A Brand (New) Language
Brand names are one way to investigate the power and scope of world languages. Lets figure out what these different brand names are trying to say.
Made in France, “ La vache qui rit’ is a brand of cheese known for having The Laughing Cow as its logo. Although unpopular in the western hemisphere for years, Laughing Cow cheese has been sold since 1920s. It was the first cheese brand from France. Though sold world wide It is known by the country’s native language. For instance ‘La vache’ is French for the ‘cow’ and ‘qui’ means ‘who’ while the verb ‘Rire’ means ‘to laugh’- The Laughing Cow is exactly what is depicted in the logo.
Volkswagen translate to ‘People’s Car’. Originally formed in Nazi Germany in 1937, Volkswagen became the name attributed to the company after Adolf Hitler set plans in motion to create line of automobiles known as ‘ people’s cars’. After the war, the company continue to grow in the town of Wolfsburg and became one of the leading manufactures in the years following the Nazism. Volkswagen splits into ‘Volk’-German for People or Nation and ‘Wagen’-German for Car.
Created in Denmark, the name ‘Lego’ is Danish and is composed of the word ‘Leg’ meaning ‘play’ and the word ‘godt’ meaning ‘well’. These small blocks have been staples of toy collectors since 1940s and have become one of the best construction toys ever created. Later ‘Lego’ lent its names to video game lines, movie recreations and theme parks.
Moving on to so South Korea, the name Samsung has been attributed to electronics for decades. The word Samsung means Three Stars. It is important to Korean culture as three is a number with strong connotations and according to Samsung, stars are eternal.
Acer gets its name from a Latin word- Sharp. Acer started in Taipei, Taiwan in 1976, was originally named Multi Tech adopted to Acer name in the 1980s. Acer also happens to be the genus into which the maple leaves falls- their leaves are specifically sharp.
Japanese business man Shojiro Ishibashi literally used his last name to create the world famous Tyre brand- Bridgestone. Specializing in rubber parts since its founding in 1931, it become one of the world’s leading type manufactures. The name Bridgestone is derived from founder’s last name ‘ishi’ is the Japanese word for ‘stone’ while ‘bashi’ is the word for ‘bridge’. The company also specializes in motorcycles and, of all things, golf products. Bridgestone is Japan’s largest golf balls supplier.
This video game company derived its name from a Greek word meaning ‘Species’. Eidos interactive was formed in London in 1990 and published many ground breaking videos games including- Tomb Raider, Hitman, Batman and Thief. After years of work in the field Eidos interactive was purchased by Japanese gaming magnate Square Enix known for the renowned Final Fantasy series.
The name Reebok comes from an Afrikaans word meaning An Antelope. Founded in England in 1895, J W Foster and Sons emerged as one of the world’s leading sports manufactures. It wasn’t until the 1960 that the company was named Reebok. The actual word is spelled’ Rhebok’.
Sanyo means Three Oceans in Japanese and the reasoning behind this name involves the international spread of the company. The Three Oceans refer to the Pacific, Atlantic and the Indian. Sanyo was founded in Osaka in 1950, and originally devoted its manufacturing to simple plastic electronics. It later blossomed into a successful electronics company until it was acquired by Panasonic in 2009.
Opening its factory in 1927, Volvo started in Gohenburg, Sweden as an off shoot of a company known for manufacturing ball bearings. The name is derived from the Latin word ‘ Volvere’ which means ‘to roll’. Volvo has always been known as a reliable family brand.