Language Misunderstandings

Malte279 · **on:** April 19, 2008, 03:55:32 PM

Sometimes different languages can look rather funny to speakers of a different language. When I was in Holland I came across this poster advertising for a hand cream:

In German the word "Droge" means "Drug" (almost exclusively referring to illegal and dangerous stuff). The word tot means dead in German and other words are similar to German words of a different meaning as well. With all those hemp leaves in the background (the cream seems to be on hemp basis) it did look rather ambiguous.
The naive German reader might translate the poster as:

Intensive therapy
for an extreme drug death
Drug
Hold it in your hands

Mornai · **Reply #1 on:** April 19, 2008, 04:40:35 PM

Wow, i bet if a German Citizen came across that poster and read it as you translated it, he/she would definitely not be buying that hand cream. And the leaves in the back would just add on to it.

Kor · **Reply #2 on:** April 19, 2008, 05:57:11 PM

very funny observation.

landbeforetimelover · **Reply #3 on:** April 19, 2008, 05:59:42 PM

Sorry Malte, but I'm afraid this thread isn't going to last very long. You have to be fluent in two different languages to be able to participate AND you have to travel to the country in question to find a poster like that.

Malte279 · **Reply #4 on:** April 19, 2008, 06:46:45 PM

Same as many other threads Austin, but should the funny thing be left untold because of this?

landbeforetimelover · **Reply #5 on:** April 19, 2008, 06:50:12 PM

Quote

Same as many other threads Austin, but should the funny thing be left untold because of this?

Nope. It was a funny thing to share. I must admit that I did laugh.

Flathead770 · **Reply #6 on:** April 19, 2008, 11:35:38 PM

My German teacher said that a lot of German tourists that visit North America take their picture in front of gift shops because the word "gift" means poison in German, so they interpret as it being a poison shop.

Noname · **Reply #7 on:** April 20, 2008, 12:12:54 AM

I know one. Chevrolet used to produce a car called the Nova. In English, a Nova is an exploding star, but in Spanish, Nova is read as No Va ("no go", or "it doesn't go".)

EDIT: Nova is a Latin word which is a cognate of Spanish Nuevo or Nueva, meaning "New." The scientific term Nova means the same thing in Spanish as it does in English.
And a Spanish-speaking person would likely use the phrase "No marcha" ("It doesn't run") to describe a broken car. The car actually sold well. Imagine that, a "no-go" car selling well.