On this page, you will find a small selection of translation mistakes that will make you smile. Unfortunately, they are real. They illustrate the dangers of using non-professional translators.

In Taiwan, the translation of the Pepsi slogan "Come alive with the Pepsi Generation" came out as "Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead."

Also in Chinese, the Kentucky Fried Chicken slogan "finger-lickin' good" came out as "eat your fingers off."

The American slogan for Salem cigarettes, "Salem - Feeling Free," got translated in the Japanese market into "When smoking Salem, you feel so refreshed that your mind seems to be free and empty."

When Parker Pen marketed a ballpoint pen in Mexico, its ads were supposed to say "It won't leak in your pocket and embarrass you." However, the company's mistakenly thought the spanish word "embarazar" meant embarrass. Instead the ads said that "It won't leak in your pocket and make you pregnant."

"INSTRUCTIONS FOR TOUNGE OF FROG: A product has the stickness and is just like a soft rubber band with high contractility. It can be played to stick the remote objects. Inspite of it is sticky, it is never like the chewing guns which is glued tightly and cannot be separated. The packing paper has printed the bug picture, which can be cut as per the black frame and placed on the table; then you can stick the picture with your tounge of frog. The key point for throwing far away is the same as the throwing of fish rod, i.e. to throw out slowly with full of your strength. Separate it with two hands, then release one hand, throw it with full of your strength."


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