Читать книгу The Communication Playbook - Teri Kwal Gamble - Страница 195

Translating ideas from one language to another can lead to problems. Sometimes the situation produced by a bungled translation can be amusing (though occasionally costly in a business context). For example, an English-speaking representative of an American soft drink company could not understand why Mexican customers laughed when she offered them free samples of Fresca soda. In Mexican slang, the word fresa can mean “lesbian.” Similarly, Beck’s beer has been translated into Chinese as Bie Ke, which means “shellfish overcome.”³⁴ Along the same lines, Dr. Pepper no longer runs its “I’m a Pepper” ads in the United Kingdom, because pepper is British slang for “prostitute.”

Other times, however, a poor translation can insult and confuse recipients. For example, one Spanish-language letter sent to welfare recipients about changes in New Jersey’s welfare program contained numerous grammatical errors, suggesting a lack of multicultural competency. One section’s translation of “parole violator” really meant “rapist under oath.”³⁵