Translating brand names into Chinese is big business:
And so the art of picking a brand name that resonates with Chinese consumers is no longer an art. It has become a sort of science, with consultants, computer programs and linguistic analyses to ensure that what tickles a Mandarin ear does not grate on a Cantonese one.
Art “is only a very, very tiny piece of it,” said Vladimir Djurovic, president of the Labbrand Consulting Company in Shanghai, which has made a business of finding names for Western companies entering the Chinese market.
Maybe. But there is a lot of artistry in the best of the West.
The paradigm probably is the Chinese name for Coca-Cola, Kekoukele, which not only sounds like Coke’s English name, but conveys its essence of taste and fun in a way that the original name could not hope to match.
There are many others. Consider Tide detergent, Taizi, whose Chinese characters literally mean “gets rid of dirt.” (Characters are important: the same sound written differently could mean “too purple.”)
I guess the process for translating has come a long way from the “bite the wax tadpole” days.
Check out more literal brand name translations into Chinese here.
On to the links…
Sentry Journal: Never underestimate the stupidity of an uninformed electorate
CoF: Understanding Justice- from The Free Market Project
CH2.0: EMT Attacked by Occupods, sent to Hospital (I wonder when the MSM & Libs will drop the “the #OWS movement is just like the Tea Party” lie?)
Spellchek has the best tax plan ev-ah!
Bunker: Obama’s illegal Aunt says, ‘you owe me’
LAS: The #Occupy Meltdown Will Be Swift and Ugly From Here
TMGGB: Fannie And Freddie Have To Go
FCBZ: Getting Worse: Occupy Wall Street Fatal Shootings Ignored or Glossed over by Liberal Media, Protestor Standoff at Occupy Portland, Police Criticized for UC Berkeley Crackdown
GTBTBA: JoePa or the Kids?
Republican Mother: Wall Street and FDR: Chapter 1
Robot: How to Steal Power – Bill Whittle (video)
theCL: November 9, 2011 Emergency Broadcasting Test
Gator: Bill Press equates Herman Cain with accused Penn State coach
WWTFT: Power and Responsibility
WyBlog’s Weekly Obama Job Report is much like last week’s job report where Obama shows how weak he is.
The Eye: Rating Romney
MTTM: Traverse City Cain Train
Pundette: Public school kids explain why it’s better than homeschooling
