the art of chinese naming - crossing the cultural great wall
DESCRIPTION
“I can translate the brand of my name into Chinese in one minute, why do I need to hire somebody to do it for me?” - Head of Sales and Marketing North Asia, Italian Sportswear Brand We will answer this question with a name - Jackie Chan. Jackie Chan, international movie star, probably is the second most famous Hong Kong actor following Bruce Lee. Named Chan Kong Sang originally, Jackie made himself a stage name “成龍”, literally means ”Become a Dragon“. In Chinese culture, dragon symbolizes power and prestige, thus it evolves an idiom ”望子成龍” (Wishing one’s son to become a dragon - to succeed some day). Though a name per se cannot guarantee you to be as successful as Jackie Chan, a well-made name serves as a statement of your aspiration and definitely is a good start to build up your charisma. In this presentation, we presented the 3 common approaches in translating a foreign name into Chinese, and illustrated with some case studies of well-know international and Italian brands.TRANSCRIPT
© 1.618 Limited / 2013 all rights reserved
THE ART OF CHINESE NAMING - CROSSING THE CULTURAL GREATWALL
PROJECT | Chinese Naming Case Studies
© 1.618 Limited / 2013 all rights reserved
“I can translate my brand into Chinese in one minute, why I need to hire somebody to do it for me?”
Head of Sales and Marketing North Asia, Italian Sportswear Brand
NOTES | Chinese Naming DATE | 11.09.2013
© 1.618 Limited / 2013 all rights reserved
01. TO WHOM WHO WISH TO BECOME A DRAGON
Jackie Chan, international movie star, probably is the second most famous Hong Kong actor following Bruce Lee (李小龍). Named Chan Kong Sang (陳港生)
originally, Jackie made himself a stage name “成龍”, literally means ”Become a Dragon“.
In Chinese culture, dragon symbolizes power and prestige, thus it evolves an idiom ”望子成龍” (Wishing one’s son to become a dragon - to succeed some day)
Though a name per se cannot guarantee you to be as successful as Jackie Chan, a good name serves as a statement of your aspiration and definitely is a good start to build up your charisma.
JACKIE CHAN 成龍
DATE | 11.09.2013NOTES | Chinese Naming
© 1.618 Limited / 2013 all rights reserved
NOTES | Chinese Naming
02. TRIGGER AN EMOTIONAL SPARK
Chinese language is known as one of the oldest languages in the world, with over 5000 years of history. It is also well known for the root of pictogram origin. Since Chinese is a rich and deep language, the selection and application of a Chinese character to a brand is a delicate process.
Traditional studies mainly cluster Chinese naming in 3 categories, sound translation(Phonological), meaning translation(Semantical) and mixed translation.
As practitioners, irregardless of the technique, we usually only have one goal: translating the brand’s emotional element into Chinese, which can convey a deeper meaning and trigger emotional sparks. Like any other art pieces or poetries, there is no magic rule or formula to create a good Chinese name. The only shortcut is to learn, to think, to practise and to keep learning.
We are going to walk you through some case studies from the most common sound translation, to the more rare emotion translation. At last we will showcase you some of our work for further discussion.
PHONOLOGICAL SEMANTICALEMOTIONAL
ሾዕ
ሾዕ
ษ
ษ
DATE | 11.09.2013
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03. PHONOLOGICAL TRANSLATION
WINE & LIQUOR AUTOMOTIVE FASHION BEAUTY & PHARMACEUTIC
Name-Simplified Chinese
波 尔 多
Pinyin-Mandarin (Cantonese)
Bō (Bo1)
Ěr(Ji5)
Dōu (Do1)
Meaning
Wave/Ball
You/That
More
Name-Simplified Chinese
法 拉 利
Pinyin-Mandarin (Cantonese)
Fǎ(Faat3)
Lā(Laai1)
Lì(Lei6)
Meaning
French/Law
Pull Profit
Name-Simplified Chinese
亞 曼 尼
Pinyin-Mandarin (Cantonese)
Yà (Aa3)
Màn(Maan6)
Ní(Nei4)
Meaning
Asia/Second
Beautiful Nun
Name-Simplified Chinese
Pinyin-Mandarin (Cantonese)
Meaning
拜 耳
Bài(Baai3)
Ěr(Yi2)
Worship Ear
According to a study*, when international brands translate their name in Chinese, 63% adopted Transliterate without Meaning.
About 37% of Chinese name is either equivalent to the meaning of original name, or elaborate the brand value/feature/function.
63% 37%
NOTES | Chinese Naming
Bordeaux 波爾多 Ferrari 法拉利 Armani 亞曼尼 Bayer 拜耳- No Relevant Meaning - - No Relevant Meaning - - No Relevant Meaning - - No Relevant Meaning -
DATE | 11.09.2013
© 1.618 Limited / 2013 all rights reserved
04. SEMANTICAL TRANSLATION
WINE & LIQUOR AUTOMOTIVE FASHION BEAUTY & PHARMACEUTIC
Lotus 蓮花 Iceberg 冰山Royal Salute 皇家禮炮 Viagra 威而鋼
Name-Simplified Chinese
皇 家 礼
Pinyin-Mandarin (Cantonese)
Huáng(Wong4)
Jiā (Gaa1)
Lǐ(Lai5)
Meaning
Royal Family Courtesy
Name-Simplified Chinese
威 而 钢
Pinyin-Mandarin (Cantonese)
Wēi (Wai1)
Ér(Yi4)
Gāng(Gong3)
Meaning
Powerful And Steel
炮
Pào(Paau3)
Gun
Name-Simplified Chinese
莲 花
Pinyin-Mandarin (Cantonese)
Lián (Lin4)
Huā(Faa1)
Meaning
Lotus/Water Lily
Flower
Name-Simplified Chinese
冰 山
Pinyin-Mandarin (Cantonese)
Bīng(Bing1)
Shān (Saan1)
Meaning
Ice Mountain
- A Royal Gun Salute - - An Iceberg -- The Lotus Flower - - Powerful and hard -
NOTES | Chinese Naming
According to a study, when international brands translate their name in Chinese, 63% adopted Transliterate without Meaning.
About 37% of Chinese name is either equivalent to the meaning of original name, or elaborate the brand value/feature/function.
63% 37%
DATE | 11.09.2013
© 1.618 Limited / 2013 all rights reserved
05. EMOTIONAL TRANSLATION
While Henessey is just a sound transliteration,
the essence of this name is from “Moët” to “酩
悅”. “酩” is a very classic and elegant
description of somebody who is drunken. Like
in English, there are a lot of words to describe
“Happy” in Chinese, such as ”快樂“ (M: Kuài Lè,
C: Faai3 Lok6) or “高興” (M: Gāo Xīng, C: Gou1
Hing3). Out of those words, “悅” is more
sophisticated and less widely used than the
other common forms.
While it remains a challenge to translate a name that both sound and meaning fitting the original brand name, a further challenge is to compose a poetic name that create strong emotional value that touches customers. Here are some good examples we would like to share.
WINE & LIQUOR AUTOMOTIVE
Moët & Hennessy 酩悅 ‧ 軒尼詩 BMW 寶馬- Joyful to be Drunken - - A Treasurable Horse -
Name-Simplified Chinese
Pinyin-Mandarin (Cantonese)
Meaning
酩 悅
Míng(Ming4)
Yuè(Jyut6)
Drunk Happy
It is generally agreed “A Treasurable Horse” is a
good name. The origin of this beautiful name
comes from a poetry named “The Desk of Green
Jade - Lantern Festival” by Xin Qiji at Song
Dynasty(960 -1279AD). The poetry literally
depicts the poet chasing a lady, while it is
believed to be a metaphor of the poet himself
pursuing the supreme virtue. In one phase, it
says, ‘ Precious horses and decorated carriages
come with a strong fragrance on the road.’ (寶馬
雕車香滿路) Thus it generates a strong
emotional association of grandness with
the name.
Name-Simplified Chinese
Pinyin-Mandarin (Cantonese)
Meaning
宝 ⻢马
Bǎo (Bou2)
Mǎ (Maa5)
Treasure Horse
NOTES | Chinese Naming DATE | 11.09.2013
© 1.618 Limited / 2013 all rights reserved
05. EMOTIONAL TRANSLATION (CON’T)
Versace is the surname of founder Mr. Gianni
Versace and we can see a proper Chinese
naming translation for Versace. In a very long
history of time, Chinese respected thinkers,
scholars and philosophers. In ancient China,
governors were selected from scholars by the
kings to assist his ruling in the empire. It is
often appealing to create names that relate to
deep thoughts and philosophy. We believe it
also fits the Versace brand for her dedication
to quality design.
FASHION BEAUTY & PHARMACEUTIC
Versace 范思哲 Revlon 露華濃- Think Deep and Wise - - The Intense Beauty of Dew -
哲
Name-Simplified Chinese
Pinyin-Mandarin (Cantonese)
Meaning
范 思
Fàn(Faan6)
Sī(Si1)
A surname Think
Zhé(Zit3)
Wise/Philosophy
“With gentle touch of Spring wind, the dew
expresses an intense beauty”(春風拂檻露華
濃) was written by one of the most well
known Chinese poets Li Bai. He was born
at Tang Dynasty(618 - 906AC). Upon the
request of the Emperor, he wrote this “Song
of Serene Melody” to praise the beauty of
the Queen. This expression we believe
cannot match better than applying into
a cosmetic brand.
露
Name-Simplified Chinese
Pinyin-Mandarin (Cantonese)
Meaning
华
Lù(Lau6)
Huá(Waa4)
Dew Flourishing
浓
Nóng(Nung4)
Strong/Concentrated
NOTES | Chinese Naming DATE | 11.09.2013
© 1.618 Limited / 2013 all rights reserved
OUR PROPOSALS
DATE | 11.09.2013NOTES | Ad excellentiam - In pursuit of excellence
© 1.618 Limited / 2013 all rights reserved
06. OUR PROPOSALS - CHIANTI & DAINESE
Chianti is a region in central Tuscany
renowned for producing quality wine.
In Chinese history and culture, wine has also
played an important role and is associated
with a lot a of great poetries.
The first 2 characters in the translation, 瓊玉,
literally refers to precious stones and jades.
This is also an abbreviation of 「瓊漿玉液」,
referring to the fluid as precious as jade,
which rhetorically means wine. As a result,
「瓊玉池」creates a strong poetic sensation
of “A Reservoir of Fine Wine”.
WINE & LIQUOR AUTOMOTIVE
Chianti 瓊玉池 Dainese 段寧捷- The Reservoir of Precious Wines - - Victory in peace to every section -
池
Name-Simplified Chinese
Pinyin-Mandarin (Cantonese)
Meaning
琼 玉
Qióng(King4)
Yù(Juk6)
Precious/Elegant Jade
Chí(Ci4)
Reservoir/Pool
Dainese specializes in producing protective
gear for extreme sports such as motorcycling
and skiing. We adopted a people naming
process for President Mr. Dainese and applied
the name as the brand. As Dainese is a
surname, it will be better to translate a full
name from the surname only. We selected a
proper surname「段」,which could also mean
section/division. First name「寧捷」refers to
serenity and triumph respectively. Fitting
perfectly with the industry Dainese is working
in, the name delivers an overall meaning of
“Bringing victory to each section in peace”.
段
Name-Simplified Chinese
Pinyin-Mandarin (Cantonese)
Meaning
宁
Duàn(Dyun6)
Níng(Ning4)
Surname/Section
Serenity/Peaceful
捷
Jié(Zit3)
Triumph/Fast
NOTES | Chinese Naming DATE | 11.09.2013
© 1.618 Limited / 2013 all rights reserved
06. OUR PROPOSALS - HYDROGEN & BOTTEGA VERDE
Hydrogen Jeans positions itself as an Italian
Luxury Sportswear brands. With an explicit
meaning of the name “Hydrogen”, it is very
tempting for a person to translate the brand
into 「氫氣」 (M: Qiān Qì / C: Hing1 Hei3),
meaning exactly Hydrogen Gas. The
character “氫” is very iconic and worth
keeping. We proposed the name 「氫意」,
which could express a Light and Comfortable
feeling of Hydrogen clothes, and also
demonstrate the Italian origin.
FASHION BEAUTY & PHARMACEUTIC
Hydrogen 氫意 Bottega Verde 博雅綠意- The Feeling of Light and Comfort - - A Variety of Elegance and a Feeling of Green -
Name-Simplified Chinese
Pinyin-Mandarin (Cantonese)
Meaning
氫 意
Qīng(Hing1)
Yì (Ji3)
Hydrogen(Element)
Italy/Feeling
Bottega Verde is a cosmetic brand with a
passion for artisanship based on natural
active ingredients .You may immediately
recall another luxury fashion brand Bottega
Veneta. In Italian, “Bottega” refers to “Artist
Workshop”. Bottega Veneta transliterated
“Bottega” into 「寶緹嘉」 (M: Bǎo Tí Jiā/
C: Bou2 Tai4 Gaa1) .The 3 characters
individually means good and nice.
Considering Bottega Verde, it is not a wise
attempt to have another transliteration of
“Bottega”. In fact, “Verde” stands for “Green
colour”. As a result, we decided to focus on
highlighting the natural and green feeling of
the brand while conveying the message
of elegance.
博
Name-Simplified Chinese
Pinyin-Mandarin (Cantonese)
Meaning
雅
Bó(Bok3)
Yǎ(Ngaa5)
Wide Elegant
綠
Lù(Luk6)
Green
意
Yì(Ji3)
Italy/Feeling
NOTES | Chinese Naming DATE | 11.09.2013
© 1.618 Limited / 2013 all rights reserved
07. APPENDIX
Mandarin is the official language of the People’s
Republic of China and Taiwan. In southern China
Guangdong province, Cantonese is widely used and
remains the first spoken language in Guangdong,
Hong Kong and Macau.
1. Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese
Alon, I., Littrell, R. F., & Chan, A. K. K. (2009).
Branding in China: Global Product Strategy
Alternatives. Multinational Business Review, 17(4),
123-142.
2. Chinese People Naming
100
The written system of Chinese language has a long
uninterrupted development history and traditional
Chinese is generally believed to be elegant for its
heritage . Traditional Chinese is still used in Taiwan,
Hong Kong and Macau. During 1950s and 1960s,
China government initiated a reform to simplify
Chinese characters, in order to lower the illiteracy
rate and created Simplified Chinese. It is now
officially used in China.
3. Mandarin and CantoneseA Chinese name usually is composed of 3 or 2
characters(occasionally 4), with Surname as the first
character. There are several common approaches in
translating a foreigner’s name into a Chinese name,
such as translate a full name from the foreign First
Name only, from only Surname, or even create a
totally new name. There is no right or wrong and it
depends on needs and occasions.
4. Reference
NOTES | Chinese Naming DATE | 11.09.2013
© 1.618 Limited / 2013 all rights reserved
NOTES | Chinese Naming
08. CONTACT US
T +852. 3563 8015 | W 1618group.hkR.1805, 18/F, Wai Wah Com. Centre, 6 Wilmer Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
香港上環威利麻街6號 | 威華商業中心1805室
DATE | 11.09.2013