Leslie Forman
September 2, 2011 — By Leslie Forman

Rejected Names For My Future Company

Several well-intentioned people have suggested names for my hypothetical future China-Chile translation and consultancy business.

Whoa, this has been a crazy week!

I’ve been busy helping Chinese and Chilean businessmen communicate more effectively, as a freelance Chinese-Spanish interpreter. Several well-intentioned people have suggested names for my hypothetical future China-Chile translation and consultancy business.

First option: ChichiSolar, as in China-Chile Solar Services, or something like that. This inspired way too many giggles, since in Spanish “chichi” is a childish word for breasts or urination. And in Chinese, the sound “chichi” brings to mind two things: sadness and Valentine’s Day. Therefore, ChichiSolar sounds like some sort of nude tanning salon or a Valentine’s Day pity party. Totally not OK for a serious business started by a young woman! (For more notes on the connotations of these sounds, check out this post by Fritinancy.)

Second option: TransLeslie. Now this one sounds like some sort of transgendered lesbian. Not that I have anything against transgender or lesbian, but the name seems to distract from the value proposition of connecting China and Chile.

Any other suggestions? :)

Also, my last post on the Top 10 Reasons Why Start-Up Chile Rocks was cross-posted on the Start-Up Chile blog and here on Oh Hey World. I mentioned that I connected my dad to Ken Seville, a Start-Up Chile entrepreneur focused on connecting military veterans with good jobs. I am happy to report that my dad responded immediately with three friends who are military veterans and MBA / tech entrepreneur types in Silicon Valley, which totally proves my point about how Start-Up Chile connects people to those inside and outside the room.

Have a wonderful weekend!!