Nokia Ovi’s Tagalog Adsense ad is funny
May 27, 2008
While checking my Gmail inbox last weekend, a Google Adsense advertisement of Nokia’s media sharing site Ovi.com appeared.
The ad was written in Tagalog. The reason, obviously, is to attract more of the target Filipino audience to click on the ad and eventually try Nokia’s site to upload their photos, videos, and other media.
What’s interesting, though, is how the ad was phrased. It seems like it was translated from English either using a crude Translator Tool or by a person who is not that fluent in the Filipino language.
Take a look.
Magbahagi sa Ovi
share.ovi.com
Maiging upload at mamahala ng file at ibahagi sa kaibigan. Magpalista!
Maiging upload - what?
mamahala ng file : manage file - ok!
at ibahagi sa kaibigan : and share to a friend - ok!
Magpalista! : Register! - Quite ok but “magpalista” sounds more like to enlist in school rather than to register in a site
Our advice to Nokia is the same one we gave to Janina San Miguel after her funny answer during the Bb. Pilipinas 2008 pageant: If you find it difficult to express yourself in one language, use another in which you are comfortable with.
If Nokia Ovi only used English in its copy, the ad probably wouldn’t have been laughable.
Or they can use a better Taglish line such as “Wag nang mahiya! I-share na dito ang videos at photos mo!” or “Have some photos or videos to share? Click na rito!”
Got a better suggestion? I-share mo na rito! Now na! ^^
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May 27th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Hey, it’s also quite possible that the original ad is in English and the text was automatically translated to tagalog by a translation engine of some sort.
May I ask if your chosen language is english or tagalog ?
I prefer english and I don’t seem to be getting any tagalog ads
May 28th, 2008 at 6:59 am
I think it is hilarious. I to have tried using those so-called crude translators before and let me tell you this, it was not very nice what came of it.
Great blog!!
JDT Sign Shop
http://www.jdtsignshop.com
May 29th, 2008 at 12:36 am
@Hamilton and JDT, the more plausible explanation for me too for the faulty Filipino grammar is the use of a Translator Tool whose output went unchecked before the ad copy was released. I’m sure if the Nokia Ovi ad guys visited Yahoo! Answers and asked Filipinos there whether the Tagalog phrase made sense, they’d know instantly that it didn’t.
@Hamilton, the Tagalog Ovi ad appeared probably because I was reading then a Tagalog email in my Gmail inbox.
May 30th, 2008 at 1:25 am
Why don’t you try to translate it in tagalog (no taglish pls.)