Facebook’s call alternate has been roundly mocked on social media, and possibly nowhere greater so than in Israel: Meta sounds just like the Hebrew phrase for “dead”.
As photos of Facebook’s call superimposed on a tombstone have been shared online, Dr. Nirit Weiss-Blatt, a tech expert, wrote in a tweet directed in the direction of Facebook’s communications team: “In Hebrew, Meta means Dead.” The creator of The Techlash and Tech Crisis Communication added: “The Jewish network will ridicule this call for years to come.” Meta sounds just like the female shape of the Hebrew phrase.
Another Twitter person posed the question: “Perhaps that’s a message? Disclaimer: I’m now no longer a conspiracist.” And any other wrote: “Maybe Facebook (I bet Meta now?) ought to have performed a few awareness companies at the rebranding. #FacebookDead”
The Israeli emergency rescue organization Zaka – whose paintings consist of gathering human stays to make sure a right Jewish burial – turned into quoted as reassuring its Twitter followers: “Don’t worry, we’re on it.”
It isn’t always the primary example of manufacturers getting misplaced in translation. When KFC arrived in China withinside the Eighties with its catchphrase “finger-lickin’ good”, it turned into now no longer met with enthusiasm via way of means of the locals. The translation in Mandarin turned into “devour your palms off”. However, no actual damage turned into executed and KFC is one of all the most important fast-meals chains withinside the country.
The Facebook rebrand on Thursday turned into met with the laughter of an exclusive type at a lesser-recognized Canadian business substances enterprise whose proportion rate surged in an obvious case of the wrong identity. Reuters pronounced that stocks in Meta Materials, primarily based totally in Nova Scotia, jumped 6% in starting trades at the Nasdaq on Friday, after a 26% upward push in after-hours trading. Facebook stocks had been up 1.6%.
Meta Materials specializes in designing substances utilized in industries that include purchaser electronics and aerospace and has an envisioned marketplace fee of $1.3bn (£950m). It remained uncertain whether or not the stocks climb turned into clearly as a result of the similarity in names. One person at the Reddit network committed to discussing Meta Materials’ inventory asked: “Is the (after-hours) rate movement actual, or are human beings shopping for MMAT questioning they’re getting Facebook for clearly cheap?”
Whatever the reasons, the enterprise turned into brief to have fun its surprising windfall. George Palikaras, the CEO of Meta Materials, joined in at the fun, tweeting: “On behalf of @Metamaterialtec I would really like to cordially welcome @Facebook to the #metaverse.”