The Chinese names of some well-known brands might sound silly in English, but they’re key to helping foreign companies earn billions in China, where a name is thought to make or break your luck. For companies, coming up with a name that fits the firm is difficult enough. But it’s even more challenging in Chinese, which has many dialects and scores of homophones(同音异形异义词) that can lead to unintended double entendres(双关). For example, in Chinese, the word for “tall” sounds exactly like the word for “cake” — they’re both pronounced “gao.”
“The wrong name will just give the wrong impression,” said Tait Lawton, founder of Nanjing Marketing Group. Foreign firms have “to understand there is meaning in Chinese characters.” Best Buy (BBY), for example, didn’t have a very attractive Chinese name, using a near-direct translation from English, Lawton said. It’s hard to say that the name had something to do with its business, and the electronics retailer(零售商) never became popular in China, then it changed its name in 2011.
Some brands have found success with names that not only sound like their English names, but also have significant meaning in Chinese. Coca-Cola (KO) came up with a clever one, “kekou kele,” which means “delicious fun,” and stays true to the original English. On top of that, part of the name sounds like the Chinese word for “thirsty.”
While that kind of significance might be lost to a foreigner’s ears, it’s something that sticks with Chinese consumers, who are more inclined to remember the Chinese name over the English one, said Vladimir Djurovic, CEO of Labbrand, a company that helps foreign firms brand in China. Banks, for instance, seeking to attract the rich, should consider names that give off the impression of wealth. Goldman Sachs’ name in Chinese is “gao sheng,” or “highly prosperous.” London bank HSBC went with “hui feng,” which roughly translates to “gathered abundance.” Others, like French grocery chain, Carrefour, will want to appear more consumer-friendly. Its Chinese name, “jia le fu,” means “happy family.”
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