Translation Services: Brand Name and Logo Analysis

Selling your product directly in a foreign market or globally through the Internet carries some special risks. You want to be certain that the product name will convey the right image in the foreign countries you plan to market to. To be sure, you need to have its suitability evaluated not only for the domestic market but for foreign buyers with different languages and cultures as well.

Even when ordinary English words are used as brand names or slogans, these words translated for overseas consumers may have unexpected repercussions. Most successful products will eventually be marketed abroad, and the best time to research the product or brand name for foreign connotations is at the beginning. It is very expensive to change the name once the product has been launched.

The message is clear: do not take unnecessary risks. A short investigation will quickly reveal potential problems or give you the green light to move ahead with confidence, knowing that the name will be an asset rather than a detriment in other cultures.

Linguistic Systems researches and evaluates company and product names for cultural appropriateness and for the impact a new name may have on people in foreign cultures. Our evaluators are more than just native speakers; they have specialized linguistic training and live in or return frequently to the countries of your target market. Simply knowing the foreign language is not enough to qualify as a Linguistic Systems brand name analyst - our evaluators have both the theoretical and practical expertise for this type of work.

Some of the criteria we evaluate for include:

Possible offensiveness
Similarity to other words in the language
Ease of pronunciation
Memorability
Evocation or association with particular images
Appropriateness of idiomatic fit to the product or company.

We analyze names for all of the most important commercial languages as well as dialects of these languages (e.g., Canadian French, Mexican Spanish, etc.). Our clients select the languages and target countries for which they want the product or service name analyzed. Often more than one name is researched at the same time in order to make the best possible choice.

Our company has been researching the suitability of proposed company and product names for use in foreign countries for more than 20 years. Invariably the results are very interesting, sometimes startling. But in the end we provide our clients with a safe harbor at every port of call they need throughout the world.

To begin your analysis, you may want to consider which of the following 30 major commercial languages are especially important for your marketing plans:

Arabic	Dutch	French	Italian	Portuguese	Swahili
Bulgarian	German	Hebrew	Japanese	Romanian	Swedish
Chinese	Greek	Hindi	Korean	Russian	Thai
Czech	Finnish	Hungarian	Norwegian	Slovak	Turkish
Danish	Flemish	Indonesian	Polish	Spanish	Ukrainian

And, no, Canadian French is not the same as continental French, nor is British English the same as US English: there may be different connotations for the same word. Our analysts report astounding differences in the connotations of seemingly innocuous expressions in English-speaking countries. Here are two recent examples:

For a suggested brand name, True Blue, the British analyst wrote: "Extremely strong political connotation (the Tory Party - conservatives). This connotation is generally perceived as negative since the majority of the people are fed up with the conservative government and conservatism."

The Irish analyst wrote: "An extreme right-wing quasi-militaristic movement in Ireland in the 1930s was known as the 'Blue Shirts.' Some of its members fought for Franco in the Spanish Civil War. In Ireland, the term 'Blueshirt' is synonymous with 'Fascist.' The color blue therefore has a strong political, fascist connotation."

LSI Brand Name Analysis: A special service for a special clientele!

For additional information on our brand name & logo analysis service, call (877) 654-5006 or complete our Information Request Form by clicking here.