The importance of good translation in marketing communications was highlighted recently in the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph, amongst others.

The Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation decided to rename it's latest aquisition, MG Rover, as 'Roewe'. That means 'honour and prestige' in Chinese. Very laudable. But in Britain, 'Roewe' is pronounced 'wrong way'.

It's rarely big companies that make this kind of mistake. Most, like that old chestnut about Ford supposedly launching a car in Brazil called a 'Pinto' (Brazilian slang for male genitals), and then hurriedly changing it to 'Corcel' (a horse) are urban myths.

No, it's usually small companies that make the best mistakes, my favourite being the restaurant in St Tropez which proudly announces that: 'our chef, Stephen, will amaze you with the brighlights of his papillas'.

Hopefully there won't be any errors in the translation of the copy we've just done for a friend on www.dutoit-protect.com. But if there are any French people (or in a few weeks, Spaniards, Germans or Italians) reading this post, and you spot any howlers on that link, do let me know.

Incidentally, a plug for the company that translated it: Applied Language Solutions. Very good.

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