SAguirre

I look around all the time at new cars just for fun. I had to share this one:

In Spanish, the name of this Mazda is "The B I T C H" I love these names, I think they are hilarious. If is like the Mitsubishi "Pajero" which in the US is the "Montero." In Spanish, "Pajero" is slang for jack-off.

It is a good thing that the Mazda is not a car intended for the US or Spanish speaking countries. It is also good that the Mitsubishi was renames for the US.

Could you imagine having a Mazda Laputa and saying to your wife that you were stuck in traffic with La Puta! Or that you are late because La Puta broke down on the side of the street! Or that you are taking La Puta on your road trip?

It is very clear why Audi, Mercedes and BMW use non word names for their cars. They are such global products that they are bound to offend someone. Like the Japanese.

This is just a stupid post that has nothing to do with the W211 and I know it,

Steve A

mick1

maybe they were thinking of the floating island in Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels." That island was called "Laputa" too.

SAguirre

I thought of that too! But that didn't make sense to me either. But who knows! Jonathan Swift knew what it meant when he named the island La Puta. He was kind of a sarcastic writer and if I remember correctly the whole story was very sarcastic and critical of society. The name would kind of make sense in his story. Both the car and the island were named as one word "LAputa," so maybe you are right Mick.

Steve

DWP

... or maybe the Japanese animation feature called "Laputa."
http://www.supersly.net/laputa/default.htm

Like you say, almost any non-random combination of letters will have a negative meaning in some language. One often-used example is "Nova", as in Chevy Nova - or "no va", "doesn't go", in Spanish.

It's harder to explain a boner like "Pajero" because it sure sounds like a Spanish word, and that should have reminded Mitsu to check the Spanish meaning.

When Nissan first imported sedans and their roadster into the US, they used the English version of their Japanese names - "Bluebird" and "Fairlady", respectively. It didn't take them long to figure out that those names weren't quite as macho as might be desired. They soon substituted numbers for the names - "410" and "1600."

I can't think of any Mercedes, of any vintage, with a model name of other than numbers and a few letters. The imposing "600" M-B from the 60s was sometimes known as "Der Grosser Mercedes", but that wasn't the official name.

etenn

I once stood in the Plaza del Sol in Madrid with 1 million plus people who were protesting a killing (murder) by the Basque group ETA. The were chanting "hijos de punta" which translates to "sons of a b itch".

jmartinacevedo

Worse. "Puta" more closely stands for "*****" than "*****" and amounts to one of the worst insults... :p

khaug

Funny as this is, my favorite is still the Chevy no va, which means "no go" in Spanish. Or, in English, means an exploding star.

SAguirre

Well, that link does look like something that would have come from the floating island of Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels."

If it is popular enough, then it might have been a good choice for a car's name, but only in the Jap. market.

Steve

SAguirre

I have lived in Spanish-speaking countries for 12 years and "hijo de puta" is a favorite chant that gets used in any protests. It makes more sense in Spanish than if it just gets translated to English.

But wait, "hijo de puta" might be the name of the next smaller model to come from Mazda's "Laputa's" chassis. Get it. . . I sometimes have an overactive imagination.

Steve

cdiken

No Va = No Go in Mexakin.

SAguirre

I don't know what language Mexakin is. Just kidding. But don't assume that all who speak Spanish are Mexican. Just too totally clarify all the translations of "NOVA":

"No" in Spanish can also mean "does not" and "va" is the third person singular conjugation of the verb "ir" which is "to go" so correctly translated it could be:

He/she/it does not go. When it was read on the badge of a car, it would most likely be interpreted as "it" (referring to the car) "does not go" (work or function). Like any translation, the connotative meaning of a word or phrase is much bigger and varied than the denotative meaning.

So anyway you see it or translate it, this was an ill-chosen name for a car that could be sold in an area with any dialect of Spanish-speaking demographics.

Another example is the VW Jetta (which is a wind) can be loosely interpreted a jinx (bad luck) in some South America and Italian dialects. The spelling is not the same, so it is not that big of a problem. In Europe it is called the Vento.

I am the king of worthless facts,

Steve

gotallthetoys

I go to Japan all the time and you would be amazed at the signs and names we see. For a laugh go to engrish.com.

SAguirre

I have also been to Japan and found a lot of these little things. There are a lot of Spanish issues too! I totally enjoyed this site!

Steve

glojo

Hi Steve,
I just love reading these off topic tit bits. I must say though that this contribution takes me back to my school years?

Regards,
John

jmartinacevedo

I remember reading recently somewhere that the Chevy "No Va" story was an urban legend...

SAguirre

I don't think it was a legend. I personally saw a few of the "Nova" models around. It was one word really referring to the astronomical term, but has a Spanish meaning too. They were around and driving though.

Steve

DWP

You mean like this?
https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w211/91835-not-realted-w211.html
:v

glojo

Snitch and I thought there was only one Lecturer here?

Regards,
John

DWP

I should stifle myself. Nobody likes a grammar/spelling/diction cop, and I've gotten myself in big trouble that way before. But (famous last words) I - just - couldn't - resist.

glojo

I do have previous for these little 'tit bits' (what a pun??)

Take care,
John

SAguirre

I knows, engrish is hart. but spenish is even harter. becuse me spel is perphict, me had too corects and set evritig cleer.

I am a teacher/professor, what can I say?

Steve