Posted on 09/03/2012 8:23:00 AM PDT by JoeProBono
ST. PAUL, Minn.- U.S. fast-food giant McDonald's apparent first attempt to use billboards to advertise its breakfasts to Hmong-Americans has left it with egg on its face.
Two billboards written in the Hmong language went up this past week in St. Paul, Minn., home to a large portion of the United States' Hmong immigrant population.
They read: "Yuavtxhawbpabraukojsawv yuavntxivzograukoj mus."
It's meant to be Hmong for "Coffee gets you up, breakfast gets you going." But the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Saturday some Hmong say the phrasing is awkward and words are run together.
"It sounds weird in Hmong because we don't really talk like that," Bruce Thao, 28, of St. Paul said. "Either way, there should definitely be spaces in between those words."
Dr. Thai Lee, a former chief resident at St. Joseph's Hospital in St. Paul, said while he thinks "it's great" mainstream businesses are becoming aware of the Hmong community, he's not keen on a fast-food company pushing menus not considered the healthiest.
As for the billboard's wording? It's a run-on sentence, he said.
"The text is also wrong, missing key breaks in the language," Thai Lee said. "As it stands right now, it doesn't make sense at all."
Bite the wax tadpole!
Racist if you do, racist if you don't.
Nah, forget it. Like I said, a crazy idea.
No, of course you can’t anticipate them learning English. We have to be liberal. Being liberal means we have to learn Hmong so we don’t hurt their self esteem.
You’re doing it wrong:
“No, ofcourseyoucan’tanticipatethemlearningEnglish. Wehavetobeliberal. BeingliberalmeanswehavetolearnHmongsowedon’thurttheirself esteem”
LOL, right on. Let’s have run on sentences and not have spaces between words. That will show how sensitive we are about the Hmong language. (sarcasm)
Hmong spelling bees must last one round or less.
Maybe there’s just a bit too much caffeine in the coffee
Yuavwasjokuarbpbwahxtv!!!!
Most Hmong I know are very fluent in English, I suggest the real idiots are the ones working for McBlue Slime advertising.
Now I know where Hmongous comes from and why.
What the hell is a Hmong American? We have continents....African Americans.....nations.......Mexican Americans......now tribes? What a crock.
I assume you’re not expressing solidarity with jelly doughnuts or experiencing erotic desire for Polish people.
Democrat greatest hits all, from JFK and Jimmah respectively.
surprised the Yards would even eat there...
That’s the kind of humor you want to keep Hmong friends.
We got quite a few Hmong around here. They learn English and do well. Local banks hire a few to communicate with the older ones.
Awesome wit and humor; this is why I am here on FreeRepublic.
I would concur with this statement, whether or not the target market can speak English or not. By catering to the use of foreign languages, these panderers enable and to an extent encourage immigrants to not assimilate, with native language being but one (albeit extremely important) aspect.
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