The Legend of the Chevy Nova That Wouldnt Go

The Legend of the Chevy Nova That Wouldn't Go If youve ever taken a class in marketing, chances are youve heard how Chevrolet had problems selling the Chevy Nova automobile in Latin America. Since no va means it doesnt go in Spanish, the oft-repeated story goes, Latin American car buyers shunned the car, forcing Chevrolet to embarrassingly pull the car out of the market. But the Problem With the Story Is... Chevrolets woes are often cited as an example of how good intentions can go wrong when it comes to translation. There are literally thousands of references to the incident on the Internet, and the Nova example has been mentioned in textbooks and often comes up during presentations on cultural differences and advertising. But theres one major problem with the story: It never happened. As a matter of fact, Chevrolet did reasonably well with the Nova in Latin America, even exceeding its sales projections in Venezuela. The story of the Chevy Nova is a classic example of an urban legend, a story that is told and retold so often that it is believed to be true even though it isnt. Like most other urban legends, there is some element of truth in the story (no va indeed means it doesnt go), enough truth to keep the story alive. Like many urban legends, the story has the appeal of showing how the high and mighty can be humiliated by stupid mistakes. Even if you couldnt confirm or reject the story by looking into history, you might notice some problems with it if you understand Spanish. For starters, nova and no va dont sound alike and are unlikely to be confused, just as carpet and car pet are unlikely to be confused in English. Additionally, no va would be an awkward way in Spanish to describe a nonfunctioning car (no funciona, among others, would do better). Additionally, as in English, nova, when used in a brand name, can convey a sense of newness. Theres even a Mexican gasoline that goes by that brand name, so it seems unlikely such a name alone could doom a car. Other Spanish Mistranslation Legends GM, of course, isnt the only company to be cited as making advertising blunders in the Spanish language. But upon closer examination, many of these tales of mistranslation prove to be as unlikely  as the one involving GM. Here are some of those stories. The Tale  of the Vulgar Pen Story: Parker Pen intended to use the slogan it wont stain your pocket and embarrass you, to emphasize how its pens wouldnt leak, translating it as no manchar tu bolsillo, ni te embarazar. But embarazar  means to be pregnant rather than to embarrass. So the slogan was understood as it wont stain your pocket and get you pregnant. Comment: Anyone who learns much about Spanish learns quickly about such common mistakes as confusing embarazada (pregnant) for embarrassed. For a professional to make this translating mistake seems highly unlikely. Wrong Kind of Milk Story: A Spanish version of the Got Milk? campaign used  ¿Tienes leche?, which can be understood as Are you lactating? Comment: This might have happened, but no verification has been found. Many such promotional campaigns are locally run, making it more likely this understandable mistake could have been made. Wrong Kind of Loose Story: Coors translated the slogan turn it loose in a beer ad in such a way that it was understood as slang for suffer from diarrhea. Comment: Reports differ on whether Coors used the phrase suà ©ltalo con Coors (literally, let it go loose with Coors) or suà ©ltate con Coors (literally, set yourself free with Coors). The fact that accounts dont agree with each other make it seem unlikely that the mistake actually happened. No-Coffee Coffee Story: Nestlà © was unable to sell Nescafà © instant coffee in Latin America because the name is understood as No es cafà © or It isnt coffee. Comment: Unlike most of the other accounts, this story is demonstrably false. Nestlà © not only sells instant coffee under that name in Spain and Latin America, but it also operates coffee shops with that name. Also, while consonants are often softened in Spanish, vowels are usually distinct, so nes is unlikely to be confused for no es. Misplaced Affection Story: A slogan for Frank Perdue chicken, it takes a strong man to make a tender chicken, was translated as the equivalent of it takes a sexually aroused man to make a chicken affectionate. Comment: Like tender, tierno can mean either soft or affectionate. The accounts differ on the phrase used to translate a strong man. One account uses the phrase un tipo duro (literally, a hard chap), which seems extremely unlikely.