Abstract
We examine decision makers’ use of tacit linguistic intuitions and explicit linguistic knowledge for brand name translations from English to Chinese. We present a market study, which reveals that managers intuitively use linguistic sound and meaning characteristics, that is, which sounds and meanings best fit for the Chinese translation of the English names. A subsequent experiment shows that generalized types of existing name approaches (that is, whether the names are translated based on sound or based on meaning) are employed as explicit benchmark standards for new names. The results of the two studies suggest that brand naming is a process that involves accessing deeply engrained linguistic structures, as well as explicit linguistic knowledge and rules. We suggest directions for future research on name translation and discuss practical applications of our findings.
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1holds a PhD and is the Robert D. Calkins Professor of International Business at Columbia Business School in New York. He is also the Faculty Director of the Center on Global Brand Leadership at Columbia and Executive Director of the Institute on Asian Consumer Insights at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He is author of several books including Big Think Strategy and Customer Experience Management. His research, which focuses on language, brands and experience, has been published in more than 50 articles in leading marketing journals.
2holds PhDs in both linguistics and marketing. He is Associate Professor of Marketing at UCLA. He has done innovative research in the area of market-entry strategy and marketing communications, and in the area of brand naming and positioning in the international market. His research has been published in all the major marketing journals.
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Schmitt, B., Zhang, S. Selecting the right brand name: An examination of tacit and explicit linguistic knowledge in name translations. J Brand Manag 19, 655–665 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2011.62
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2011.62