Lost in Translation?

An enduring business legend tells the story of what happened when Pepsi brought its “Come Alive With Pepsi” campaign to China in the mid 1960s. Sales dropped precipitously, it is said, because the slogan was mistranslated as “Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back From the Dead.” Though the truth of this tale has never been substantiated, it does illustrate the risks that companies face when they translate their media for international consumption.

Recently, PepsiCo engaged Cohn Creative Group to translate a security awareness video that we had previously produced for them into seven languages: Arabic, French, Hindi, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. There are three ways to approach a translation project like this. Subtitling is the least expensive. UN-style dubbing, so named because it’s how it’s done at the United Nations, features the original program audio followed a moment later by a voice translation. Then there’s lip sync dubbing, in which the dubbing is matched to the timing of the original program.

For the PepsiCo video, lip sync dubbing was the clear choice. Much of the humorous impact of the program depends on nuance and tone of voice, and to maintain this feel, it was essential to have actors deliver the translated lines in a similar style and with the same timing. Our experienced translators understood that a word for word translation doesn’t work for lip sync dubbing. Because it’s essential to match the original timing, a translation that captures the meaning of the script in the required time is what’s needed. And of course, our translators always looked out for possible problems like “Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back From the Dead.”

With the translation completed, our production team identified voice talents who could speak the necessary languages. These skilled professionals are experts at saying their lines in the designated time while also giving them the feel needed to convey the humor of the video. The result was seven translations that helped PepsiCo’s international audiences truly hear the important security message.

So the next time you need to adapt a project for international distribution, don’t get lost in translation. Give Cohn Creative Group a call. We promise we won’t bother your ancestors.