Нашим коллегам частенько приходится сталкиваться с продвижением того или иного российского продукта за рубеж. При этом знающий переводчик никогда не будет тупо переводить рекламные слоганы и использовать приемы рекламы, применяемые для русской аудитории. В этом случае включается страноведческий и культурный факторы. Компании, которые экономят деньги на дешевых переводах, получают обратный эффект. Читайте ошибки, допущенные крупными компаниями при переводе своей рекламы на другие языки.
TRANSLATING IS IT IMPORTANT?
The following examples show what can happen when a translation is made from a dictionary without taking into account the cultural elements of the other language.
1. When American Airlines wanted to advertise its new leather first-class seats in the Mexican market, it translated its «Fly in Leather» campaign literally, which meant «Fly Naked» (vuela en cuero) in Spanish.
2. When Parker Pen marketed a ball-point pen in Mexico, its ads were supposed to have read, «It won’t leak in your pocket and embarrass you.» The company thought that the word «embarazar» (to impregnate) meant to embarrass, so the ad read, «It won’t leak in your pocket and make you pregnant.»
3. Frank Perdue’s chicken slogan, «It takes a strong man to make a tender chicken.» was translated into Spanish as «It takes an aroused man to make a chicken affectionate.»
4. The Coca-Cola name in China was first read as «Kekoukela», meaning «Bite the wax tadpole or «female horse stuffed with wax», depending on the dialect. Coke then researched 40,000 characters to find a phonetic equivalent, «kokou kole», translating into «happiness in the mouth.»
5. Pepsi’s «Come alive with the Pepsi Generation» translated into «Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave» in Chinese.
6. 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).
7. Colgate introduced a toothpaste in France called Cue, which was also the name of a notorious pornographic magazine.
8. When Gerber started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as in the U.S., with the smiling baby on the label. Later they learned that in Africa, companies routinely put pictures on the label of what was inside, since many people could not read.
9. Clairol introduced the «Mist Stick,» a curling iron, into Germany only to find out that «mist» is slang for manure. Not many people had use for the «Manure Stick».
10. Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer Electrolux used the following in an American campaign: «Nothing sucks like an Electrolux.»
11. Coors put its slogan, «Turn it Loose!», into Spanish, where it was read as «Suffer from diarrhea.»
12. The Dairy Association’s huge success with the campaign «Got Milk?» prompted them to expand advertising into Mexico. It was soon brought to their attention that the Spanish translation read: «Are you lactating?».
