![]() According to the University of London, very few “KEEP CALM” posters were circulated, and only a very small number of originals exist today. One poster read, “FREEDOM IS IN PERIL – DEFEND IT WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT.” A second poster encouraged British citizens to think positive thoughts, stating, “YOUR COURAGE, YOUR CHEERFULNESS, YOUR RESOLUTION WILL BRING US VICTORY.”Īlthough “KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON” wound up being the most popular poster of the three, the Ministry actually held it in reserve to publish in case a new attack or catastrophe rendered spirits lower. All the posters contained an image of the crown, bright colors, and messages in large, capital letters. The Ministry created a series of posters to be displayed all over the country – at bus stops, train stations, in shop windows and on public message boards. government, people were still wary from World War I, and the British government wanted to keep the public motivated during the war effort. The British, known for having a “stiff upper lip” in the face of adversity, simply tell themselves to “KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON.” And while the saying seems particularly appropriate now, you might be surprised to learn that it originated more than 80 years ago.Īs the story goes, the phrase, “KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON” was part of a campaign by the British government’s shadowy Ministry of Information (later the inspiration for George Orwell’s Ministry of Truth in the novel, 1984) to boost the public’s morale as the second World War began. How do we stay on course when the economy appears to be in freefall? Perhaps we can borrow a slogan that our neighbors across the pond invented just before World War II. It was another harsh reaction to news about inflation – specifically, that consumer prices went up unexpectedly in August. 13, the horror show masquerading as Wall Street decided to treat us to another scary roller coaster ride, with the Dow down nearly 1,300 points, or 4%, the S&P 500 down 4.3%, and the NASDAQ down more than 5%. But maybe that’s just because we hadn’t met Tuesday the 13th yet. sorrows) and carry on.According to popular culture, Friday the 13th is usually the day we’re supposed to feel nervous or superstitious. In Polish the sentiment is rather more definite: “Drown your bug (i.e. In Traditional Chinese, used in Hong Kong and Taiwan, the phrase adds a polite ‘please’: “Please keep calm (and we) should persist till the end” In Vietnamese, a steadying: “Be calm to face the situation” The Japanese version focuses more on avoiding panic: “Don’t panic, don’t fuss, don’t be flustered” in Mainland China, the slogan reads: “Keep calm, head on straight” The French version is very close to the original. ![]() The spirit of Greece is nicely summed up in the phrase: “Relax and look ahead”? In Turkish: “Keep yourself calm, do whatever you have decided to do without paying attention to what others say”Ĭould the German version be poking fun at the Brits in this translation: “To wait and drink tea”? In Russian, a rallying cry: “Go ahead and be afraid of nothing!” We think it is rather beautiful in Hindi: “Calm mind, make effort” Our very favourite, from our Italian colleagues: “I am Italian and I cannot keep calm”Ī more relaxed, if not slightly impractical, approach from the Spanish: “Keep calm and take a nap” In Brazilian Portuguese, the slogan translates as “Keep calm and keep your head up!” Let us know what you think – if you would like us to do a translation for your language that isn’t already included, or if you have comments on the translations we’ve done, please let us know on our Facebook page. (Secretly, we have a vision of athletes taking home T-shirts, mugs, posters or keyrings of this very British phrase, and sharing the spirit of Keep Calm and Carry On at home…) Please feel free to download and share the images. Here it is, in Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese. To celebrate, we wanted to find something unmistakably British, something that sums up the very spirit of Britishness, to boost the morale of all those visitors and athletes descending on the UK.Īnd what could be more British than “Keep Calm and Carry On”? So we ‘transcreated’ the original phrase into other languages, using native speakers to keep the spirit of the original while making it meaningful in each country, and reflecting local cultural values. This summer the UK will host a record number of foreign visitors to our shores.
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