6 ms·
It really pays to check how ones company name sounds in different languages. Because in some cases connotations could be not even funny :( For example in russi
by dchichkov 14y ago
It really pays to check how ones company name sounds in different languages. Because in some cases connotations could be not even funny :( For example in russian, lockitron sounds very similar to 'lohotron' which translates as con game, scam etc.
- paulgerhardt 14y agoWas not aware of this connotation - in the event we expand to Russia, should we go with something like 'Lockomatt'? edit: Just looked up 'mat' in Russian. Seems like I'm really, really not having any luck here.
- sakai 14y agoIndeed :)
- akennberg 14y agoLockitron does not sound like lohotron to me in Russian. Not even close.
- kami8845 14y agoThis is a non-issue. Look at MongoDB. If you want to say "You're a retard" in German you'd say "Du bist ein Mongo". Mongo being short for mongoloid and just as `politically incorrect` as retard is in the English speaking world. If anything the name made the product more memorable for me (and I use it almost every day now)
- adgar2 14y agoMongoDB is considered a complete joke by most who've programmed a distributed system. So.... poor example.
- icelancer 14y agoSeems like a perfect name, then.
- GauntletWizard 14y agoFor the first year or so I read about it, I though it was MnogoDB; as in, Mnogo Nukes. Woulda been a much better name.
- lewispollard 14y agoMongo is a horribly offensive word for the same thing in English too - at least in British English. I wonder if the developers knew that?
- andrewljohnson 14y agoReminds me of the marketing folklore around the Chevy Nova: http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/nova.asp http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/nova.asp "No va" means "he didn't go" in Spanish.
- eik3_de 14y agojust like the japanese Mitsubishi Pajero in Spain: "pajero" translates to wanker/jerk in spanish
- mikeash 14y agoI'd wager that nearly any name is going to sound bad in some language. I don't know how important it really is to pay attention to this. If the Russian market ends up being important for them somehow, they can always make a new name for the Russian market.
- furyg3 14y agoIndeed. For example: I'm a big fan of Yammer which is a great name in English. Introducing it to my Dutch colleagues is hilarious, though, because the name effectively means "that sucks" in Dutch ('Jammer' is pronounced the same).
- lr--rw-rwx 14y agoSame in German.
- daniel-cussen 14y agoIf anybody at Matasano is reading this, I want you guys to know something. In South America, matasano (also one word) transliterates to "killer of the healthy" and means "doctor who does more harm than good." It's slang, of course, similar to "shrink" and connotes...exactly what it means.
- blrgeek 14y agoInterestingly tptacek commented on this saying - 'Matasano' ==> 'Last doctor you would go to'. And they were sad for a few minutes and then were 'very happy' with the name. The implication being that 'Matasano' is the last doc you go to who 'CURES' you I guess...
- hpvic03 14y agoWhenever I read Matasano I think Monsanto instead. They both start with M and end with O, and the inner consonants are similar. And Monsanto does not have a great reputation...
- nialo 14y ago'tptacek on Matasano the name: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4684845 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4684845
- fghh45sdfhr3 14y agoBut this is only relevant if they plan to expand to Russia. The Chevy "Nova" was a good name in English speaking countries, they should have checked what the name sounds like in Spanish. So basically the point here is translate your product before entering new language markets.