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Advanced - 起 名 要 小 心
(E)
一個好商品如果起了個好名字，就可以說是成功 了一半，可口可樂、奔馳汽車就是絕好的例子。 ˇ shangpˇ ˇ m´ıngzi, jiu` kˇeyˇı shuo¯ ¯ y¯ı ge hao ın rugu ´ oˇ qˇı le ge hao ´ ` kˇekˇoukˇele, ` bench´ ´ ¯ le y¯ıban, ¯ sh`ı chengg ong ı q`ıche¯ jiush` ` ı jueˇ de l`ızi. hao If a good product gets a good name, you can safely say that it’s already halfway there. Coca Cola and Mercedes Benz are some extremely good examples.
不過中文博大精深，再加上各地方言和文化的因 素，一些國外品牌的中文名字在中國明顯水土不 服。 ´ bod ´ aj¯ ` ıngshen, ` jiashang ` ı f¯angy´an ¯ ¯ zai ¯ b`uguo` Zhongw en ged` ´ ´ ai pˇınpai ´ de Zhongw ´ ¯ he´ wenhu a` de y¯ınsu, en ` y¯ıxie¯ guow` ` Zhonggu ˇ shuˇıtub` ¯ m´ıngzi zai o´ m´ıngxian ˇ ufu. ´ But Chinese is very profound. When you add in the different dialects and cultural factors, some foreign goods’ Chinese names are really out of place in China.
好好的名字，如果被消費者作出可笑的解讀，再 好的產品也被拖了後腿。汽車界就不乏這樣的例 子。 ˇ ao ` xiaof` ` de ¯ de m´ıngzi, rugu ¯ eizheˇ zuo` chu¯ kˇexiao haoh ´ oˇ bei ˇ u, ` ao ˇ de chanpˇ ˇ ın yˇe bei ` tuo¯ le houtuˇ ` jied ı. q`ıche¯ jie` jiu` ´ zaih ` ang de l`ızi. b`uf´a zhey`
Visit the Online Review and Discussion (text version).
c
2008 Praxis Language Ltd.
No matter how good a product is, if consumers interpret its name in a ridiculous way, it will definitely be hobbled. The auto industry is full of examples of this.
就拿一款叫“榮威”的轎車來說，看似尊貴， 但讀音卻像極了”wrong way”，感覺像“跑錯了路 ”，品牌效應可想而知。 ˇ jiao ` “ rongw ´ ` ´ ` sh`ı ¯ de jiaoch ¯ kan jiu` na´ y¯ı kuan ei” e¯ laishu o, ` duy¯ ` ˇ e´ xiang ` zungu` ı, dan j´ı le”wrong way”, ganju ´ ın que` xiang ¯ ˇ cuo` le lu” ´ aoy` ` ıng kˇexiang ˇ erzh¯ ´ “ pao ı. ` , pˇınpaixi Think of a name like “Rong Wei” for a sedan. It seems very respectable, but it sounds very much like “Wrong Way.” You can imagine the effect of this brand name.
還有日本的汽車品牌“鈴木”，跟埋死人的“陵 墓”同音，難怪中國人要嫌它晦氣！ ´ yˇou r`ıben ˇ de q`ıche¯ pˇınpai ´ “ l´ıngmu” ´ sˇıren ´ de “ ¯ mai hai ` , gen ´ ´ ` zhonggu ´ en ´ y`ao xian ´ ta¯ hu`ıq`ı! ¯ l´ıngmu” ın, nangu ai or ` tongy¯ Then there’s the Japanese car called “Suzuki,” which sounds in Chinese like the word for a tomb where you bury the dead. No wonder Chinese people consider it unlucky!
最近還有一個熱點，就是韓國電視臺SBS。這三個 字母是漢城廣播系統的英語縮寫，但中國人聯想 到的卻是京罵。 ´ yˇou y¯ı ge redi ` an, ˇ jiush` ´ ` ´ SBS. zu`ıj`ın hai o´ diansh` ıtai ` ı Hangu ` ´ ˇ ˇ ¯ ge z`ımuˇ sh`ı hanch zhe` san eng guangb o¯ x`ıtong de y¯ıngyuˇ ` zhonggu ´ en ´ lianxi ´ ang ˇ dao ` de que` sh`ı j¯ıngma. ` ¯ eˇ , dan ¯ suoxi or Visit the Online Review and Discussion (text version).
c
2008 Praxis Language Ltd.
Lately there’s another hot topic– the Korean National TV station SBS. These three letters stand for the English abbreviation Seoul Broadcasting System. But they make Chinese people think of a filthy word.
商品名被曲解，不光外企，國內企業也防不勝 防。比如有種藥叫“斯達舒”，結果被大家說成 是“四大叔”。後來廠家乾脆自己幽默了一把， 在廣告裏真的安排了一個”四大叔”的角色。 ` quji ˇ b`uguang ´ ei ` qˇıy`e yˇe ¯ ¯ shangpˇ ınm´ıng bei w`aiqˇı , guon ¯ e, ` ang. bˇıru´ yˇou zhong ˇ ` “ s¯ıdash ´ u” ´ f´angb`ushengf´ y`ao jiao ¯ , jie` daji ` a¯ shuo¯ cheng ´ ` u” ` ai ´ changji ˇ guoˇ bei sh`ı “ s`ıdash a¯ ´ . houl ˇ zai ` guangg ˇ ` lˇı zhende ´ le ¯ ¯ ¯ ai gancu` ı z`ıjˇı y¯oumo` le y¯ı ba, ao anp ` u”de5 ´ e. ` y¯ı ge”si4dash jues ´ Not only foreign enterprises have their product names distorted. It’s hard for domestic enterprises to prevent, too. For instance, there’s a kind of medicine called “Sidashu,” which sounds in Chinese like “Four Big Uncles.” Afterwards, the company just made a joke of it- in their advertisement, they had roles for Four Big Uncles.
惡搞時代，起名要小心啊！ ` ao ˇ sh´ıdai, ` qˇım´ıng y`ao xiaox¯ ˇ ın a! eg In an age of parody, be careful when you come up with a name! Key Vocabulary
絕好
´ ao ˇ jueh
Visit the Online Review and Discussion (text version).
extremely good c
2008 Praxis Language Ltd.
博大精深
´ aj¯ ` ıngshen ¯ bod
broad and profound
水土不服
shuˇıtub` ˇ ufu´
not used to local habits
解讀
ˇ u´ jied
to decipher
拖後腿
` tuo¯ houtuˇ ı
to drag someone down
尊貴
zungu` ı ¯
noble
品牌效應
´ aoy` ` ıng pˇınpaixi
brand effect
可想而知
ˇ erzh¯ ´ kˇexiang ı
you can imagine
陵墓
l´ıngmu`
tomb
晦氣
hu`ıq`ı
unlucky
京罵
j¯ıngma`
the Beijing curse
曲解
quji ¯ eˇ
to distort
防不勝防
` f´angb`ushengf´ang
impossible to defend against
惡搞
` ao ˇ eg
to spoof
Supplementary Vocabulary
搞笑
ˇ ao ` gaoxi
Visit the Online Review and Discussion (text version).
ridiculous c
2008 Praxis Language Ltd.
誤解
wuji ` eˇ
to misunderstand
知名度
zh¯ım´ıngdu`
popularity
美譽度
ˇ ud meiy ` u`
renown
Visit the Online Review and Discussion (text version).
c
2008 Praxis Language Ltd.
(E)
一個好商品如果起了個好名字，就可以說是成功 了一半，可口可樂、奔馳汽車就是絕好的例子。 ˇ shangpˇ ˇ m´ıngzi, jiu` kˇeyˇı shuo¯ ¯ y¯ı ge hao ın rugu ´ oˇ qˇı le ge hao ´ ` kˇekˇoukˇele, ` bench´ ´ ¯ le y¯ıban, ¯ sh`ı chengg ong ı q`ıche¯ jiush` ` ı jueˇ de l`ızi. hao If a good product gets a good name, you can safely say that it’s already halfway there. Coca Cola and Mercedes Benz are some extremely good examples.
不過中文博大精深，再加上各地方言和文化的因 素，一些國外品牌的中文名字在中國明顯水土不 服。 ´ bod ´ aj¯ ` ıngshen, ` jiashang ` ı f¯angy´an ¯ ¯ zai ¯ b`uguo` Zhongw en ged` ´ ´ ai pˇınpai ´ de Zhongw ´ ¯ he´ wenhu a` de y¯ınsu, en ` y¯ıxie¯ guow` ` Zhonggu ˇ shuˇıtub` ¯ m´ıngzi zai o´ m´ıngxian ˇ ufu. ´ But Chinese is very profound. When you add in the different dialects and cultural factors, some foreign goods’ Chinese names are really out of place in China.
好好的名字，如果被消費者作出可笑的解讀，再 好的產品也被拖了後腿。汽車界就不乏這樣的例 子。 ˇ ao ` xiaof` ` de ¯ de m´ıngzi, rugu ¯ eizheˇ zuo` chu¯ kˇexiao haoh ´ oˇ bei ˇ u, ` ao ˇ de chanpˇ ˇ ın yˇe bei ` tuo¯ le houtuˇ ` jied ı. q`ıche¯ jie` jiu` ´ zaih ` ang de l`ızi. b`uf´a zhey`
Visit the Online Review and Discussion (text version).
c
2008 Praxis Language Ltd.
No matter how good a product is, if consumers interpret its name in a ridiculous way, it will definitely be hobbled. The auto industry is full of examples of this.
就拿一款叫“榮威”的轎車來說，看似尊貴， 但讀音卻像極了”wrong way”，感覺像“跑錯了路 ”，品牌效應可想而知。 ˇ jiao ` “ rongw ´ ` ´ ` sh`ı ¯ de jiaoch ¯ kan jiu` na´ y¯ı kuan ei” e¯ laishu o, ` duy¯ ` ˇ e´ xiang ` zungu` ı, dan j´ı le”wrong way”, ganju ´ ın que` xiang ¯ ˇ cuo` le lu” ´ aoy` ` ıng kˇexiang ˇ erzh¯ ´ “ pao ı. ` , pˇınpaixi Think of a name like “Rong Wei” for a sedan. It seems very respectable, but it sounds very much like “Wrong Way.” You can imagine the effect of this brand name.
還有日本的汽車品牌“鈴木”，跟埋死人的“陵 墓”同音，難怪中國人要嫌它晦氣！ ´ yˇou r`ıben ˇ de q`ıche¯ pˇınpai ´ “ l´ıngmu” ´ sˇıren ´ de “ ¯ mai hai ` , gen ´ ´ ` zhonggu ´ en ´ y`ao xian ´ ta¯ hu`ıq`ı! ¯ l´ıngmu” ın, nangu ai or ` tongy¯ Then there’s the Japanese car called “Suzuki,” which sounds in Chinese like the word for a tomb where you bury the dead. No wonder Chinese people consider it unlucky!
最近還有一個熱點，就是韓國電視臺SBS。這三個 字母是漢城廣播系統的英語縮寫，但中國人聯想 到的卻是京罵。 ´ yˇou y¯ı ge redi ` an, ˇ jiush` ´ ` ´ SBS. zu`ıj`ın hai o´ diansh` ıtai ` ı Hangu ` ´ ˇ ˇ ¯ ge z`ımuˇ sh`ı hanch zhe` san eng guangb o¯ x`ıtong de y¯ıngyuˇ ` zhonggu ´ en ´ lianxi ´ ang ˇ dao ` de que` sh`ı j¯ıngma. ` ¯ eˇ , dan ¯ suoxi or Visit the Online Review and Discussion (text version).
c
2008 Praxis Language Ltd.
Lately there’s another hot topic– the Korean National TV station SBS. These three letters stand for the English abbreviation Seoul Broadcasting System. But they make Chinese people think of a filthy word.
商品名被曲解，不光外企，國內企業也防不勝 防。比如有種藥叫“斯達舒”，結果被大家說成 是“四大叔”。後來廠家乾脆自己幽默了一把， 在廣告裏真的安排了一個”四大叔”的角色。 ` quji ˇ b`uguang ´ ei ` qˇıy`e yˇe ¯ ¯ shangpˇ ınm´ıng bei w`aiqˇı , guon ¯ e, ` ang. bˇıru´ yˇou zhong ˇ ` “ s¯ıdash ´ u” ´ f´angb`ushengf´ y`ao jiao ¯ , jie` daji ` a¯ shuo¯ cheng ´ ` u” ` ai ´ changji ˇ guoˇ bei sh`ı “ s`ıdash a¯ ´ . houl ˇ zai ` guangg ˇ ` lˇı zhende ´ le ¯ ¯ ¯ ai gancu` ı z`ıjˇı y¯oumo` le y¯ı ba, ao anp ` u”de5 ´ e. ` y¯ı ge”si4dash jues ´ Not only foreign enterprises have their product names distorted. It’s hard for domestic enterprises to prevent, too. For instance, there’s a kind of medicine called “Sidashu,” which sounds in Chinese like “Four Big Uncles.” Afterwards, the company just made a joke of it- in their advertisement, they had roles for Four Big Uncles.
惡搞時代，起名要小心啊！ ` ao ˇ sh´ıdai, ` qˇım´ıng y`ao xiaox¯ ˇ ın a! eg In an age of parody, be careful when you come up with a name! Key Vocabulary
絕好
´ ao ˇ jueh
Visit the Online Review and Discussion (text version).
extremely good c
2008 Praxis Language Ltd.
博大精深
´ aj¯ ` ıngshen ¯ bod
broad and profound
水土不服
shuˇıtub` ˇ ufu´
not used to local habits
解讀
ˇ u´ jied
to decipher
拖後腿
` tuo¯ houtuˇ ı
to drag someone down
尊貴
zungu` ı ¯
noble
品牌效應
´ aoy` ` ıng pˇınpaixi
brand effect
可想而知
ˇ erzh¯ ´ kˇexiang ı
you can imagine
陵墓
l´ıngmu`
tomb
晦氣
hu`ıq`ı
unlucky
京罵
j¯ıngma`
the Beijing curse
曲解
quji ¯ eˇ
to distort
防不勝防
` f´angb`ushengf´ang
impossible to defend against
惡搞
` ao ˇ eg
to spoof
Supplementary Vocabulary
搞笑
ˇ ao ` gaoxi
Visit the Online Review and Discussion (text version).
ridiculous c
2008 Praxis Language Ltd.
誤解
wuji ` eˇ
to misunderstand
知名度
zh¯ım´ıngdu`
popularity
美譽度
ˇ ud meiy ` u`
renown
Visit the Online Review and Discussion (text version).
c
2008 Praxis Language Ltd.
