9/19/2007
Sales Power Lost in Translation
It’s always interesting – and often amusing – to read advertising copy that’s been translated into English.
Take the packaging for my Krusell PDA case. Krusell is a Swedish company that “designs, distributes and markets innovative and user-friendly carrying equipment for portable electronics.” As with most European packaging, the design is spectacular.
The outside of the wraparound looks like this -
And the inside looks like this -
The fun starts if and when you start reading the actual copy.
Of course, your life is perfect already. But there’s always room for improvement.
Maybe in Swedish. But in English, if something is perfect, there’s no room for improvement.
For the first time (maybe) you have full access to information anytime, anywhere and whenever you want to.
If there’s a difference in meaning between “anytime” and “whenever you want to”, it escapes me.
It will upgrade your status, improve your dressing and last but not least – consolidate your outer image.
You get the idea, but the phrasing is alien to the English ear. You might upgrade your computer system, buy you’d elevate your status. Balsamic vinegar might improve your dressing, but the Krusell case will improve your wardrobe. You might consolidate your real estate holdings, but you’d sharpen your outer image. That leaves only the question of whether there’s such a thing as an inner image.
Look closely at your product packaging, instruction manuals, warranty certificates, and even washing instruction tags. Is anything getting lost in translation?
2 Responses to Sales Power Lost in Translation
Don’cha just love those little translation faux pas? Especially the ones imbedded in cultural norms that take an oracle to unravel!
But… what’s that guy in the photo doing with his PDA? Holding it up for ridicule? Preparing to “spike” it in frustration? What?
Don’t have the box anymore … sorry. A buddy of mine had a lengthy washing instruction label from a shirt made in Thailand or a similar locale, and it was the most hilarious thing I ever read — completely incomprehensible. Unfortunately he doesn’t have it, or it would have been part of this post.