The classic business school case is Chevy's Nova. Literally means "No go" in Spanish. IIRC, it was a smashing success in US and Canada and a giant flop south of the border.
Nova means new, not "no go", unless you are actively trying to make a joke and read "no" and "va" as separate words.
I'm pretty sure "nuevo/a" is "new" in Spanish, not "nova."
No vamos, i thought?
Nova means new in Portuguese and in Latin...
That's the joke.
If you are reading it, yes. If you say it out loud, it sounds like “no va”.
This is correct. It wouldn't be read as "no go" any more than you wouldn't buy a "notable" furniture set because it had no table.
Nova means new in Portuguese. It's not a word in Spanish I think, which is why Spanish speakers would automatically split it into "no va".
> a giant flop south of the border
That's an urban legend. It sold fine.
I had to look this up. Ha! What a sham! Business school lied to me?! Apparently, it sold well in Mexico and Venezuela! The Nova lesson was in every marketing book I had to read in college.
I've always heard that legend but instead as the "el camino" which can mean "the walk."
I was always inclined to think it meant "the way" or "the road".
Yes and "The pinto" means "the exploding napalm fireball".
I thought it was "the road" and el camino real was the royal road