When advertising translation goes wrong – localization fails from around the world

As professional translators, we invest a great deal of time and energy in ensuring that the quality of our translations is up to scratch.

Reviewing, tweaking the odd word, catching typos and then proofing all over again is all part of the art of producing an accurate translation. 

However, when it comes to localization, not everyone is quite so on the ball. Companies that rely on machine translation open themselves up to potential localization fails every time they do so.

After all, a computer can’t provide localization services, only the translation element of the task (and even the quality of that can be questionable – but that’s a whole other topic to explore!).

As such, the internet is rife with examples of companies that have failed to localize their content before presenting it to foreign audiences. We’ve selected some of the juiciest examples for you to enjoy. 

The importance of professional translation and localization 

Before we take a look at these localization fails, it’s worth remembering just how important professional translationservices and localization services are.

Businesses around the world rely on these services to deliver their messages accurately in order to operate efficiently. Whether the translation relates to business to business or business to client interactions, there’s no room for anything other than the highest quality translations. 

Failing to translate and localize content properly can damage a company’s reputation. In some instances, it can cause people to laugh at the company for a silly blunder, but in others the repercussions are more serious. A company that offends an audience through a cultural gaffe may not find it so easy to recover from the mistake and can lose revenue as a result.

That’s why localization is so important. Sadly, in the examples below, the companies in question didn’t quite get it right.