A slogan of the outdoor brand Columbia displayed in the heart of downtown Montreal is causing a lot of reaction on social networks.
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The banners, hung on the Hudson’s Bay building located on Ste-Catherine Street, display the message “Be the goat”, which is a translation of the English expression “Be the GOAT”. The acronym GOAT stands for “Greatest of All Time”.
“Goat” also means goat in the language of Sheakespeare.
“That’s a crime of acronym …”, comments a user.
“The translation team decided to keep the goat concept probably because of the graphics. The English marketing team didn’t think about other languages… It happens in the world of translation, there are sacrifices to be made,” another internet user believes.
A woman denounces the brand’s lack of knowledge of other cultures. “For the average Quebecer, a goat evokes the farm and the cheese, not the mountains and the great outdoors,” she writes.
This Columbia brand ad campaign uses goats to promote a new pair of shoes. The animals are featured in several videos to show their ability to adapt to difficult terrain. “Be the GOAT” is therefore used as a pun in context.
It is unclear when these posters were installed or if it was a translation error on Columbia’s part.
Remember that this incident occurs at a time when the state of the French language in the metropolis worries many actors on the political scene.