Posts Tagged ‘marketing’
GIGO… The brand
Oh Lord, I’ve just discovered a brand that’s a perfect marriage of product names and GIGO. (A pure coincidence, I swear). I bring you GIGO underwear, “100% MADE IN COLOMBIA”. Watch your back, David Beckham.
Filed under: Language | 3 Comments
Tags: branding, Business, GIGO, Language, marketing, naming, Underwear
Product naming is an important part of branding and marketing, and one where international businesses can make costly mistakes if they fail to understand local language, slang, and all the connotations of a given word. Here are a couple of potential branding disasters in the car industry, courtesy of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting’s […]
Filed under: Language, Translation | 12 Comments
Tags: branding, Business, car industry, Language, marketing, naming, New York Times, Translation
A translation agency recently sent me a one-page (270 words) document, asking me to quote for “a re-write, not a straight translation”. I did my sums and sent off the quote, without thinking too much about it. The agency got back to me a couple of days later and gave me the go-ahead. Fine. But […]
Filed under: Quality, Translation | 1 Comment
Tags: client relations, copy-writing, marketing, promotional material, quality, Translation, web copy
Marketing? Do your homework
…and he’s wishing he hadn’t. The phone rang. I answered. Me: Hello, Marian Dougan speaking. Caller (male): Hello, can I speak to the Managing Director? Me: Who’s calling, please? Caller: I’d like to speak to the Managing Director. Me: Yes, but who’s calling? Caller: It’s a business call, I’d like to speak to the Managing […]
Filed under: Uncategorized | 7 Comments
Tags: marketing, Uncategorized
The demise of Borders UK
I visited Borders UK’s Glasgow store a few days ago, feeling like a vulture as I filled my basket with cut-price books (TimeOut travel guides, IT (Mac) user-guides and English language reference books. Plus two novels by Elizabeth Jane Howard for my daughter).To my surprise I found myself feeling sad and nostalgic at the store’s […]
Filed under: Books, Language | 1 Comment
Tags: Books, Border's Books, Communicating, Glasgow, Language, marketing, shops
Words to good effect 