Mistake times two
So, in a fit of inspiration (or lack thereof), this Mistake Monday was going to be one of the oldest and most well-known in the world - the tale of the Chevy Nova. Problem is, it’s probably not true.
As the story goes, the management of General Motors made the fateful decision to introduce one of its most popular models, the Chevy Nova, to the Mexican market. This they did, but unfortunately they failed to realize that Nova in Spanish is the same as “no va,” or it doesn’t go. Mexican consumers quickly decided that a car with such an unfortunate name couldn’t be good, and the product intro flopped.
True or not, the tale is still a good reminder that having nationals in the target market review all marketing and business documentation is critical no matter where you go. As a lawyer I would hasten to add that the same can be said of legal documents, no matter how sophisticated the business.
The other lesson is that some of these lessons may well be apocryphal, and it’s always good to read all advice, particularly that found on the internet, with a healthy dose of skepticism.
image from snopes.com
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POSTED IN: Mistake Monday
1 opinion for Mistake times two
Jean
Nov 28, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Darn. I’ve been using this for years in writing and business communication classes as an example of how you need to be aware of cultural and language differences.
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