June 2003
 

What is your Chinese Name?

SARS notwithstanding, any foray into Mainland China requires several considerations; but first – the NAME.

By Lynn Furrow
General Manager, The Hoffman Agency, China

As the old Chinese saying goes, ‘To get things done right, you must first get the name straight.’

Successful branding for a western company contemplating on entering the Chinese market starts with a well-chosen Chinese name. A name that is culturally adept goes a long way in obtaining good will from the government officials, business partners, and potential customers in this vast market.

Although the use of English is prevalent in numerous multinational companies across China, Chinese is still the official language for business and is predominantly used during major occasions. Thus, adopting a Chinese name is both a symbolic gesture as well as a practical one.

It is seen as an indication of the company’s commitment to the local market and respect for the Chinese culture. It is also much easier for the Chinese people to remember, recognize, and accept a Western company with a Chinese name.

In addition, having a Chinese name could translate to better opportunities for press coverage. For most business and mass media publications in China, including Xinhua News Agency (the only official national news agency in China), a Chinese name is a pre-requisite for foreign companies to receive coverage. With the exception of trade publications, companies with English-only names rarely appear in the headlines of major newspaper.

How to get your Chinese name?

The most common way to create a Chinese company name is through transliteration, or finding the Chinese characters that match the sounds of the original company names in English.

At the same time, it is crucial to identify the Chinese characters with auspicious meanings that reflect the nature of the company business and its corporate culture, as well as embody the prospect for success or overall positive connotations.

Unlike the phonetic-based language such as English, Chinese is an ideographic language. In the Chinese language, the meaning of each character is completely independent of its pronunciation. In addition, there are four tones to each pronunciation that render different meanings.

For instance, the word ‘ma’ can mean mother, linen, horse, or to swear, depending on the tone being used. When creating a Chinese name, there are always a variety of characters that could match the sound. It is thus, vital to select the ones that convey the desired message.

Here are some good examples.

  • Lucent’s Chinese name is Lang Xun – Lang means ‘bright’, and Xun means ‘communications’. So, Lucent’s Chinese name means ‘bright communications,’ and it sounds similar to the original English pronunciation.
  • HP’s Chinese name is Hui Pu – Hui means ‘to benefit,’ and Pu means ‘to popularize.’ Therefore the Chinese name communicates HP’s mission to popularize technology that benefits the people.
  • The Chinese name for Ericsson is Ai li Xin – Ai means ‘to love,’ li ‘to establish,’ and Xin means ‘to trust or have confidence.’

For a Western company, a name like this conveys to the Chinese audience that the company is committed to stay in the long term and is willing to help grow the country’s nationalistic market, as well as contribute to the local economy.

  • Consider the classic example of the Chinese name for Coca Cola: Four characters are needed to match the 4 syllables. There are about 200 Chinese characters that matched the English pronunciation of Coca Cola.

Many of which are not suitable because the meanings did not made sense in Chinese. After careful consideration, ke kou ke le was chosen. Both the two Kes mean ‘to permit or enable,’ Kou means ‘mouth,’ and Le means ‘joy to rejoice.’ So the Chinese name of this drink – literally -- translated to mean, “to taste something palatable from which one derives pleasure.” Not all Chinese names are created equal.

It is also important that companies be made aware of the cultural differences among mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Although all three markets use Chinese, the name that works in one market may not be appropriate in another.

For example, one company that entered the Taiwanese market first adopted a Chinese name with the character Ba, which means “to monopolize.” While this character is acceptable in Taiwan, it is deemed inappropriate for mainland China. The company was then advised to change that character to Bo, which is similar to Ba phonetically, but has the meaning of “to strive.” This was seen as a far more politically correct term for the mainland market.

Finally, it is important to note that there are two different written Chinese scripts which are used in the various Chinese-speaking countries. The simplified script is used in mainland China and Singapore, which differs from the traditional Chinese script which is used in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia.

Hence, companies must remember that the marketing literature prepared for the mainland market need to be converted to the traditional Chinese form for Hong Kong and Taiwan, and vice versa.

In conclusion, it is of paramount importance to have a proper Chinese name for companies keen to explore the Chinese market.

So, first things first, get your company’s Chinese name right before taking the plunge into the vast Chinese market!

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