11-18-2008, 11:40 PM
Microsoft Zune: Name Raises Ruckus in Hebrew
(the story is two years old, but I'm stupid, so it doesn't matter)
Microsoftâs forthcoming digital music player, dubbed Zune, may make some Hebrew speakers gasp. The name for the deviceâwhich will take on the Apple iPod when released later this yearâsounds like a vulgarity, specifically the âfâ word, in Hebrew. The tech industry continually creates goofy product names, exemplified by Yahoo and Google. But companies routinely hire branding consultancies to extensively research product names, including translations in other languages, says Steve Manning, managing director for Igor International in San Francisco, a branding agency. Nobody wants to make the mistake that Chevy did with its Nova automobile (No va, of course, made Spanish speakers think âno go.â)
Hebrew linguists are divided over Zune. Tsila Ratner, the head of Hebrew courses in the Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies at University College London, says Zune is an unsuitable name for a product. However, Haggit Inbar-Littas, a 30-year veteran Hebrew teacher with the London Jewish Cultural Center, says while the name is âridiculousâ and close to the bad word, itâs unlikely to be mistaken.
Microsoft breaks the controversy down to pronunciation. âWhile we do acknowledge the similarity in pronunciation to Hebrew zi-yun, that is not the intended meaning of the name Zune,â according to a Microsoft statement. Bloggers have picked up on the differenceâone humorously writing that if you say Zune to rhyme with iTunes, out pops the profanity.
(the story is two years old, but I'm stupid, so it doesn't matter)
Microsoftâs forthcoming digital music player, dubbed Zune, may make some Hebrew speakers gasp. The name for the deviceâwhich will take on the Apple iPod when released later this yearâsounds like a vulgarity, specifically the âfâ word, in Hebrew. The tech industry continually creates goofy product names, exemplified by Yahoo and Google. But companies routinely hire branding consultancies to extensively research product names, including translations in other languages, says Steve Manning, managing director for Igor International in San Francisco, a branding agency. Nobody wants to make the mistake that Chevy did with its Nova automobile (No va, of course, made Spanish speakers think âno go.â)
Hebrew linguists are divided over Zune. Tsila Ratner, the head of Hebrew courses in the Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies at University College London, says Zune is an unsuitable name for a product. However, Haggit Inbar-Littas, a 30-year veteran Hebrew teacher with the London Jewish Cultural Center, says while the name is âridiculousâ and close to the bad word, itâs unlikely to be mistaken.
Microsoft breaks the controversy down to pronunciation. âWhile we do acknowledge the similarity in pronunciation to Hebrew zi-yun, that is not the intended meaning of the name Zune,â according to a Microsoft statement. Bloggers have picked up on the differenceâone humorously writing that if you say Zune to rhyme with iTunes, out pops the profanity.
leeman Wrote:I love the meathead...
