Avoid Translation Blunders
-
Emphasis should be placed on properly
communicating the general theme of your
promotion rather than precisely duplicating the
original tagline, headlines, body copy, etc. You
obviously want to avoid literal translations.
-
Backtranslate, e.g. have one translator
translate from English to Japanese and another
translate back into English. Then compare the
original version with the backtranslated version
to see how far they diverge. (for more about
backtranslation, get my free report: “Bridging
the Gap: The Proven 6 Step System for Making
Your Promotion Successful Across Multiple
Cultures” at
www.paularinaga.com/bridging.htm).
- Select
a translator who knows your industry and the
technical terms. Ideally, your translator should
also have some understanding of copywriting so
that he or she can properly adapt your message
to the local market. Also, be sure that your
translator has recently spent time in the
country involved so that their knowledge of the
language (especially slang) is current.
- Brief
your translator as you would your copywriter so
that they understand the type of media to be
used and the audience. Together with you they
can determine the proper level of formality and
the correct tone. Don’t underestimate the
importance of the level of formality. In Japan
and other countries, there are multiple levels
of formality whereas in the English-speaking
world there are probably only two or three.
-
Recognize that the translated version of your
promotion may require more words than the
original so be prepared to adjust your design as
needed (or better yet, take into account text
expansion/shrinkage from the outset; see my free
report: “Bridging the Gap: The Proven 6 Step
System for Making Your Promotion Successful
Across Multiple Cultures” available at
www.paularinaga.com/bridging.htm).
You’ll have
an easier time translating your promotion if you
take into account the cross-cultural issues before
you even write the copy. For more information get my
free report: “Bridging the Gap: The Proven 6 Step
System for Making Your Promotion Successful Across
Multiple Cultures” at
www.paularinaga.com/bridging.htm).
That’s it
for this issue of “The Software Marketer’s
Cross-Cultural Toolkit”. If you have any questions,
comments or an issue that you’d like to see covered,
please send me an email:
paul@paularinaga.com.
To your
cross-cultural success,
Paul Arinaga
Next month:
"Cross-cultural testimonials?"
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