Bad Translations

Tuffgong4

The Donger Need Food!!!!
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The name Coca-Cola in China was first rendered as Ke-kou-ke-la meaning, "bite the wax tadpole" or "female horse stuffed with wax" depending on the dialect. Coke later found the right Chinese characters that are phonetically close to the brand, "ko-kou-ko-le" which can be translated as, happiness in the mouth".

In Taiwan, the translation of the Pepsi slogan "Come alive with the Pepsi Generation" came out as "Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from dead".

In Chinese, the KFC slogan "finger licking good" came out as "eat your fingers off".

Pinto, a Ford brand car, was Brazilian slang for "tiny male genitals".

Frank Perdue's slogan "It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken" got translated in Spanish as "It takes a hard man to make a chicken aroused".

In Italy, a campaign for Schweppes Tonic Water translated the name into Schweppes Toilet Water.
 
  • "Drop your pants here for best results."
    -sign at a dry cleaning store in Tokyo
  • "We take your bags and send them in all directions."
    -sign at a Scandinavian airport
  • "Ladies may have a fit upstairs."
    -sign at a dry cleaning store in Bangkok
  • "Please leave your values at the front desk."
    -sign in a hotel in Paris.
  • "Here speeching American."
    -sign in a Moroccan shop.
  • "No smoothen the lion."
    -sign in a zoo in the Czech Republic.
  • "The lift is being fixed. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable."
    -sign in Bucharest hotel lobby
  • "Teeth extracted by latest methodists."
    -sign in Hong Kong dentist's office.
  • "STOP! Drive Sideways."
    -detour sign in Japan.
  • "Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time."
    -sign in a Rome laundry.
  • "If you consider our help impolite, you should see the manager."
    -sign in an Athens hotel.
  • "Our wines leave you nothing to hope for."
    -on the menu of a Swiss restaurant
  • "It is forbidden to enter a woman even a foreigner if dressed as a man."
    -in a Bangkok temple
  • "Fur coats made for ladies from their own skin."
    -window of a Swedish furrier
  • "Specialist in women and other diseases."
    -doctor's office in Rome
  • "When passenger of foot heave in sight, tootle the horn. Trumpet him melodiously at first, but if he still obstacles your passage then tootle him with vigor."
    -car rental brochure in Tokyo.
hahaha
 
:laugh:

Still waiting for "please pass the salt" to be translated as "the dim shoe just snare off" :D Wonder if that could happen...

And though

In Taiwan, the translation of the Pepsi slogan "Come alive with the Pepsi Generation" came out as "Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from dead".

could result in increased sales, well until people find out it doesn't work; somehow I think

In Chinese, the KFC slogan "finger licking good" came out as "eat your fingers off".

wouldn't fly with many people :D

Language is funny sometimes. But on the downside, a thumbs up in the Middle East can be taken as the equivalent of flipping the bird in the west.
 
When I went to Iraq, we were told to just smile and head nod and be curteous when being introduced to the Iraqis.

Apparently you are only supposed to use 1 hand to wipe yourself.

Many people were using it to shake hands.... I thoguth that was funny as $h|+....

Im sorry I was PUNNY...

:rolleyes:
 
"Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time."

That is a one that i have seen here in the Netherlands as well, it was right before a nude beach :p. Most women actually did that, and they made their most money from people going to the nude beach.
 

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Also Hi EP and people. I found this place again while looking through a oooollllllldddd backup. I have filled over 10TB and was looking at my collection of antiques. Any bids on the 500Mhz Win 95 fix?
Any of the SP crew still out there?
Xie wrote on Electronic Punk's profile.
Impressed you have kept this alive this long EP! So many sites have come and gone. :(

Just did some crude math and I apparently joined almost 18yrs ago, how is that possible???
hello peeps... is been some time since i last came here.
Electronic Punk wrote on Sazar's profile.
Rest in peace my friend, been trying to find you and finally did in the worst way imaginable.

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