Not Every Brand Name Translates As Well Into Chinese As Coca-Cola
国际品牌走入中国：不是所有的品牌中译都像可口可乐那么给力

In China, names have a deep significance. So for international brands looking to head over to the world's largest market, they have an incredibly important decision to make.
在中国，名字有很深刻的涵义，所以想要进军中国这个全球最大的市场时，那些国际品牌就得做一个很重要的决定：哪个中译名最好？

There's a whole business based around selecting brand names for companies that are looking to go into China, reports Michael Wines at the New York Times. There are linguistic algorithms, computer programs and consulting companies devoted to it.
据《纽约时报》的记者Michael Wines报道，为进军中国的公司挑选品牌译名，已经形成了一门商业，语言算法、计算机程序和咨询顾问公司都倾情奉献于这一行业。

It's more complicated than it looks on the surface. China is home to many widely used dialects, and what appears safe in Mandarin may not translate all that well to, say, Cantonese or Hokkien.
这可比表面看上去要复杂多了。中国大地上有着许多广泛使用的方言，某种品牌中译名可能用普通话读起来很不错，但是翻译成其他方言，比方说粤语和闽南语，就没那么顺畅了。

Some just happened to be natural fits. Take Coca-Cola, which is called Kekoukele in China, meaning "tasty fun." Not only does it sound like its international name, but it has a meaning that personifies the Coke brand.
有些品牌恰好浑然天成般的适合，比方说Coca-Cola译成可口可乐，中文意思是美味可口又有趣。“可口可乐” 不仅和它的原品牌名音似，同样也为品牌赋予了人性化的内在涵义。

Here are some examples of big brands who chose Chinese names that have resonated with the public. Some are phonetically similar to their English names, while others are completely changed:
现在是一些大品牌的中文译名，它们都在中国广泛使用并引起了大众共鸣。有一些和原来的英文名称音似，而有一些则完全不一样了：

Tide -- Taizi, "gets rid of dirt"
汰渍（洗衣粉）：消除污垢 （Tide品牌原意：潮流）

Reebok -- Rui bu, "quick steps"
锐步（运动鞋）：快步走 （Reebok品牌原意：南部非洲一种羚羊，擅长奔跑）

Nike -- Nai ke, "enduring and persevering"
耐克（运动鞋）：忍耐、持久 （Nike品牌原意：希腊胜利女神）

Colgate -- Gao lu jie, "revealing superior cleanliness"
高露洁（牙膏）：展现深层清洁（Colgate品牌原意：创始人姓名）

Marriott -- Wan hao, "10,000 wealthy elites"
万豪（酒店）：一万个富有的精英（Marriott品牌原意：创始家族姓氏）

Citibank -- Hua qi yinhang, "star-spangled banner bank"
花旗银行：星光灿烂的旗帜银行（Citibank品牌原意：纽约城市银行）

Heineken -- Xi li, "happiness power"
喜力（荷兰啤酒品牌）：快乐的力量（Heineken品牌原意：创始家族姓氏，海尼根家族）

Pentium -- Ben teng, "galloping"
奔腾（处理器）：飞驰奔跑（Pentium品牌原意：拉丁文数字五，因为奔腾是英特尔旗下继486后新一代的的高性能处理器）

你觉得哪个品牌的中译名最神形兼备？