Translation Tuesday: Coke

Translation Tuesday… Coke. As in Coca-Cola. Also known as my most favorite beverage… even if it will rot my teeth.

Coke was created in Georgia in the 1800s and now the mega company that is Coca-Cola is based there. They even have a museum about the company where you can taste different variations of Coke from all over the world.

So what does this have to do with translation of slang in the South? Well, down here EVERY soft drink is a coke or a diet coke. The restaurant may only serve Pepsi, or RC cola, or even some odd generic brand… but everyone calls it Coke. That is what you order when you go out… “I’ll have a coke, please.”

While there are other beverages that people can order that are not cola drinks, and plenty of people do, when it comes to ordering a cola-based beverage, the only thing you have to say is, “I’ll have a Coke.” And it may be a Pepsi that they bring you, but that still doesn’t change the way we order down here.