Or, pilot sorb aire. Or, sedate su bolle d’aria. Or, of course, luftgepolstert fahren.
How do you create a piece of communication when you know it has to be translated into several languages? It may seem like an easy task, but it is one that trips up many a marketer.
When Marketing28 teamed up with ROHO and AIRHAWK to adapt a three dimensional display into a poster translated into a total of 4 languages, we knew what had to go: clever turns of phrase.
Wait a minute. Did he just say ‘don’t be clever’?
No. I did NOT say ‘don’t be clever’ (Somebody tell me if that is even a proper sentence, with two negatives in there. I feel like matter and anti-matter just collided). But I DID say we had to remove any clever turns of phrase.
You see, what may be a delightful slang expression in one language can mean something completely different in another. And before you know it, embassies are involved and official public apologies have been issued and you are asked to never visit that country again.
This does not mean you should be boring in your point of sale materials. But, while you may understand the phrase ‘these products are the bomb’, you never know when translating this same phrase into another language may end up being the cause of international embarrassment for your client.
Marketing28 created these eye-catching posters with the goal of easily translating them into Spanish, Italian and German. Or whatever language we needed to communicate.
No matter how you say it, motorcyclist all over the world are learning about AIRHAWK and the benefits of riding on air thanks to Marketing28.
Do you have a business with international communication needs? Or maybe you are thinking about expanding into new markets, either domestic or beyond. Contact Dan O’Saben and see how we can help you create successful advertising in any language.
