The French translation for a Columbia Sportswear advertisement slogan in Quebec is turning heads.
The English acronym for ‘GOAT’, which stands for ‘greatest of all time,’ seems to be used in a clever slogan “be the goat,” but the French translation to “soyez la chèvre” isn’t sitting well with some.
People walking by the banner hanging on the side of The Bay in downtown Montreal has some laughing.
“Is it on purpose?” asked Jo Rakotontrasoa, who stopped to take a picture of it. “But it’s funny, I think it’s funny.”
Some are just puzzled.
“I don’t really know. It doesn’t tell me much, honestly,” said Alexandre Beal.
Elodie Guerou didn’t get it at first glance, either.
“I’m a bit confused. Why the goat? I don’t get it,” she said, looking at the banner.
The television ad depicts a mountain goat frolicking and reaching the summit.
“Goats don’t care about being the G.O.A.T, they just care about being a goat,” the ad begins.
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In it, the sportswear company is promoting its new hiking shoes.
But some experts say the meaning gets lost in the French translation.
“You don’t translate a slogan like you would a birth certificate or a marriage licence,” said Charles Marcil, a translator.
“You have to be creative, you have to use the idiomatic tools that are available in the target language and this obviously was not done.”
The owner of CFL marketing, Francois L’Espinay, says when crafting a campaign for Quebec, companies need to keep in mind it’s a distinct society. “People from Quebec don’t think alike, they have a special way to live and in advertising. It’s very different,” said L’Espinay.
“That’s why a lot of even big agencies from the states or wherever, they have problems when they come to Quebec.”
Meanwhile, Columbia officials are not being sheepish.
They say the ad wasn’t meant as a referral to the term “Greatest Of All Time.”
“We certainly don’t want to make that statement, that we’re the greatest of all times. We certainly hope we’re making a great hiking boot that helps people get outdoors,” said Scott Trepanier, the company’s vice-president of brand strategy.
“The intention of the ad campaign is to really be the goat, to be the goat who is getting out there enjoying the outdoors while being stable and protected on the trail.”
Trepanier says they did consult with a Quebec marketing team and they were following language laws.
But for some, the ad remains “meh”.
“Yes,” said Beal, who says the ad doesn’t give him the urge to buy the shoes.
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