Lost in translation gets a whole new meaning.

IKEA’s storefront ad in Bahrain had a bit of a typo – if you could call it that. It shows a bed with “Create your perfect night’s sleep” in English. Below it has Arabic text that translates to “The same as written, but in Arabic.”

The mistranslation went viral, garnering media coverage in the news. Then, IKEA updated the ad with the prior line covered with new script that says, “This is what happens when you don’t get enough sleep. Enjoy your perfect sleep” in Arabic.

I found this particularly funny being an ESL teacher. This one went well and beyond a good ol’ funny Google Translate moment. Nobody bothered to plug it into a translater in the first place. They probably had non-Arabic speakers approving and printing the add. IKEA responded really well despite it! Brands (and even presidents🙃) have gaffes they claim were intentional. But, this one looks like a hilarious mistake. An effective one too. It got people talking and driving to the store to see it for themselves. Not freaking bad!

So let’s talk mistakes…

They happen. Life happens. Obviously, you don’t want an egregious one that’s insensitive or tone-deaf. And, it’s always good to have your ad reviewed by many sets of diverse eyes. However, those minor ones don’t have to be catastrophic. Responding in a quick, comical way can help you pull it off. It doesn’t have to get to the point of self-deprecation if you don’t want it to. But, giving a “haha whoops we messed up” won’t lose you respect. There’s something comforting in seeing that other people make mistakes too. It’s okay. It’s funny.

It shows the importance of not sweating the small stuff. IKEA’s mistake turned out to be a cheap and efficient ad that performed way better than intended.