Business Opportunities Weblog

November 20, 2009 by Rich Whittle | 1 Comment

The New York Daily News asks, what’s in a name? Maybe more than you thought.

A British translation firm will vet expectant couples’ off-the-wall baby names, ensuring their offspring aren’t saddled with monikers that mean something embarrassing in another language.

Today Translation’s new service might have come in handy for Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, who probably thought naming their daughter Suri was a safe bet.

“It sounds incredibly nice, but in Japanese, we found it means pickpocket,” said Jurga Zilinskiene, the company’s chief executive, whose first name means “farmer” or “earth worker” in Greek.

The translations are sometimes a pleasant surprise, though. Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale named their youngest son Zuma, which means “peace” in Arabic, “new day” in Mayan and “running horse” in Japanese.

“You’ll rest assured you are picking a good name,” Zilinskiene said. “At the end of the day, it’s something a person has to live with for the rest of their lives.”

Photo by straymuse.

In Advice, Babies, Creativity | 1 Comment