““No vaNo va”” in Spanish means ““It want go.” It want go.”

Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer Electrolux used the following in an American campaign: “ “Nothing sucks like an Electrolux.”Nothing sucks like an Electrolux.”

The Dairy Association’s huge success with the campaign““Got Milk?”Got Milk?” prompted them to expand advertisingto Mexico. It was soon brought to their attentionthe Spanish translation read, “Are you lactating?”“Are you lactating?”

Coors put its slogan, “Turn It Loose,”“Turn It Loose,” into Spanish, where it was read as “Suffer From Diarrhea.”“Suffer From Diarrhea.”

1970 Nova1970 Nova

Clairol introduced the “Mist Stick,”“Mist Stick,”a curling iron, into Germany only to find out that “mist”“mist” is slang formanuremanure. Not too many people had use for the “Manure Stick.”“Manure Stick.”

PuffsPuffs tissue introduced its product into GermanyGermany only to find out that puffs is a German colloquial term for “whorehouse.”“whorehouse.” In EnglandEngland, puffspuffs was a derogatory term for homosexualhomosexual.

When GerberGerber started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as in the U.S., with the smiling babysmiling baby on the label. Later they learned that in Africa, companies put pictures pictures on theon the labels labels of of what’s what’s insideinside, since most can’t read. Also GerberGerber is the French word for vomitingvomiting.

Colgate introduced a toothpaste in France calledCueCue, the name of a notorious porno magazineporno magazine.

An American T-shirt maker in Miami printed shirts for the Spanish market which promoted the Pope’s visit. Instead of “I saw the Pope”“I saw the Pope” (el Papael Papa), the shirts read, “I saw the Potato” “I saw the Potato” ((la papala papa).).

Pepsi’s “Come Alive. You’re “Come Alive. You’re in thein the Pepsi Generation” Pepsi Generation” translated into “Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back “Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back From the Grave”From the Grave” in Chinese.

The Coca-Cola name in China was first read as ““Kekekenla,” Kekekenla,” meaning “Bite the “Bite the wax tadpole,”wax tadpole,” or ““female horse stuffed with wax,”female horse stuffed with wax,” depending on the dialect. Coke then researched 40,000 characters to find a phonetic equivalent “kokou kole,”“kokou kole,” translating into “happiness in the mouth.”“happiness in the mouth.”

Frank Perdue’s chicken slogan, “It takes a strong “It takes a strong man to make a tender chicken”man to make a tender chicken” was translated into Spanish as: ““IIt takes ant takes an aroused man to make aaroused man to make a chicken affectionate.”chicken affectionate.”

When American Airlines wanted to advertise its new leather first class seats in the Mexican market, it translated its “Fly in Leather”“Fly in Leather” campaign literally, which meant ““Fly Naked” Fly Naked” (vuela en cuero) in Spanish.

When Parker Pen marketed a ball-point pen in Mexico,its ads were supposed to have read, “It won’t leak “It won’t leak in your pocket and embarrass you.”in your pocket and embarrass you.” The company thought that the word “embarazar”“embarazar” (to impregnateto impregnate) meant to embarrassembarrass, so the ad read:““IIt t won’t leakwon’t leak in in your pocket your pocket and and make you pregnant.”make you pregnant.”

In Mexico, FrescaFresca is a term for LesbianLesbian. Jokes abounded but sales weren't hurt.

KFC’s “Finger licking good”“Finger licking good” came off in Chinese as, ““Eat your fingers off.”Eat your fingers off.”

In ItalyItaly, a campaign for "Schweppes Tonic Water""Schweppes Tonic Water" translated the name into the much less thirst quenching "Schweppes Toilet Water.""Schweppes Toilet Water."

Ford introduced the Pinto in BrazilPinto in Brazil. After watching sales go nowhere, the company learned that "Pinto" is Brazilian slang for "tiny male genitals.""tiny male genitals." Ford pried the nameplates off all of the cars & substituted them with "Corcel""Corcel" which means horse.