According to Bloomberg, who cites Google China boss Kai-fu Lee, the name "Google" brings with it some problems in China.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=av0dTz.hTRZ0&refer=news
<<"G-O-O-G-L-E is not a normal Chinese spelling and people don't pronounce it right," Kai-fu Lee, Google's president for Greater China, said in a Nov. 30 interview in Beijing. "Most people call us 'go go.'">>
The "official" naming for Google is now "gu ge" (meaning valley song), but apparently some Chinese still stick to the former name "go go" (which could mean dog)... if they know Google at all.
<<"Very few people know Google and what they stand for" in China, said Charley Kan, managing director of Mediaedge:cia, a unit of WPP Group Plc, the world's second-largest advertising company. "Compared to Baidu, it is in a weak position." (...)
Internet addresses in China are based on the Hanyu Pinyin system that translates Chinese characters into roman letters. Sounds such as "gle" don't exist.
"That's a big problem for us," Lee said.
Google last year acquired the "G.cn" domain so users who misspell the company's name still get directed to its Chinese- language Web site>> |
It's so true. Most Chinese users are still pronouncing "go go" instead of ['gu:gl]. And they are embarrassed by this, will just give up and turn to Baidu. |