Earlyface

If you travel abroad frequently for work, or if you
have an e-commerce store with customers from all
over the world, it’s worth noting that there are a
number of English words that, phonetically, don’t
work in other countries and can lead to double
entendre or unintended offence territory. Here are 20
 of them to help you ensure that your communication
 isn’t lost in translation.
In France
“Preservative” Avoid asking about preservatives in
France; you’ll probably be met with strange looks. It
means ‘condom’ in France.
“Bra” Do you sell luxury underwear? Whilst you and I
might initially understand the word to mean a
garment that covers the breasts, if you’re in France
your French colleagues might think you’re selling
arms. Literally.
In Norway
“Pick” If you’re visiting Norway, don’t use the word
‘pick’. Your Norwegian colleague is unlikely to be
impressed – it means ‘dick’ over there.
“Fitter. Does your business specialise in fitness
products? Be mindful that in Norway, the word ‘fitte’
refers to a woman’s genitals.
In Turkey
“Peach” Going to Turkey? Avoid asking for a peach in
the supermarket or anywhere else for that matter. It
means ‘bastard’ in Turkish.
In Germany
“Gift” ‘Never look a gift horse in the mouth’, we’re
told; perhaps more so in Germany where the word
means ‘poison’.
“Latte” In Germany, latte doesn’t mean the frothy,
milky concoction you get from your local Starbucks. It
means ‘erect ****’ in some German quarters.
In Korea
“Salsa” Out for a Mexican in Korea? It’s probably best
not to ask for salsa: it means ‘diarrhoea’ in Korean.
In Sweden
“Speed” Try not to talk about speed when in the
company of others in Sweden. It means ‘fart’.
“Bump” If you’ve had the misfortune of a bump on
your car, note that the word ‘bump’ in Swedish
means ‘dump’.
“Speed bump” Put the above two words together
and you have the phrase ‘speed bump’, which in
Swedish means fart dump.
“Kiss” If you ask your Swedish host or hostess for a
kiss, they might very well direct you to the toilets. In
Swedish, the word means ‘pee’.
In Portugal
“Pay Day” If you’re in Portugal, refrain from singing
with happiness that it’s ‘pay day’. No one will be
impressed. In Portuguese it means “I farted”.
“Exquisite” Extend a compliment to your Portuguese
host by describing something belonging to them as
‘exquisite’ and you might be met with askance looks:
‘esquisito’ in Portuguese means ‘weird’.
In Hungary
“Cookie” If you’re visiting Hungary, whether on
business or for pleasure, avoid asking for a cookie. It
means ‘small ****’ in Hungarian.
In Japan
“Jerry” It’s perhaps a little late for Ben & Jerry’s ice
cream, but if you’re in Japan, avoid using the word –
it means ‘diarrhoea’ over there.
In Italy
“Tremendous” Refrain from boasting about the
tremendous prices you offer your clients. In this
country, ‘tremendo’ is the word for ‘terrible’.
In Netherlands
“Bill” Asking for the bill might raise a few guffaws in
the Netherlands: ‘bil’ means ‘buttocks’ there.
“Lager” It might confuse your Dutch colleagues if you
were to ask for a ‘lager’ when having a few drinks
with them after work. Lager means ‘storage’ in Dutch.
In Spain
“Cool” The word cool is too close for comfort to the
Spanish word ‘culo’; a crude term for ‘bum’. Best
avoided.
That some words can be misinterpreted not only has relevance for those who frequently go abroad on business, but as Tictail point out, also for online
businesses where ‘borderless’ transactions take
place. So if you’ve often wondered why your
“exquisite Madagascan chocolates” fly like hotcakes
everywhere in the world except Brazil and Portugal,
perhaps you now have the answer: weird, dodgy
chocolates just won’t sell.