Tips for U.S. Companies that Want to Attract Chinese Investors
 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from Chinese Investors in U.S. companies has increased significantly over the past several years. However, cultural, regulatory and language barriers can make it difficult for U.S. entrepreneurs who want to tap into this potential funding source.
For those who want to attract Chinese investors, we offer several important tips:
1. Make sure you have a Chinese web presence. It's important to not only have your website translated into Chinese, but it should also be a separate version of your site and hosted from Hong Kong. Many U.S. websites are blocked and inaccessible from China. It's critical that your site is translated into Chinese by those who have a firm grasp on the Chinese language, culture and financial terminology. A translation program cannot adequately handle this kind of project.
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More Translation Bloopers
 We received a lot of fun feedback on the translation bloopers in last month's newsletter, so we are sharing more examples for everyone to enjoy:
- When General Motors introduced the Chevy Nova in South America, it was apparently unaware that "no va" means "it won't go."
- Ford had a similar problem in Brazil when the Pinto flopped. The company found out that Pinto was Brazilian slang for "tiny male genitals."
- Colgate introduced a toothpaste in France called Cue, the name of a notorious porno mag.
- In Italy, a campaign for Schweppes Tonic Water translated the name into Schweppes Toilet Water.
- When Puffs tissues tried to introduce its product in Europe, they learned that "Puff" in German is a colloquial term for a whorehouse and in England, it's a highly derogatory term for a non-heterosexual.
- When Gerber first started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as here in the USA, with the cute baby on the label. Later, they found out that in Africa, companies routinely put pictures on the label of what's inside since most people can't read.
- Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer Electrolux used the following in an American ad campaign: "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux."
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