Woz - 6:32 am on Apr 14, 2006 (gmt 0)

Choosing a good Chinese Business name is crucial to doing business there successfully. Many of my expat friends running businesses there have agonised for days, months, perhaps even years, before choosing *the name*. It is quite an art to choose a name that not only sounds similar to your Western company name, but also makes sense in Chinese. And of course, having something that also relates to your company's activities is a bonus.

And then there are the companies whose choose a name too quickly only to find that it means something entirely different, or even objectionable, and then have to spend heaps of money in correcting the mistake.

Then there are the other aspects to take into account, being careful not to choose something that is questionable from a cultural, political, or a multitude of other points of view.

As an example, luckily for me, most of my Chinese friends have little or no trouble pronouncing my nick name, so that is what is used more often than my real name. Even then, for those who are having trouble, I often pronounce it "Wo Ze" meaning I (am) Four. BUT, I have to be careful not to pronounce it "Wo Ze" which would mean I (am) dead.

So, this is really just an exercise in relating to the local populace on Google's part, by choosing a pleasing name easily understood by people on the street; a good choice in my opinion.

Onya
Woz