‘One Size Fits All’ approach doesn’t work here, This involves complex cultural considerations into account, as well as ensuring that messaging is faithfully recreated by translators with in depth local knowledge.

1. Coors: The company’s ‘Turn It Loose!’ slogan was successful in America but had a surprising impact in Spanish-speaking Mexico, where the literal translation predicted that anyone who drank Coors would ‘Suffer From Diarrhea!’

2. American Motors: When American Motors launched a car named ‘Matador’ not successful when they introduced the same  model to Puerto Rico they ran into trouble. It turned out that matador was the Spanish word for ‘killer’.

3.Pepsi: When Pepsi entered the Chinese market it launched with the slogan ‘Pepsi Brings You Back to Life’. the phrase had been translated as ‘Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back from the Grave’.

4.Pepsodent: When Pepsodent tried to sell toothpaste in South East Asia by promising white teeth, the brand overlooked a key cultural factor of mass population  who chew betel nuts to try and blacken their teeth, Accordingly the brand’s promise wasn’t what their audience wanted to hear.

5.Ford: When Ford introduced the popular brand Pinto to Brazil they were surprised to find that sales went nowhere. After some investigation it transpired that ‘Pinto’ was slang in Brazil for ‘tiny male genitals’

6.Braniff Airlines: When the now defunct Braniff airlines decided they wanted to appeal to first class customers, they created a campaign to promote their leather upholstery in Mexico. Unfortunately the tag line ‘Fly In Leather’ literally translated as ‘Fly Naked’.

7.Traficante: The Italian mineral water company promoted their water Traficante in Spain not knowing that the word “traficante” means “drug dealer” in Spanish.

8.Mitsubishi: When company launched the rover vehicle “Pajero 4WD” in Spain ignoring the fact that the word “pajero” means “jerk” in Spanish. The car´s name has then been changed to Mitsubishi “Montero”.

9. Clairol: launched a curling iron called "Mist Stick" in Germany even though "mist" is German slang for manure.

10. KFC: When company launch in China, consumers a bit apprehensive when "finger licking good" was translated as "eat your fingers off."

11. Mercedes-Benz: When entered the Chinese market under the brand name "Bensi," which means "rush to die."

12. Parker Pen: When expanding into Mexico, mistranslated "It won't leak in your pocket and embarrass you" into "It won't leak in your pocket and make you pregnant."
13. Puffs marketed its tissues under that brand name in Germany even though "puff" is German slang for a brothel.

14. The American Dairy Association replicated its "Got Milk?" campaign in Spanish-speaking countries where it was translated into "Are You Lactating?"

15. Vicks When company introduced its cough drops into the German market without realizing that the German pronunciation of "v" is "f" making "Vicks" slang for sexual intercourse.

Attribution & Refrences