Lost in Translation

I still remember the first mistranslation I ever had. During my Junior year of High School, one of my good friends (Ollie) taught me to say "You have beautiful eyes" in German, and I decided to use it on a German friend of mine. The problem is, he had actually taught me how to say "You have nice breasts." Needless to say, it was rather embarrassing for the two of us, and Ollie thought it was absolutely hilarious! I have a number of hilarious stories from my German attempting days; suffice it to say that I have ACCIDENTALLY said a number of slightly inappropriate things at the most inopportune (and most hilarious) times.

It is very difficult to take a simple thought and translate it into another language. This is especially difficult in marketing. Most businesses are now forced to compete in the global economy due to free trade agreements and the expanding globalization of the world markets. These companies spend millions of dollars in developing new advertising, and many simply try to translate these words into the languages of the people they are trying to reach, never knowing that many of these words are double entendres and mixed metaphors. Absolutely hilarious things happen when you simply translate one idea verbatim into another language. Here are a few examples:

Perdue chicken's slogan: "It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken." In Spanish, it became "It takes a virile man to make a chicken affectionate."

Pepsi Co used the phrase "Come alive with Pepsi." In Asia, it translated as "Pepsi makes your dead ancestors come back to life."

US Dairy Association: "Got Milk?" In Mexico, the advertisement asks "Are you lactating?"

So, the next time you make a fool of yourself in another country (like telling someone they have beautiful breasts), simply remember that you aren't the only one to make an international blunder: multi-million dollar companies do the same things too!


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Hey guys, I thought I would simply update you on life quickly. More will follow soon. I was able to go home for Thanksgiving and spend time with my family. I rode with Megan and her parents as far as Memphis, where they dropped me off. They came back on Saturday and we did wedding planning that whole evening. We have a lot of things accomplished so far:
- Megan has bought a wedding dress
- She has chosen her colors for the wedding
- We have a florist picked out (at least, we are 90% sure!)
- We are already looking at decorations
- We have a menu, and we are working on a music list
- We have begun compiling our lists for wedding invitations
- We have a wedding date picked: July 18th, 2PM
- We are working on honeymoon ideas
- Daniel is looking at apartments/townhomes

We will be cake shopping over Christmas break, as well as registering and looking at tuxedos, etc.


My ministry seems to be going well; students are winding down their semesters and we are getting ready for the Spring. Hard to believe it is already that time.

I am working out about 6 times a week, about to up that a little, I think. I am trying to do my LGN diet, so that is on the agenda every day.

Other than that... that's life! I am just enjoying my time, and very content with where God has me right now. Hope each one of you is doing well! God bless!