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Nov 20, 2013 · The solution is to fix the problem. HSBC actually let the problematic campaign run for several years before remediating the issue – yikes.
Aug 24, 2018 · In 2009, HSBC Bank’s global private banking enterprise ran into trouble when its five-year-old tagline, “Assume Nothing,” was awkwardly translated as “Do Nothing” in many countries. HSBC Bank apparently did nothing to ensure their slogan was properly translated in the global environment.
- A Pregnancy Preventing Pen
- Taking ‘Naked Leather’ A Little Too Literally
- Potatoes Find Newfound Fame
- It’S A Bird, It’S A Plane, It’S A … Peach?
The Parker pens translation blunder is one of my personal favorites. Who knew such a product existed! When Parker first entered the Latin American market and introduced its product, the pen advertisements were supposed to read: “It won’t leak in your pocket and embarrass you.” However, the company had mistakenly used the Spanish word “embarazar,” t...
Another famous translation blunder occurred in Mexico in 1987. Braniff Airlinesunveiled its luxurious leather seats with the slogan, “Fly in leather.” Even though the Spanish translation “Vuela en Cuero,” was technically correct, it was almost identical to the phrase “en cueros” which means “naked.” When listeners heard the ad on the television or ...
Rumor has it that when Pope John Paul II visited Miamiin 1987, t-shirts were designed to say “I saw the Pope” in Spanish for locals and tourists alike. Instead of using “el Papa” (“the Pope”), a t-shirt manufacturer mistakenly substituted it for “la Papa” (‘the potato”). Somewhere in the creation of this t-shirt idea, the concept of the Spanish gen...
One of Procter & Gamble’s biggest advertising uh-oh’s occurred in the late 1900s when the firm introduced its Pampersbrand in Japan. The company used an advertisement that had resonated well with U.S. customers: an animated stork delivering Pampers diapers to a happy home. Unfortunately, the cute commercial didn’t even come close to hitting its mar...
- A U.S. president’s love for Poland. Our review of troublesome and hilarious translation mistakes starts with a famous speech by President Carter in 1997.
- 10 million of nothing. The HSBC bank had been using the slogan “Assume Nothing”—meaning anything and everything is possible at their bank. This expressed the company’s investment strategy and appealed to their English clients.
- Nothing sucks like an Electrolux. Swedish brand Electrolux learned the hard way that international expansion requires thorough preparation—especially in the context of content translation and localization.
- Gastronomical translation blunders. It’s all too common to find translation mistakes on restaurant menus—especially the English versions of their menus.
- HSBC Bank. HSBC Bank was forced to rebrand its entire global private banking operations after bringing a U.S. campaign overseas. In 2009, the worldwide bank spent millions of dollars to scrap its 5-year-old "Assume Nothing" campaign.
- KFC. While most businesses try to make a good impression while expanding into a foreign country, fried-chicken franchise KFC got off on the wrong foot when it opened in China in the late 1980s.
- Coors. American beer maker Coors discovered that slang doesn't always translate well. When bringing its cool "Turn It Loose" campaign to Spain, it appears executives forgot to ensure the translation would resonate with consumers.
- Dairy Association. The American Dairy Association and Dairy Council found out that even the best campaigns in the U.S can easily flop overseas if not translated properly.
Feb 10, 2009 · But as the FT points out on Tuesday, HSBC is moving to replace the “Assume Nothing” campaign after the former phrase was mistranslated as “Do Nothing” in some countries. Obviously this spin was...
People also ask
Why did HSBC use the slogan 'assume nothing'?
Will HSBC replace 'Assume Nothing' AD?
Why did HSBC rebrand?
Does HSBC have a reluctance to invest in private banks?
HSBC discovered this when its “Assume nothing” slogan was converted to “Do nothing” in several countries.
