The importance of getting a translation 100% correct can never be over-stated. Even the slightest deviance from the original text can convey an entirely different message to the one that was intended; and this only serves to underline the value of sourcing good quality, professional translators.

But what about translations that are 100% wrong? Well, besides the embarrassment suffered by the parties involved and the bemusement/amusement of those looking on, the main thing it reveals is that they have simply cut corners and haven’t bothered to do their foreign language homework.

In a special blog post, Lingo24 today brings you a compendium of translation faux-pas. And there are many horror stories out there which act as a gentle reminder of the consequences of making a translation blunder.

In 2008, there was many high-profile tales of translation woes. There was the restaurant in China that, whilst obviously trying to make its shop-front more appealing to the English-speaking world for the Summer Olympics, decided to use an online translation tool: ‘Translate Server Error’ was the resulting message, designed to ‘entice’ anglophiles through its doors.

Then, there was the road sign in Wales that, when translated from Welsh into English, read: “I am not in the office at the moment. Send any work to be translated”.

And over the years there have been countless high-profile translation tangles. And here is a selection of some of the more memorable ones.

The taste of mist…

The word ‘mist’ has crept up in a number of products over the years. There was the Irish beverage ‘Irish Mist’ for example, whilst Rolls Royce released the ‘Silver Mist’ car.

However, given that ‘Mist’ translates as ‘manure’ in German, the companies involved managed to get themselves into a bit of a translation tangle with the Germanic markets. A ‘whiskey and Irish Manure’ cocktail might not exactly have been the most popular request in the bars of Berlin!

I saw the potato…

Then there was the American T-shirt manufacturer that produced a range of T-shirts to promote the visit of the Pope.

For its Spanish speaking contingent in Miami, the T-shirts were supposed to read ‘I saw the Pope’ (el Papa); instead, the emblems proclaimed ‘I saw the potato’ (la papa). We’re sure the person responsible for this blunder will have received a roasting afterwards...

Pepsi dealing in the occult?

As far as branding blunders are concerned, the Asian markets are notorious for producing some of the best translation faux pas. Pepsi’s colourful ‘Come Alive with the Pepsi Generation’ slogan from the 1960s worked a treat in the English-speaking markets; but in Taiwan, it was a different story altogether.

“Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead”, screamed billboards across the country.

And whilst no false advertising law-suits were ever brought from any of the country’s budding witch doctors, it didn’t do Pepsi’s sales figures any favours either.

A car that doesn’t go?

When the Chevy Nova was marketed in Latin America, the name was kept the same as it was in the English speaking world. Technically, there was nothing wrong with this, given that ‘Nova’ means ‘exploding star’ in both Spanish and English.

However, when spoken in a certain way in Spanish, it also sounds distinctly like ‘No va’, meaning ‘it does not go’. And given that nobody would buy a car for its spacious boot and comfy seats alone, General Motor Corp. wisely changed the name to the Caribe.

So, to use a well-coined expression, it really is best not to get ‘Lost in Translation’ when it comes to important business messages. But when it does happen, nothing could be quite so funny.