| RHF Joke Archives | 
Did you ever wonder why it's important to know something about the culture
behind that foreign language you studied during those undergraduate or
highschool years?
In the 16 September, 1996 Chicago Tribune, Liz Sly comments on the proper
translation of American business and product names into Chinese. About
MicroSoft she writes,
Microsoft has gone for a literal translation, "Wei Ruan," meaning
"Small and Soft." It is not considered a wise choice: The sexual
innuendo is overwhelming, and Chinese snigger every time they hear
it. Men in particular say they are reluctant to purchase software
with such an unmanly sounding name.
Of course, this incident reminds me of the tale told by a highschool French
teacher:
Back when GM introduced the Chevy Nova in Mexico, they hadn't
realized that the name "Nova" can be interpretted as "No va",
"Doesn't Go." Sales of the Doesn't Go reflected this fact.
(From the "Rest" of RHF)
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