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Localisation Faux Pas (Archive)
April 2004 |
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In German, "Mist" is a slang word, which means "manure". Many companies have had problems marketing their products in Germany as a result of this. Clairol, for example, experienced difficulties when trying to launch their "Mist Stick" curling iron in Germany. They soon discovered that there was not much demand for a haircare product called "Manure Stick"! Rolls Royce had similar problems when marketing their "Silver Mist" car. In this case, the company resolved the problem by renaming it "Silver Shadow". The Irish alcoholic beverage, "Irish Mist" did not sell very well in Germany either. (Adapted from: Why Learn German? Lost in Translation, University of Exeter http://www.ex.ac.uk/german/abinitio/whygerm7.html) |
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