This decade’s trend of creative baby-naming has been an elitist’s dream and a primary school teacher’s worst nightmare. Multiple ‘i’s and silent ‘ph’s are the hallmarks of aspirational individuality and make buying novelty mugs near impossible.
When someone gets a little Hollywood with their naming rights, it’s likely that little consideration has been paid to the international impact a name like ‘Suri’ can have. Today Translations has introduced a service to demystify the foreign meanings of the more adventurous of names.
For 1,000 pounds ($1,678), the company’s linguists will carry out a ‘basic name translation audit’ of names, checking their meaning in 100 languages, or more for an additional cost.
According to Today Translations, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes might have reconsidered their choice if they knew it means “‘pickpocket’ in Japanese, ‘turned sour’ in French, and ‘horse mackerels’ in Italian”.
If only this service existed when I received my nickname and later learnt its Lebanese equivalent. Look it up …
Published on 20 February 2010 by Agony Uncle