Translation? Hmmmm

"Sahabat kepala anda" - advertising slogan in Indonesia for motorcycle helmets

I wondered how to translate this into English as I was passing this banner.  Word for word, it translates as: Friend, Head, You/Your.

Google Translate says: Friend of your head 
Chinese: 朋友，你的头 (meaning "Friend, your head")

I can't think of a good enough translation.  The problem is that in the Chinese language, telling someone "your head" is actually a curse or swear word.  It's made as a sharp retort to someone making a ridiculous statement!  If someone said to me "your head!", I would be most insulted!

Because Singapore is a largely multi-lingual country, saying "your head" in English or Mandarin, or any other language for that matter, is downright rude.  Now, I'm not saying the slogan was rude.  It isn't at all.  It actually is quite clever, but only in Indonesian, not English (which doesn't translate well at all) or in Chinese (where it would be considered really rude).

The bottom line is: what sounds catchy in one language does not mean it will sound equally catchy when translated into another language.  The best thing to do is to write slogans for the specific language, sticking to the same content or concept, but certainly not literal translations.  

Language translation is a skill and an art.  It takes years to be able to "get it right".  I still don't have that skill, despite being able to speak many languages and function fairly well in them.  I've decided the best thing for me is to keep each language separate.  Some things don't translate. It doesn't matter.  What matters is that I am able to communicate in that language, and appreciate the culture of the people.  

Want to get along with others?  Let's learn each other's language!

Have fun!