I’m Bill Tsutsui with another Postcard from Asia from the Center for East Asian Studies.
Here in China, foreign brand names are transliterated with marketing in mind. A transliteration that combines propitious meaning and harmonious sound is a marketer’s goal. Coca Cola is a case in point. In China, it is called ge kou ge le meaning “happy mouth.” Alas, it doesn’t always work out so neatly. Take Google for example. Its Chinese name gu ge means “valley song” which might seem innocuous, maybe even poetic, to us but which has caused some netizens in China to feel “ill” and “disappointed.” Alternate names include “gou gou” meaning “dog dog”, “gu gu” meaning “aunt” and “gou le” meaning “enough”. Whatever they decide, the controversy is sure to make some people “ga ga”.
With thanks to Randi Hacker for this text, from the Center for East Asian Studies, I’m Bill Tsutsui. Wish you were here.
