先得郑重声明，我对广告中的主题人物非常欣赏绝无异见。

在中国跳水队连得金牌功勋卓著的时候，那两对对子都是劳苦功高的选手。就在那时候说不上来为什么也许是本能的反应作怪，就都是更喜欢位居第二的那两位。喜欢胡佳胜过喜欢田亮，喜欢那个上海小姑娘胜过喜欢郭晶晶。果不其然，亮晶晶破得粉碎。后来一个未婚先孕一个据说早就与港商同居。

人家胡佳多好啊，那个小姑娘也多老实啊——喜欢她这和跟她是上海人无关。

广告画面很好，创意也不错。特别是胡佳的气质风度以及拍摄角度啦啥都不错。那么，那个铺天盖地的广告到底有什么问题呢？

不去说那个许许多多的2，那还是小问题——是不是预示金牌数仍然是老二不可能是老大？——算是我瞎猜吧。

严重的问题在于那句英文口号。国人现在迎奥运，必须有英文不能光中文。否则怎么走向世界广迎天下客。

IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING

据我的中英文知识，这句标语口号翻译过来就是不可能也没啥，或者办不成没有什么大不了之类。究竟应该怎么翻译，大家可以一起讨论。我觉得是传递了这么一个不在乎的意思。

正确的说法应该是NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE。这才是中文注释“没有不可能”的正确表达。请各路关注零八北京奥运的英雄尤其是英文界体育界权威人士出来发表高见。

限于自身的半路出家（我原先跟静秋一样学的是俄语，后来再学的主攻是日语，英语主攻的只是英译中而非中译英），尽管看着那满街的大幅广告一直放在心里嘀咕也不时和人讨论，却从来也不敢于贸贸然抛出来正式呼吁。万一自己是错的，那个广告公司的高手肯定是对的不是自己跳出来找没趣？何况事涉天大地大的头等大事啊。

终于，有了一个权威的确证才使得我壮了胆气。昨晚，看了最新出笼的典型好莱坞动画片《功夫熊猫》。不去说那故事情节画面色彩以及众多大牌的配音包括安吉琳娜朱丽和成龙。陡然，进入耳轮的是老法师乌龟说的一句英文台词——

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE！

老乌龟在自身即将升天圆寂前告诫胖熊猫要相信自己“没有不可能”的事情！这是最最典型的美国话语美国精神，经常出现在励志的场合。

好啦，应该可以确信我的第一眼印象第一反应的正确了。于是抛出这篇短文，郑重其事地呼吁及时更正。或许阿迪达斯公司应该向那个广告公司索赔。至少那个拙劣的翻译应该登报当众道歉。这是明显的误导，明显的不敬。想一想，多少人在为奥运做贡献，你怎么就能做反面广告——告诉每一个看到广告的路人：不可能就拉倒呢？！

以此作为我个人对北京奥运对阿迪达斯对我国杰出的跳水运动健将胡佳本人的一点点小意思。

备注：不知何故，暂时不能上传那巨幅广告的照片。反正大家满街都能看到。另外本人已经用伊妹儿向阿迪达斯反映。希望有关人士也能向有关方面反映。

Nothing is impossible - 无事不可能。

Impossible is nothing - 不可能一钱不值。或，不可能等于零。

IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING, 在中国人理解起来, 是这样的:"不可能的事情, 是没有的." 意思我们都明白: "全部, 都有可能."

换做: NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE, 理解起来是这样的:"没有, 是不可能的." 这句中国话的意思是: "多少有一点吧."

那你说, 选择哪一句呢?

中国人讲英文, 理解英文是先将英文单词直接翻成中文单词, 再理解这句中国话. 骨子里, 总是中文的语感. 反过来, 也是如此. 在北京, 马路上的天桥怎么翻? "HEAVEN BRIDGE". 真的, 这英文就挂在桥上, 和"北京欢迎你"的福娃们装饰在一起. 国际友人们, 琢磨去吧.

有英文单词, 就算好的了. 北京现在挂的路牌很多是这样的:

"WANGYOUZHUAN" (往右转)
"MADIANQIAO" (马甸桥)

这还是三个字的呢, 四个字五个字的路名呢? 你就晕吧. 我估计奥运时得晕一大批. 没有北京常住人士带路, 哪儿去不了. 听说到时, 全用大巴士载去看比赛. 坐出租车便宜, 也不涨价. 国家补贴的油费, 也便宜了国际友人, 这点儿挺实诚.

我又去搜索了一下，发现IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING是Adidas的标志性口号。
http://www.adidas.com/campaigns/usiin/content/

It means "nothing is impossible"

it is old English and should have a comma.

"impossible, is nothing"

Best Answer

I don't watch sports much, so seldom see their ads. But your question intrigued me, so I went to youtube to see the ad..

It has done exactly what was intended--attract the attention of young people (like you) and, by challenging them to understand it, forced them to continue thinking of it. Naturally, when this thinking is going on, you are also thinking of their product. Such "mind control" is the whole purpose of advertising, and you have bought into it.

Please let me help you with your struggle to understand. They are putting forward what many consider a perfectly valid assumption--that nothing is impossible--by a clever reversal of words, impossible is nothing. The literal meaning of impossible is nothing is that ANYTHING can be accomplished; maybe not by everybody, but by somebody who is highly motivated and has managed to become highly qualified to do things which really are impossible for most people. Once someone has accomplished something, it is no longer impossible.

As salesmen, Adidas ad-writers are saying, "Don't YOU want to be that somebody who can do that seemingly impossible thing which everyone wishes that they could do, but they can't? Well, you can be that person! Just buy Adidas sports gear and you will be on your way to accomplishing the impossible."

Please do not struggle over this phrase--there are so many other, much more important issues which will draw upon your brain power. This is just another sales pitch--a clever one, I grant, and apparently it has hit its mark.

And it is not entirely wrong, either, nor even original. The poet, Robert Browning, wrote ..."a man's reach must exceed his grasp, else what's a Heaven for?" Same thing, just uses a bit more flowerly language.

haha......