Syfy

[ellestra]

I've just learned that Sci Fi Channel is changing it's name to Syfy. Someone didn't do their homework as in Polish syfy is plural of syf which means mess, crap, filth, shit, junk or pimple. It is short from of syfilis (syphilis) so it also means a venereal disease. In other words it's a swear word with very bad connotations. Most international

Comments

[robling_t]

I... can't decide if this is an extension of the mindset that thought it was a good idea to greenlight "Mansquito", or some sort of grand gesture of self-immolation now that BSG's ending has left them without any anchor stores in their hollowed-out metaphorical mall...

[ellestra]

I blame the marketing people from NBC Universal. They made the effort to buy out SyFy Portal. They made polls. But they didn't think to check different languages despite having "upwards of 50 Sci Fi Channels in various territories". Fiat checked over 180 languages before deciding for a name for car models and they only last couple of years. In the WORLD wide web times such mistakes cannot stay hidden. And besides, from what I've seen on the web, many English speaking people also have made the connection with syphilis anyway.

And all this is because "you cannot trademark 'Sci Fi' anywhere in the world"
FAIL

[fawkesielady_ed]

OMG! That is too funny! The Crap Channel! There you go! That's what I'm calling it from here out!

sgu has been greelit by the crap channel. LOL!

that fits since Atlantis was Scifi and the channel was called Scifi short for science fiction. And sgu is crap and on the crap channel!

Amen! thanks for posting this!

[ellestra]

You're welcome :)

Remember it also means mess. Very appropriate. Every way.

[noelia_g]

Considering that Polish SciFi shows the newest Flash Gordon and the latter seasons of Charmed, I think this would just be an example of honest advertising...

(Would you mind terribly if I friended you? I've skimmed through your 'polish' tag out of curiosity, and I'd love to follow your lj :))

[ellestra]

I can't wait for the Syfy written on our TV screens. Content warning :P

Luckily all the good Sci Fi Channel shows are on other channels.

Would you mind terribly if I friended you?
Go on. I'm glad you found something interesting here :)

[noelia_g]

Content warnings are actually the best thing on Polish Sci Fi Channel. 'Odcinek Anioła Ciemności zawiera sceny okultyzmu, przedstawione wyłącznie w celach widowiskowych'. :D

There is some good stuff on the channel, Firefly, or Hogfather, but mostly... not so much :D.

[ellestra]

There is some good stuff on the channel, Firefly, or Hogfather
But it all has been repeated thousand times already.

I prefer watching AXN and AXN Sci-Fi. They have more shows and more interesting shows. It's ironic that most of original Sci Fi Channel series are not shown by Sci Fi Channel in Poland but by AXN (mostly).

[diarmi]

Według ostatnich wieści w Polsce zostawią Sci-Fi:)))

[ellestra]

A już myślałam, że nie tylko żarówki Osram ale też kanał Syfy. Żeby było kogo winić za słownictwo dzieci :P

[slawson01]

There's a good portion of sci-fi channel viewers who might embrace the syphilis angle. It's proof that they have had sex at least once.

[ellestra]

LOL

This name so bad - the jokes just write themselves. After all when your name can mean crap or mess you're just asking for it. When it also means STD it's gets even better.
Only good thing - a lot of people learning new Polish word :P

[psychoadept]

Although typical that people learn the "bad" words in another language first, eh? *laugh*

[ellestra]

It is unavoidable but apparently it works pretty well :P