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jayneandd via Flickr1 of 20
Marketing in America is ubiquitous. There is just about no place you can go to escape the never-ending barrage of advertisements getting thrown in your face. Everything, from television to the Internet to taxis and even bus stops, has ads strewn all over them, and that actually translates to other countries in quite the same way. However, how it translates is another story entirely. So with this list, let’s take a look at some of the funnier translations of American brand names and slogans into other languages. As you’ll see, they can be quite entertaining.
Company: Kentucky Fried Chicken
Slogan: “Finger-lickin' good!”
Chinese Misinterpretation: “Eat your fingers off!”
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Broken Piggy Bank via Flickr2 of 20
Company: Coors
Slogan: “Turn it loose!”
Spanish Misinterpretation: “Suffer from diarrhea!”
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Sherlock77 via Flickr3 of 20
Company: Chevrolet
Product: Chevy Nova (“no va”)
Spanish Misinterpretation: Chevy “Does not go”
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shymuse via Flickr4 of 20
Company: Pepsi
Slogan: “We bring you back to life”
Chinese Misinterpretation: “We bring your ancestors back from the grave”
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slgckgc via Flickr5 of 20
Company: Coca-Cola
Product: Fresca
Spanish Misinterpretation: “Lesbian”
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Jock Fistick/Bloomberg via Getty Images6 of 20
Company: General Motors
Slogan: “Body by Fisher”
Belgian Misinterpretation: “Corpse by Fisher”
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www.bluewaikiki.com via Flickr7 of 20
Company: Dairy Association
Slogan: “Got milk?”
Spanish Misinterpretation: “Are you lactating?"
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SimonQ via Flickr8 of 20
Company: Salem Cigarettes
Slogan: “Salem - Feeling free”
Japanese Misinterpretation: “Salem - Feel so refreshed that your mind seems to be free and empty”
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Thinkstock9 of 20
Company: Clairol
Product: Mist Stick (curling iron)
German Misinterpretation: “Manure Stick”
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nate steiner via Flickr10 of 20
Company: Gerber
French Misinterpretation: “Vomiting”
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crynyd via Flickr11 of 20
Company: Perdue Chicken
Slogan: “It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken”
Spanish Misinterpretation: “It takes a sexually stimulated man to make a chicken affectionate”
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Urban Mixer via Flickr12 of 20
Company: Chi-Chi’s
Spanish Misinterpretation (slang): "Titties"
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TheKarenD via Flickr13 of 20
Company: Ford
Product: Ford Pinto
Brazilian Misinterpretation (slang): Ford “Tiny male genitals”
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MENSA International14 of 20
Company: MENSA
Spanish Misinterpretation: "Stupid woman"
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Mike Rodriquez via Flickr15 of 20
Company: Parker Pens
Slogan: “It won’t leak in your pocket and embarrass you”
Spanish Misinterpretation: “It won’t leak in your pocket and make you pregnant”
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Dougtone via Flickr16 of 20
Company: Green Giant
Mascot: Jolly Green Giant
Arabic Misinterpretation: "Intimidating Green Monster"
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Simon_sees via Flickr17 of 20
Company: American Airlines
Slogan: “Fly in leather”
Spanish Misinterpretation: “Fly naked”
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via Flickr18 of 20
Company: Schweppes
Product: Schweppes Tonic Water
Italian Misinterpretation: Schweppes Toilet Water
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dmourati via Flickr19 of 20
Company: Puffs
German Misinterpretation: “Whorehouses”
English Misinterpretation (slang): Derogatory word for “homosexual”
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Tim Boyle/Getty Images20 of 20Next: The Funniest Photos You Will See Today
Company: Pizza Hut
Product: P’Zone
Spanish Misinterpretation: “Nipple”
RULE No38
Choose your battles wisely and you'll win your wars.
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30 Comments
It would be nice to be able to actually SEE them.
February 17 2013 at 4:20 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHow stupid do you think we are (As Latinos) to think that those Spanish translations are even that freakin acurate. Don\'t insult me. That\'s just looking for the weirdest and far fetched possible translation, not even considering accuracy.
February 16 2013 at 12:32 PM Report abuse Permalink -1 rate up rate down ReplyThanks for that. I had a feeling they were full of **** when they claimed "Puffs" meant gay in England. The word is Poof .
February 19 2013 at 8:16 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThe spanish translations are really bad ... whoever they are paying to translate is ripping them off..... LOL ... I can imagine what they are doing w
February 16 2013 at 8:35 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replyith other languages
Did KFC learn anything when the company tried to introduce their product to Japan in the 70\'s?
February 16 2013 at 8:30 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyDeff all wrong, this is just staright out dumb.
February 16 2013 at 5:32 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThe spanish translation is totally wrong. not sure what genius did the translation but aaaahhh .. wrong.
February 16 2013 at 5:31 AM Report abuse Permalink -1 rate up rate down ReplyI can\'t find how \"Finger-lickin good\" mistranslates.
February 16 2013 at 2:41 AM Report abuse Permalink -1 rate up rate down ReplyDespite being out of context, some of these are hilariously logical. Like the one for Purdue Chicken.
February 15 2013 at 11:22 PM Report abuse Permalink +2 rate up rate down ReplyHow could "Fresca" be misinterpreted? It was taken from the feminine form of the word for "cool".
February 15 2013 at 11:19 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThey missed the best one. coca-cola in some parts of China reads " you bite the wax tadpole"
February 15 2013 at 10:05 PM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down Reply