France

Preservative. Avoid asking about preservatives in France; youll probably be met with strange
looks. It means condom in France.

Norway
Pick. If youre visiting Norway, dont 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 womans genitals.

Turkey
Peach. Going to Turkey? Avoid asking for a peach in the supermarket or anywhere else for that
matter. It means bastard in Turkish.

Germany
Gift. Never look a gift horse in the mouth, were told; perhaps more so in Germany where the
word means poison.
Latte. In Germany, latte doesnt mean the frothy, milky concoction you get from your local
Starbucks. It means erect penis in some German quarters.

Korea
Salsa. Out for a Mexican in Korea? Its probably best not to ask for salsa: it means diarrhoea in
Korean.

Sweden
Speed. Try not to talk about speed when in the company of others in Sweden. It means fart.
Bump. If youve 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.

Portugal
Pay Day. If youre in Portugal, refrain from singing with happiness that its 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.

Hungary
Cookie. If youre visiting Hungary, whether on business or for pleasure, avoid asking for a
cookie. It means small penis in Hungarian.

Japan
Jerry. Its perhaps a little late for Ben & Jerrys ice cream, but if youre in Japan, avoid using the
word it means diarrhoea over there.

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 youre in France your French colleagues might think
youre selling arms. Literally.

Italy
Tremendous. Refrain from boasting about the tremendous prices you offer your clients. In this
country, tremendo is the word for terrible.

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.

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 youve 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 wont sell.

January Stephen Hawking

February Thomas Alva Edison
March Albert Einstein
April Jackie Chan
May David Beckham (David Robert Joseph Beckham)
June Lionel Messi
July Princess Diana
August Neil Armstrong
September Harland Sanders (Colonel Harland David Sanders)
October Mahatma Gandhi
November Bruce Lee
December The King