The 3 Most Common Language Translation Urban Legends

These stories have been repeated so many times by translators trying to demonstrate how delicate their work is, as well as by uninformed journalists attempting to provide commentary on worldwide language issues, that they are now merely taken as fact.

However, the folks over at www.snopes.com have put many of these language translation urban legends to rest.

Now if only people would do their research and stop repeating them�

Well, here's a list of the top 3 most common urban legends related to translation:

1. The Chevy Nova didn't sell well in Latin America because Nova means "doesn't go" in Spanish.

This legend has been perpetuated for at least the last decade or so. I even cited it in a research paper I used in college. Scores of translation books use this example to show how foolish General Motors was for not paying attention to their brand naming.

Well, folks, this one is definitely false. The Chevy Nova actually sold really well in Latin America for about seven years, and was even a top seller in Venezuela. GM doesn't deserve the bad rap that they've been given over this.

2. When Coca-Cola initially marketed its drink in China, the name was inadvertently transliterated to a phrase meaning "bite the wax tadpole."

This is one of many urban legends surround Coca-Cola. When Coca-Cola was first being brought into China, Chinese shopkeepers used phonetically-equivalent characters to represent the drink. However, the meaning of the characters strung together was nonsensical, one of which is the famous "bite the wax tadpole."

When Coca-Cola first registered their trademark in China, however, they did a very good job of finding characters that approximated the sound, but that presented a good meaning. The result was a very good combination of characters meaning "happiness in the mouth."

3. Sales at Sav-on drug stores in California slumped because management changed the name to Osco, which in Spanish sounds similar to "asco," meaning disgusting.

This legend is similar to the Chevy Nova legend in that on the surface it sounds plausible, but when looked at more clearly, is a bogus claim.

Sales did in fact slump when the name was changed to Osco, but the reasons were not due to the seemingly negative connotation of the word in Spanish. Rather, consumers who were used to buying their medicine at Sav-on were not willing to buy from a name that they didn't trust, whatever that name happened to be.

While language translation urban legends will continue to be spread through news reports, emails, and college textbooks, it's important to know that the above stories are definitely false and the next time someone tries to repeat one of these so-called "marketing blunders," you will know how to respond.