Vorsprung durch Technik slogans break down in reverse

When the German car-maker Audi wanted to promote its vehicles, its "Vorsprung durch Technik" slogan became one of the best-known lines in advertising.

But although overseas admirers of Teutonic engineering grasped the point of the "progress through technology" sales pitch, the English catchphrases deployed to push cars and clothes back at the Germans have merely confused them.

The average German's grasp of English may be competent, but campaigns such as the Jaguar's "Life by Gorgeous" are met with bafflement.

In a survey of 1,000 Germans, only eight per cent could accurately translate the Jaguar advert, while many thought it had something to do with the former Soviet satellite state of Georgia.

Others misunderstood Adidas's "Impossible is nothing" slogan as "An imposing nothing", and thought that Ford's "Feel the difference" referred to touching the car's differential gear system.

The study, by the Cologne agency Endmark, asked Germans aged 14 to 49 to translate 12 common English slogans that appeared on billboards locally. Around two thirds of those surveyed did not properly understand what was being said.

Bernd Samland, the head of Endmark, said: "Advertising experts sometimes disregard the cultural differences and push for the 'One World, One Brand, One Claim' motto.

"But our study shows that the message often simply does not get across."

Mr Samland quoted a slogan advertising Beck's beer, "Welcome to the Beck's experience", which fewer than one in five understood. Most thought the message meant "Welcome to Beck's experiment". Mr Samland added: "It's not purely a matter of not understanding English, as the age groups chosen were those most likely to have sufficient command of the language."

The study appears to have struck a chord among the public, judging from the publicity it has received. German newspapers deemed the results "a disaster" and blamed marketing officials for "trying to be cool".

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It's funny how the Germans can't translate what 'Life by Gorgeous' means when VW/Audi lovers all the way here in Singapore would instantly know what's Vorsprung Durch Technik and Aus Liebe Zum Automobil. Audi and VW uses these two slogans for their advertisements here instead of using English.