Sommige vertalingen zijn –helaas onbedoeld- niet gespeend van de nodige dosis humor.
Hieronder een aantal grappige voorbeelden die tonen hoe het dus NIET moet:
Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer Electrolux used the following in an American campaign: "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux."
In a Tokyo bar: "Special today for the ladies with nuts."
In a Rome laundry: "Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time."
In a hotel in Athens: Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 and 11 A.M. daily.
Pepsi's "Come Alive With the Pepsi Generation" translated into Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back From the Grave" in Chinese.
On the menu of a Swiss restaurant: "Our wines leave you nothing to hope for."
An American t-shirt maker in Miami printed shirts for the Spanish market which promoted the Pope’s visit.
Instead of "I saw the Pope" (el Papa), the shirts read "I saw the potato" (la papa).
The American slogan for Salem cigarettes, "Salem-Feeling Free", was translated into the Japanese market as "When smoking Salem,
you will feel so refreshed that your mind seems to be free and empty".
When General Motors introduced the Chevy Nova in South America, it was apparently unaware that "no va" means "it won’t go."
After the company figured out why it wasn’t selling cars, it renamed the car in its Spanish markets to the Caribe.
Ford had a problem in Brazil when the Pinto flopped.
The company discovered that the word Pinto was Brazilian slang for "tiny male genitals".
In a Copenhagen airline ticket office: "We take your bags and send them in all directions."
On the door of a Moscow hotel room: "If this is your first visit to the USSR, you are welcome to it."
In a Norwegian cocktail lounge: "Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar."
When Kentucky Fried Chicken entered the Chinese market, they discovered that their slogan "finger lickin' good" was translated as "eat your fingers off".
In a Budapest zoo: "Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty."
In the office of a Roman doctor: "Specialist in women and other diseases."
In an Acapulco hotel: "The manager has personally passed all the water served here."
In a hotel in Acapulco: "The manager has personally passed all the water served here."
In a hotel in Athens: "If You Consider Our Help Impolite, You Should See The Manager."
