Wait till Biggus Dickus hears of this!

Submitted by vinteuil on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 2:01pm

Foreign Affairs

OK, here's a story that I can't post over at What's Wrong with the World:

"Pakistani diplomat Miangul Akbar Zeb was recently declined accreditation as his nation's ambassador to Saudi Arabia. The problem, it seems, is that his name is a genital reference in Arabic.

"Akbar is a common Muslim name that translates to "the greatest" or "the biggest." Zeb is a relatively common Urdu name (زب) whose meaning in Arabic isn't used in polite conversation. In other words, it's a reference to the male genitals.

"That's right: In Arabic, Akbar Zeb is "the biggest dick...

Apparently, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have rejected his credentials as well."

As they say - stranger than fiction:

Hat tip

Obligatory

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Submitted by caleb on Sat, 02/06/2010 - 9:38am.

~At times like these I am reminded of the immortal words of Socrates when he said...."I drank what?"

The name would be complete if...

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Submitted by Bird Dog on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 3:46pm.

...he middle name was Swinging.

"I think BDog would make this place interesting." --catchy

Blush - well, I checked the Thursday open thread...

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Submitted by vinteuil on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 4:03pm.

...before I posted this - but I didn't check the Monday open thread.

So you beat me to it!

Anyway, good point.

And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.

Reminds me of GM's Nova.

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Submitted by mmghosh on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 2:13pm.

Link

What translation faux pas inspired a new name for a GM car?
If you do a straight literal translation of a word from one language to another, you might not communicate its true meaning. General Motors found that out in Latin America when it ignored Spanish idiomatic expressions. For example, when translated literally, GM's slogan "Body by Fisher" became "Corpse by Fisher." Worse yet, Chevy Nova's sales were disastrous when first introduced in Latin America. They didn't take off until GM changed the car's name from Nova to Caribe. The reason? In Spanish "no va" means "doesn't go." And few people want an automobile that "doesn't go" anywhere.

The Saudi story has generated much merriment here. And across the border, especially in relation to the case of Mr Dick Cheney.

Interestingly, why can't you post it "over there"? Crusaders have delicate sensibilities?