The number one reason, is...
China oh China. The world's most populated country. And who can blame these companies? They all want to have a piece of that great consumer market pie.
There are three ways to convert a non-Chinese business name into Chinese.
The passenger ferry service operator in Hong Kong is known as Star Ferry. A very close direct translation has the name as 天星小轮 tiān xīng xiǎo lún.
天星 tiān xīng means 'sky star'.
And, 小轮 xiǎo lún literally means 'small wheel'. In this instance, it's more like a nickname for ferry 渡轮 dùlún.
So, you can see that the word 天 sky was added to make the name 4 characters long. This makes it sound smoother.
And very much aligned to Chinese culture. For example, notice that the Chinese idioms are usually 4 characters long. So are some normal daily phrases such as 井井有名 jǐng jǐng yǒumíng - which means well-known.
A transliteration is when the original words are changed into corresponding characters or sound of another language.
You can see for example, Mercedes-Benz is known as 奔驰 Bēnchí in Chinese. Daimler has transliterated only the name Benz. The Chinese name sounds very close to Benz.
In Chinese speaking communities, they usually call this car brand Ben-sy. And the company has understood the local culture well by transliterating only the name Benz.
Really can't imagine how a transliteration of Mercedes-Benz would sound like. Definitely a mouthful and not a wise choice.
It is best to keep the name within a max of 4 characters. A Chinese's personal name is between 2 to 4 characters long. Good Chinese business names should be following this length as well. 2 or 3 characters names are the best. Keep it short and simple. It is more memorable.
Even though it is a transliteration, Mercedes-Benz has chosen the characters well.
奔 Bēn means moving away in a rush or hasten way. Rush in this sense is in a positive way though.
驰 Chí means speed or a horse's gallop.
There is actually a Chinese idiom 奔驰如飞 bēnchí rú fēi which means to run quickly as if like flying.
Now you can see how these two characters 奔驰 creates a positive name. Very appropriate for this German car's name - moving in speed.
Other examples of transliterated Chinese business names are:
Google - 谷歌 Gǔgē, valley song. Perhaps like a song from the Silicon Valley.
Yahoo - 雅虎 Yǎhǔ, elegant/stylish tiger.
Coca-cola - 可口可乐 Kěkǒukělè, delicious Cola. Also 乐 lè means happiness. Well chosen name.
McDonald's - 麦当劳 Màidāngláo.
Nike - 耐克 Nài kè 克. 耐 Nài means the ability to bear tremendous pressure. 克 kè means subdue or overcome. Very appropriate Chinese name for a sportswear brand.
Sony - 索尼 Suǒní.
Canon - 佳能 Jiānéng. It means excellent ability.
Starbucks - a combination of direct translation and transliteration. 星巴克 Xīngbakè. Xīng is Star and bakè is for Bucks.
Three. Great meaning.
The third way of getting a Chinese business name is giving it a great meaning.
Take HSBC for example. A global brand name in banking and finance.
The Chinese name is 汇丰银行 Huìfēng yínháng. Literally it means Hui Feng Bank. Let's see what it means.
汇 Huì means remit or to exchange. You can already see how it relates well to the banking industry.
Furthermore, the H sound in this first character shares the same sound with H in HSBC.
丰 Fēng is abundant, plentiful and great.
This is truly a classic case of Chinese name branding. Very simple. 2 characters long. Strong sound, absolutely important for a bank's image.
Other Chinese business names examples with great meanings are:
BMW - 宝马 Bǎomǎ. Using the B and M letters sound in BMW, we get Bǎomǎ. It means precious horse. And horse is associated with a mode of transportation. Well chosen name.
HP - 惠普 Huìpǔ. 惠 Huì means blessing or kindness. And 普 pǔ is popular or universal. Together the words mean blessing and kindness to all population.
IKEA - 宜家 Yijiā. 宜 Yi means suitable or fitting. 家 Jiā is family or home. Thus, it means IKEA's furniture are good and suitable for home.
Good, now you know the 3 ways of getting Chinese business names. Choose them well.
Consider the characters properly. Make sure there is no negative meaning. Easy pronunciation. Strong sound. Simple and memorable. Most importantly, great meaning.
To avoid costly mistakes in your brand name, you may want to engage an expert well versed in Chinese-English languages.
"Ding is a very creative person and he sees things from many corners and he too can convince you by giving some name why he thinks it is right for me.
Especially on selection of company name which I must salute him his creativity mind."
Philip Chong |
Also, get a person who understands the Chinese culture well. S/He should also be able to understand the three main Chinese languages - Mandarin, Cantonese and Hokkien. This will help to ensure that the sound of the name is good when pronounced in all these languages.
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