The Machinery of Night

Posted 5:41 PM by Angie Schultz

Our Sophisticated European Brethren

The fellows at David's Medienkritik don't post very often these days, more's the pity, so I only drop in every once in a while. That's why I'm over a month late in noticing this: Obama-Fingers! Yes, delicious frozen fried chicken fingers, "mit Curry Dip". Complete with American flag and the Golden Gate Bridge looming mysteriously in the background.

It would be unfair to expect the Germans to be aware of our every cultural taboo (hell, I don't know them all). But tough: raaacists!

More cheerful is this ad for a Russian ice cream. Looks like they hired a Japanese artist, what with the shiny happy anime character. Babelfish says that the ad copy translates to "in all on the mouths dark in the white to go out of mind give". I think they're calling him a coconut. Remember that, Obama.

Took me a heck of a long time to get Babelfish to cough up a translation making even that much sense. Turns out those things that look like lower-case m's are actually lower-case t's. Them Russians is sneaky.

I'll try to have a better translation for you later in the week.

UPDATE: I have it on good authority that the translation reads:

"Everyone says: Dark in the white gives (and here the translation breaks down somewhat) coolness."

Of course, there's also the possibility that it says:

"Everyone says: Dark in the white is one crazy giver, man! So get your hands out now!"