If you’re reaching out to people in a different country, just translating your content isn’t enough. What you need is Localization. Localization takes things to the next level by tailoring your message to match the culture, language, and expectations of your audience. It’s about making them feel like your brand truly gets them. Why does that matter? Because when people feel understood, they’re more likely to trust you, stick around, and even buy from you. Localized content performs better online; it’s optimized for regional search terms, so your visibility improves in local search results. Localization services (like Nimdzi) are crucial to avoiding brand missteps like these:
Finger-Eating Faux Pas
KFC’s iconic “Finger-Lickin’ Good” slogan hit a little too hard when they launched in China in the late 80s. It was translated as “Eat your fingers off.” Finger food has never sounded so horrifying.
Morbid Misstep
In the 1970s, Ford’s marketing team in Belgium was probably pretty proud of their “high-quality car bodies” until the translation promised “Every car has a high-quality corpse.” Talk about killer features.
Hop in your What!?
Honda initially named its compact car the Fitta, “Small on the outside, big on the inside.” But when marketing materials reached Sweden and Norway, the team learned that fitta is vulgar slang for “vagina” in both languages. IMAGINE!? (The car was renamed Jazz in Europe and Fit in other regions.)
Shitty Concept
In 2019, Heinz’s Mayochup (mayonnaise + ketchup) caused an unexpected stir when Cree speakers in Canada pointed out that it sounded like a term meaning “shit-face.” The company didn’t change the name but leaned into the buzz on social media. I don’t care what it’s called, I’m still not eating it.
No Thanks, Nintendo
In 2005, Nintendo released an electronic dictionary game in South Korea under the name Touch Dic. While the intention was innocent (short for dictionary), no kid should be putting that on their Christmas list.
Polishing a Turd
When Audi introduced its e-tron electric car, French speakers immediately pointed out the issue: étron is French slang for “turd.” So, in France, Audi was essentially marketing a shiny, expensive piece of crap. Despite the unfortunate translation, they stuck with the name.
You Know What They Say When You Assume…
…you make an “ass” out of “u” and “me.” In 2009, HSBC’s global “Assume Nothing” campaign was mistranslated in various countries as “Do Nothing.” This miscommunication led to a costly $10 million rebranding effort to repair the damage.
Better Flush that Campaign
Swiss beverage brand Schweppes were quick to pull a campaign in Italy promoting its Indian tonic water under the name “Il water”, which means “the toilet” in Italian. The name “Tonica” was chosen instead.
Gold Star for Being Globally Offensive
Hyundai’s Kona managed to offend and confuse half the globe. In Portuguese, it was slang for “vagina.” In Indonesia, it yelled “erection.” And in Poland, it sounded like a funeral announcement: “Hyundai is dying.” Apparently, no one at Hyundai thought to Google the name before slapping it on a car. They kept it anyway, because why not double down on driving a disaster?
Not How You Wanna Lose Weight
In the 1940s, Ayds was a popular diet candy. By the 1980s, it was sharing a name with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The company initially defended the name, apparently hoping customers would overlook the grim association. Nope, they didn’t. Sales tanked, and they rebranded the product as “Diet Ayds” in the U.S. and “Aydslim” in the UK, but nothing could save them.
India Had a Beef with McDs
McDonald’s rolled into India in the 90s (!!) ready to sling beef burgers in a country where for many, cows are sacred. It didn’t go well. They learned their lesson and pivoted to veggie and chicken options like the McAloo Tikki.
Chopstick Chaos
In 2018, D&G thought a Chinese model struggling to eat Italian food with chopstick was a cute concept. Instead, the ad was perceived as culturally insensitive and patronizing, leading to significant backlash and the cancellation of a major fashion show in Shanghai.
A Splash of Confusion
P&G’s body wash ads in Japan featured women enjoying luxurious showers in Western-style bathrooms, where the tub and shower share a cozy space. The problem was that Japanese bathrooms don’t work like that. In Japan, the shower gets its own private zone, separate from the tub, because no one’s rinsing off in their soak water—gross. To Japanese viewers, the ads didn’t scream luxury; they screamed, “Do these people even bathe properly?”
Step Back
Nike released sneakers with a logo resembling the Arabic word for “Allah” in 1997. The design choice led to widespread outrage in Muslim communities, and Nike learned not to step on sacred ground.
Beer Blunder
Heineken’s beer ad showed a bottle sliding past darker-skinned customers before landing in front of a light-skinned woman with the tagline “Sometimes, lighter is better.” The internet exploded, and so did their PR team.
What a Bunch of Wankers
Mitsubishi’s Pajero SUV was fine everywhere except Spanish-speaking markets, where pajero is slang for “masturbator.” (Seems a more apt name for a Cybertruck, tbh.) Mitsubishi renamed it Montero.
And it’s not just about translation, either. When words cross borders, they don’t always arrive intact. Sometimes, they come with baggage you didn’t pack.
Fanny
In North America, it’s your butt. In the UK, it’s slang for a vulva. Gives ‘fanny pack’ a whole new meaning, eh?
Cottaging
Canadians picture cozy lakeside getaways. Brits know it as anonymous gay sex in public restrooms. No, you can’t Airbnb this. (Or maybe you can?)
Rubber
In the UK and India, it’s a pencil eraser. In the U.S., it’s slang for a condom. Asking to borrow a rubber during class might be how legends are born, though.
Thong
Australians wear thongs on their feet (flip flops). North Americans are constantly pulling them out of their butt cracks (underwear).
Mist
North Americans imagine serene fog, but Germans hear “crap” (or “manure”).
Pissed
For North Americans, being pissed is usually when we’re really angry. Brits, Aussies, and the Irish use it to refer to being drunk. Someone’s probably yelling, but for entirely different reasons.
Root
North Americans cheer for their team when they root. Australians hear it as slang for having sex. “Rooting for the home team” gives a whole new twist to taking one for the team.
Bonking
In the U.S., it’s a silly bump, like a bonk to the head. In the UK, it’s having sex. Imagine telling someone across the pond that you accidentally bonked their car?
Shag
North Americans think of retro carpets. Brits? Straight-up slang for sex. So if you say, “I love a nice shag in the living room,” in the UK, maybe give a wink afterwards.
Knob
To Americans, it’s a doorknob. To Brits, it’s either a penis or a word for an idiot. “Turn the knob” sounds way more risqué overseas.
Booty
In the U.S., it’s a fun word for a butt or treasure. In South Africa, it’s slang for a bribe. Either way, someone’s walking away with the goods.
If you’ve learned anything here, it’s this: words can betray you. Investing in a good content and copywriter, and professional localization services might just keep your brand from being cancelled on TikTok.