My New Thing Learned

They say you learn something new every day. Well, my day is now complete!

Not long ago, I heard for the zillionth time about how badly the Chevrolet Nova did in Spanish-speaking countries because "no va" in Spanish literally means "it doesn't go." I've studied Spanish for several months now, and for what it's worth, this gringo knows that "no va" does indeed mean "it doesn't go," so I just figured that this classic example of international marketing fiascos was true.

However, in this particular conversation, someone else piped up and said, "That story isn't true." They didn't provide a convincing reason why they thought it wasn't true, and since I was so smart and knew for a fact that the translation was correct, I figured that they probably just didn't know what they were talking about.

Well, chalk one up for the skeptic. According to an article on my favorite urban legend debunking site snopes.com, the story is indeed not true.

Oh well, I don't feel too bad. It's such a good story that even reputable sources such as the Detroit News are continuing to write about this myth as if it were a fact.

Oh well, maybe now your day is complete, too!