Spanish fashion giant Mango has been forced to apologise for advertising a ‘slave style’ jewellery line on its French e-commerce website.
Mango made worldwide headlines thanks to a translation error relating to the term ‘esclava’ in the promotion of a new line of jewellery. ‘Esclava,’ is a common Spanish term used to describe a particular style of bracelet. However, in France, where the bracelets were being marketed, the descriptor critically means slave.
More than 5,000 outraged people joined in with a social networking petition campaigning against Mango and its insensitive, inappropriate caption, with ‘Boycott Mango’ quickly becoming a trending topic on Twitter. Mango has since accepted full responsibility and apologised for what they have called a ‘translation error’.
However, some outraged critics didn’t believe the company had made an innocent mistake; “Stop your lies! We all know that a translation error would be fixed well before products hit the shelves,” one woman ranted on Twitter.
At Bubbles Translation Services we fully understand that sloppy translations can ruin a business’ reputation. Our translations are managed by reliable language professionals, and are never sent out without passing a strict screening process based on careful research.
Contextual knowledge, cultural understanding and professional language skills are essential for all kinds of translations, large or small. As we’ve seen, mistakes can be costly and, in some instances, irreversibly damage the reputation of a company.
To help avoid costly PR nightmares and legal battles due to translation errors, we recommend you choose the services of a professional.
