An analysis of the blunders data, as well as these other studies, seems to indicate that there are two levels of potential adjustment and that these may be treated differently. The first level we might call the “elementary adjustment.” This is limited, for example, to some simple changes in the product (e.g., change voltage from 110 to 220, channels (e.g., increase number of outlets due to lower sales volume per outlet), or communication( e.g., translation and cultural debriefing) strategies. This elementary adjustment assumes that the basic home country strategy is adequate and transferable and needs only some fine tuning.
The requirements of this first stage of adjustment are comparatively simple. A check is made for legal considerations affecting the use of copy materials, advertising claims, and so fourth; an experienced linguist is contracted for the necessary translations, always observant to the danger of making a cultural faux pax; media selection is adjusted to its availability, quality, and impact, as is channel selection; and prices, budgets, and other administrative details are brought in line with competitive factors and profitability considerations.
Although apparently simple, many serious errors have been committed at this first level. A national producer of soft drinks had the company’s brand name impressed in Chinese characters which were phonetically accurate. It was discovered later, however, that the translation’s literal meaning was “female horse fattened with wax,” hardly the image the company sought to portray. General Motors’ copywriters in Europe found out to their chagrin the “Body by Fisher” had been translated in their Flemish ads to the equivalent of “Corpse by Fisher.”