Image from iResearch.cn
As many brands go global they want to take a slice of the Chinese pie. One of the biggest considerations when moving into the Chinese market is the language barrier. This means having to carefully consider what Chinese name to give your company.
There are numerous luxury brands moving into China these days. Some brands are so well known that it would seem that there is no need to change the company name.
Brands such as Gucci, YSL and Chanel have such a strong identity that they are known by their English name. These brands have Chinese names, but their brand is so well known that Chinese consumers rarely use the Chinese name.
Chinese language
But the Chinese government has recently attempted to protect the ‘purity’ of the Chinese language by trying to put a stop to the use of foreign words.
Brands that have been in China for a long time are known by their Chinese name because when they entered the Chinese market the use of English was not as common as it is now.
Examples of translated brand names
Below I’ll look at some good and bad examples of Chinese names for foreign brands.
Then I’ll take you through an example of the process we use at Nanjing Marketing Group to help a company pick the best Chinese name for their specific needs.
There are four different ways for a company to choose a Chinese name:
- A name that has no resemblance to the original in sound or meaning
- The Chinese name sounds like the original but the meaning has no resemblance
- The Chinese name has a close resemblance to the original meaning, but the sound is completely unrelated
- Both the meaning and the sound of the new name are related to the original brand name
Of course, of the four different ways to choose a name number 4 is the best. But it’s also the most difficult. There are so many things to take into consideration that this is no easy task.
Good examples
Hopefully the examples below will help you to understand the complexities of translating a brand name into Chinese. This will then help you to understand the process we use at Nanjing Marketing Group.
- Heineken
This alcohol brand chose option 1 above. The Chinese name喜力 (xǐ lì) does not sound like the original brand and the Chinese meaning, happiness power, bears no semantic meaning either.
- Audi
The well known car brand chose a name that sounds the same in Chinese, 奥迪 (ào dí). But the meaning in Chinese, profound enlightenment, has no connection to the original meaning.
- Colgate
This famous toothpaste brand went for a sound totally unrelated to the original brand, 高露洁 (gāo lù jié). The meaning on the other hand tells the consumer what the product does: showing cleanliness and happiness.
- Coca cola
This has to be one of the best Chinese brand translations ever. The Chinese name, 可口可乐 (kě kǒu kě lè), sounds just like original. The meaning, tasty fun, again represents what the product is (depending on your opinion of coke of course).
Some other good examples are:
- Reebok 锐步 (ruì bù) which mean rapid steps.
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Nike 耐克 (nài kè) which means to endure and overcome.
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Apple 苹果 (píng guǒ) which literally means apple!
Bad examples
There have also been some mistakes, showing the perils there are when translating a brand name.
- Best buy
The convenience store brand went down a strange route. The Chinese name百思买 (bǎi sī mǎi) bears a similarity to the original sound. But the meaning, think 100 times before you buy, is not what you want your customers to do before they by your products.
- Bing
The search engine, rather unfortunately, has a name that sounds similar to the word for sick or ill in Chinese, 病 (bìng). They attempted to use the same sound, but change the meaning.
The new name, 必应 (bì yìng), meaning certain to respond seemed like a good fit. But the association with illness meant that Bing should have gone for option 1 or 3 above.
The Nanjing Marketing Group way
The process we use at Nanjing Marketing Group to create a Chinese name for a western brand is based around our core philosophy of explore, create and discover.
I’ll demonstrate this using an example:
An invitation-only VIP club based in Australia wants to rebrand the company name for the Chinese market. It is an exclusive club for Asian and Australian companies who do lots of business in China. There are a lot of wealthy businessmen who are part of this association.
This exclusive club provides members with a number of benefits: a quarterly magazine, regular invitations to experiential events across Australia and China and throughout Asia. These events are built around the individual needs, interests and passions of each member. The name of the club is AffluentAsia.
Explore
The first part of the process is explore: the client will suggest words that reflect their brand. The name of the company is self explanatory and easy to understand. Words such as ‘tycoon’, ‘club’ and ‘network’ are favoured words that the client feels reflect the brand: successful, wealthy businessmen who are part of an exclusive network.
The Chinese brand name must reflect what the client wants. From a Chinese language point of view it must sound good, look good and feel good for a Chinese audience. The name must be memorable. Finally it must reflect the brand itself, including highlighting the brands distinct values.
This is by no means an easy task. It’s obvious how some of the bad examples above can happen.
Create
The second part of the process is create. At Nanjing Marketing Group we will come up with around 15 to 20 examples of different Chinese names that we believe reflect the core values of the client’s original brand name.
Some examples for AffluentAsia that we would present to the client might include:
- 华绅汇 (huá shēn huì)
A club with the name “华绅汇” sounds like a place for high-class Chinese people to gather together share and exchange their ideas, business experience and so on.
华: Chinese, ethnic Chinese
绅: Gentry, high class
汇: Network, converge, exchange, collect. In this name, it gives the impression that this is an organization for wealthy, talented people to gather together. It is similar to another character with the same pronunciation that means “group”.
- 鸿顶汇 (hóng dǐng huì)
A club with the name “鸿顶汇” sounds like a place for the most successful business people to gather together, share and exchange their ideas and business experience.
鸿: Wild goose. Used in many Chinese sayings such as “鸿商巨贾” which refers to a very rich business person.
顶: Top, peak
汇: The same character used in name #1.
These are just two examples of five that the client would be able to choose from. What is important here is that the Chinese brand name can be assessed in different categories so that it can be tested for the final part of the process: discover.
Discover
Once the new Chinese name is chosen we test it in focus groups using the categories below:
Sound – How easy is the brand to pronounce? Will it sound good when said in conversation or heard over audio media?
Appearance – How does the brand look? Will it look good in writing? Will it look good when used as a logo? Will it look good online?
Feel – How will the brand ‘feel’ to those that interact with it? Does it evoke an emotional response?
Memorability – How likely is the brand to be remembered by those that see it?
Reflection of Brand – How well does the brand name support the brand’s unique selling proposition? How about the values of the brand? Does this brand name let people know what the brand is about?
Once it has been tested and we have discovered any problems and corrected them, then it’s up to the client to make their choice.
There isn’t one way to rebrand an English company name into Chinese. As the real examples at the start of this blog show there are many routes to take.
There is no one size fits all solution to such an important decision as choosing a name for a company. If it is a recognized brand in the country where the company is based it does not mean that a Chinese audience will respond to the name in the same way.
The way we work at Nanjing Marketing Group is to adhere to our core company philosophy: explore, create and discover. This way we can find the perfect solution for each individual client.
Have you had any experience with changing a company name for a new market? Please share your experiences in the comments below.