webfact Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 IKEA products make Thai shoppers blush Source: The Wall Street Journal BANGKOK: -- Is Redalen a: a town in Norway, b: a bed sold by Swedish furniture chain IKEA or c) something that sounds uncomfortably close to getting to third base in Thailand? The answer, it turns out, is all three. IKEA is famous for using tongue-twisting Scandinavian names to help identify its sofas and beds. But as the big-box retailer expands into fast-growing new markets, it is discovering that those hard-to-pronounce names can also have other meanings, and that spells trouble in other languages. Take Thailand, for example. IKEA launched a new superstore late last year, its fifth-largest in the world. It is packed with shoppers seeking bargains among the flat-pack, assemble-it-yourself furniture or wolfing down Swedish meatballs in the IKEA restaurant. Reading a standard IKEA catalog aloud, though, can draw strange looks, or worse. Besides the Redalen bed, there is the very nice Jattebra plant pot, which can sound in part like a crude Thai term for sex, and a host of other problematic words. Full story: http://www.myfoxdfw....-shoppers-blush -- myFOXdfw 2012-06-05 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Slaps Posted June 5, 2012 Popular Post Share Posted June 5, 2012 They don't do too bad themselves . . 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucidLucifer Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 It happens to the best of companies. Rolls Royce almost called one of their cars Silver Mist. Mist apparently translates in German as sh_t. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h90 Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 It happens to the best of companies. Rolls Royce almost called one of their cars Silver Mist. Mist apparently translates in German as sh_t. Mist is not exactly shit......But definitely not something good for marketing. Maybe Junk would be a possible translation??? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shunima Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 It happens to the best of companies. Rolls Royce almost called one of their cars Silver Mist. Mist apparently translates in German as sh_t. Mist is not exactly shit......But definitely not something good for marketing. Maybe Junk would be a possible translation??? I suppose the correct translation is "dung" or "muck" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookMan Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 It happens to the best of companies. Rolls Royce almost called one of their cars Silver Mist. Mist apparently translates in German as sh_t. Sound like the Mazda Laputa, which I believe means 'whore' in Spanish 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayjayjayjay Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 I like the "nova" car name which in Spanish "no va" means "not going"... Not a good name for a car. "Not Going"! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
folium Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 It happens to the best of companies. Rolls Royce almost called one of their cars Silver Mist. Mist apparently translates in German as sh_t. Sound like the Mazda Laputa, which I believe means 'whore' in Spanish You won't find many Mitsubishi Pajeros in Spanish speaking parts of the world as Pajero means.....<deleted>! ! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agudbuk Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 "But as the big-box retailer" Double entendres can be found in many places 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shunima Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 As long as it applies to products nevermind. A fairly popular surname in Germany is 'Kant' as in the philosopher Immanuel Kant. No fun to introduce yourself with: Good afternoon. My name is c u n t as this is how it is pronounced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
folium Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Best one though has to be the Mitsubishi Starion which should have been the Stallion, allegedly!! Hope it's true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
folium Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 As long as it applies to products nevermind. A fairly popular surname in Germany is 'Kant' as in the philosopher Immanuel Kant. No fun to introduce yourself with: Good afternoon. My name is c u n t as this is how it is pronounced. I worked in the US with a great guy who rejoiced in the name of Randy Baumgardner and he could never understand why the Brits would giggle when he was introduced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwardandtubs Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 So what does redalen mean exactly in Thai? I have no idea what "getting to third base" means. Is that a euphemism for anal sex? Anyone got the spelling in Thai? Could come in useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeO Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 It happens to the best of companies. Rolls Royce almost called one of their cars Silver Mist. Mist apparently translates in German as sh_t. Or the Nova car, the name of which was not changed when it was introduced into the Spanish market; unfortunately, "nova" in Spanish means "won't go"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thequietman Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 (edited) Mazda LaPuta (in spanish: "the whore") Nissan Moco (in spanish: "booger") Buick LaCrosse (in French: "masturbating teenagers") Opel Ascona (in Spain and Portugal: "female genitalia") Honda Fitta (in swedish and norwegian: "c u n t") Dodge Swinger Edited June 5, 2012 by thequietman 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersombat Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 So what does redalen mean exactly in Thai? I have no idea what "getting to third base" means. Is that a euphemism for anal sex? Anyone got the spelling in Thai? Could come in useful. I wanna know too. Dont know any words in Thai that sound like that word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucidLucifer Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 How about this manufacturer of electrical appliances in Turkey: Can't imagine what the smile on the lass' face is all about. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersombat Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Btw how do Thais pronounce IKEA? Would sound like "I shit" in Thai. Why not have a competitor named IHIA? Lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naam Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 It happens to the best of companies. Rolls Royce almost called one of their cars Silver Mist. Mist apparently translates in German as sh_t. Mist is not exactly shit......But definitely not something good for marketing. Maybe Junk would be a possible translation??? "Mist" is shit mixed with straw, i.e. what is cleaned out of cattle stables AFTER the cattle shat on the straw. thesaurus for "Misthaufen" (heap of mist) Misthaufen {m} dunghill midden muckheap dung hill dung heap manure heap manure pile http://www.dict.cc/german-english/Misthaufen.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khun Jean Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 You sure know your shit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigJohnnyBKK Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 I worked in the US with a great guy who rejoiced in the name of Randy Baumgardner and he could never understand why the Brits would giggle when he was introduced. I get the Randy (how to Brits shorten Randall?) but is the Baumgardner relevant somehow? I have no idea what "getting to third base" means. Is that a euphemism for anal sex? I guess you're a public schoolboy eh? American school kids, boy bragging "I got all the way to Nth base with Cindy last night" 1st base = kissing 2nd base = fondling breasts 3rd base = manual stimulation of genitals (in recent decades oral included) home = all the way, full intercourse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
necronx99 Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 I remember staying in the Porn King hotel in CM (I think). But as I was with the misses you can imagine my dismay when there wasn't any to be had. False advertising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaddeus Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 It happens to the best of companies. Rolls Royce almost called one of their cars Silver Mist. Mist apparently translates in German as sh_t. Mist is not exactly shit......But definitely not something good for marketing. Maybe Junk would be a possible translation??? "Mist" is shit mixed with straw, i.e. what is cleaned out of cattle stables AFTER the cattle shat on the straw. thesaurus for "Misthaufen" (heap of mist) Misthaufen {m} dunghill midden muckheap dung hill dung heap manure heap manure pile http://www.dict.cc/g...Misthaufen.html Brings a whole new meaning to Gorillas in the Mist. Another unfortunate name is the kitchen equipment manufacturer called Smeg. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draftvader Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 It happens to the best of companies. Rolls Royce almost called one of their cars Silver Mist. Mist apparently translates in German as sh_t. Sound like the Mazda Laputa, which I believe means 'whore' in Spanish La puta - The Whore. Yep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draftvader Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Check out this gem in Pondicherry, India. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai at Heart Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Groundsman at lords cricket ground was always michael (not mike) hunt when introduced on the tv coverage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucidLucifer Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Lots of unfortunate names, but this one would sell like hot cakes in pubs and bars worldwide. The potential for innuendos at the expense of barmaids is limitless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 These Thai shoppers need to get over themselves! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crushdepth Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 These shoppers can't have walked along Sukhumvit recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unkomoncents Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Maybe one other posted has noted the fact that there are a half-dozen, at least, everyday Thai words that translate horribly into English, even if they are being mispronounced according to Thailand's rules of transliteration: Phuket (I have overhead Indians, Australians, Europeans, and members of my own family get this one, hilariously, wrong) Poon Cum Porn Fuk ... A well-rounded, thoughtful article would have included that for relative consideration and analysis. But this is Thailand and this article in from The Nation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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