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4000 - Advisory Opinions
"Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation" Should Not Be
Translated Into Non-English Equivalent on Advertising
FDIC--95--12
August 29, 1995
Valerie J. Best, Counsel
This letter confirms our telephone conversation of August 24th and
supplements our letter to you dated August 22nd. A copy of our August
22nd letter is attached for reference.
The non-English equivalent of the FDIC's "official advertising
statement" may be used in an advertisement only if the translation
has received the prior written approval of the FDIC.
12 C.F.R. 328.3 (e). The
"official advertising statement" is the phrase "Member of the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation" or variations such as
"Member FDIC." 12 C.F.R. 328.3 (b). You submitted a
Spanish-language newspaper advertisement for auto loans for our review
and approval.
The advertisement you submitted contained the following phrase:
"Miembro de la Compañia de Seguros de Depósito Federal
(FDIC)." FDIC staff found this translation to be accurate and it was
therefore approved through our August 22nd letter. Upon further
reflection, we believe that the name "Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation" should not be translated into a language
other than English.
{{2-29-96 p.4925}}
We have been advised that in Spanish, as in most foreign languages,
proper names are not translated, especially those proper names that
have universal recognition. The translation "Compañia de
Seguros de Depósito Federal" is a literal translation which,
translated back into English, is "Federal Company for the Insurance
of Deposits." Without the acronym "FDIC," the impact of the
FDIC name is lost to most readers.
The FDIC publishes Spanish-language pamphlets describing deposit
insurance. We also produce Spanish-language videos discussing deposit
insurance. We do not translate our corporate name into its non-English
equivalent in either product. While we do not question the accuracy of
your translation, we believe that, for the sake of uniformity and to
prevent any confusion, the FDIC's corporate name should not
be translated into its non-English equivalent. Instead, for
advertisements in Spanish, the official advertising statement
"Member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation" is
translated "Miembro de la Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation."
The authorized short title "Member of FDIC" or "Member
FDIC" is "Miembro de FDIC" or "Miembro FDIC".
Based upon our telephone conversation of August 24th, it is my
understanding that this alternative is acceptable to you. Please call
me at (202) 898-3812 if you have any questions. Thank you for your
cooperation in this matter.
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