Backtranslation is one of the best techniques available to reduce translation errors. An Australian soft drink company discovered the value of backtranslation during the planning stages of its entry into the Hong Kong market. The company had hoped to employ its successful slogan “Baby, it’s cold inside,” but before using the translated version of the slogan, the firm had it translated back into English. This proved to be a wise move. The message backtranslated to “Small mosquito, on the inside it is very cold.” “Small mosquito,” a local colloquial expression for a small child, simply did not convey the same thing as the friendly English slang word “baby” for “woman.” The intended message would have been lost had the original translated version been used.
Retrieved from Blunders in International Business / David A. Ricks.
