12.16
I’m a firm believer in using available online tools to supplement and expedite the creation of master lists for naming projects. Here’s one that’s existed for awhile, but it only recently occurred to me to use it this way.
Google Translate has a “detect language” feature that you could theoretically use to do a quick and dirty linguistic check. Linguistic checks are what (hopefully) prevent tragic naming blunders, like Mitsubishi’s Pajero SUV, which is apparently “a commonly used Spanish term for ‘wanker,’” or the apocryphal (as in not true) story of Chevy’s Nova being interpreted as “will not go” in Spanish. Using Google Translate is not at all a safe replacement for the real deal, but it might help out in those situations where you’re working on something and think, “this sounds like it probably means something in…some language.”
Three quick examples:
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07.14
Apparently I’m not the first to comment on this, but on a recent trip back to the US I saw t-shirts in Walmart sporting the slogan “Faded Glory.” I’m assuming they’re part of the Walmart store brand of the same name, but to be clear, these shirts actually had “Faded Glory” written on the front along with a ‘distressed’ American flag image. There were matching flip flops.
We thought it might be funny to buy some overtly Go USA gear as gag-gifts for friends in China, but didn’t end up buying (and I can’t find a picture of the shirts online). Only later did we get to thinking about the meaning of that slogan, especially when paired with a beat-up looking US flag…did no one at Walmart realize what the shirt conveys when taken literally? Kind of a depressing message to send out to the masses.
Maybe I wouldn’t have thought as much of it if I wasn’t working outside the US, seeing the country a little more from an outsider’s perspective. My first week in Shanghai, I had a cab driver ask where I was from, and upon learning that I was American he excitedly made a hand motion that resembled something going up and up, then exploding. No idea what he meant (and couldn’t communicate well enough to understand), but I like to pretend he was talking about the Dow, or our economy in general.
Probably not, but I couldn’t help think of that cab driver when I saw the Faded Glory shirts.
[Thanks to Ash for pointing this out.]
10.22
We had identical, simultaneous reactions. “Tech Ninja? Huh.” Kind of a goofy name, but it caught our attention.
About one second later…
“Oh wait, it says
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08.07
Picked up some flowers the other night from a place called Affluent Flowers. I should first mention that the lady who helped me there was polite and helpful, and the flowers I purchased were very nice and well-priced.
That said…
While I didn’t go there specifically so that I could write this post, I was thinking about their name even before I walked into the store.
You didn’t call this place ‘Affluent Flowers’ because everything here costs a lot, did you?
No, the woman behind the counter assured me that the name “Affluent” had been chosen primarily because it starts with “A.” The owner is hoping that as a result, his store will show up near the beginning of alphabetical listings. I’m sure the question’s been asked before, but is this still a relevant concern in most industries these days? I’d argue that it’s not. I found the flower shop by using Google Maps; I just wanted something that was on my way. For flower shops—and maybe most single-location retail stores—listing yourself in map-integrated online directories is probably more critical than choosing a name that starts near the beginning of the alphabet.
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07.14
First off, thank you to the people at Lexulous for reminding me of pending moves in my non-existent ongoing games. Seems like a bit of a desperate marketing attempt reminiscent of “You’ve already won!” junk mail. Secondly, “Lexulous” is a godawful name. It replaced “Scrabulous” in September of 2008 due to legal issues with that name’s similarity to “Scrabble.”
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