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Google's New Chinese Name  (View post)

Jan [PersonRank 0]

Wednesday, April 12, 2006
18 years ago8,091 views

It is pronounced "guge" in Chinese, like "googer" in English. Seems no one think it's a good name ...

Isaac [PersonRank 0]

18 years ago #

I don't like the name too. It's more like a agriculture related business. :)

Also the current search hits of the word mostly not related to the Chinese name.

Wouter Schut [PersonRank 10]

18 years ago #

Why didn't they just create a new Chinese sign?

Like so: http://www.seweso.com/google-sign.gif

;)

Taiwanese Hank [PersonRank 1]

18 years ago #

That's a bizzare name. In Taiwanese it sounds exactly like "national anthem" (國歌). Who knows, in the ensuing days we might learn that it sounds like "dickhead" in another Chinese language :)

Seriously they really should have just left it alone and count on the cool factor that goes with it.

Haochi [PersonRank 10]

18 years ago #

As in Chinese, I don't think this is a good name...The name sucks...

ZDL [PersonRank 1]

18 years ago #

I'm Chinease.

"guge" is really a good name.

TOMHTML [PersonRank 10]

18 years ago #

I translated these 2 characters with Google Translator, I got : "Valley Song".
Strange.

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

18 years ago #

I also got "valley" from the Google translator. My Chinese friend tells me the first character is cereal/ corn.

Haochi [PersonRank 10]

18 years ago #

I am Chinese too, as in meaning and in the way to pronounce it...It sucks...

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

18 years ago #

Haochi how would you translate the characters into English?

Haochi [PersonRank 10]

18 years ago #

Hmm,
I would say "Valley(GU) Song(GE)", or Song of Valley, the name really has nothing to do with Google...

Maybe you would like to listen to to Chinese pronunciation
http://googlified.com/wp-content/gloads/2006/04/guge.html

TOMHTML [PersonRank 10]

18 years ago #

Thanks Haochi
"Goo....gle!" ^^

Taiwanese Hank [PersonRank 1]

18 years ago #

Philipp, your friend must be a Simplified Chinese reader. What happens is that in Simplified Chinese the characters for "valley" and "cereal" (which are homonyms in Chinese Mandarin) have been merged into 谷. A Traditional Chinese reader would only see it as "valley" and not "cereal", which would be 穀 instead.

Haochi [PersonRank 10]

18 years ago #

Well, the "Google Global Chinese Name Launch Party" was held in Beijing, China, so I assume that it is in Simplified Chinese.

Support Freedom! [PersonRank 10]

18 years ago #

Guge:

Ancient word for "do some evil, make lots of money"

Helen Wang [PersonRank 0]

18 years ago #

I think GuGe is really good name, very cheerful and cool. Please see my blog at http://helenwang.rdvp.org/pacific/2006/04/valleys-song-google-in-chinese.html for my interpretation. I am a Chinese.

T [PersonRank 2]

18 years ago #

oh yeah, Does anyone use it?
I've heard of nothing about it, everyone keeps using google(as a noun, verb)
There was once a famous Chinese proverb: 知之为知之,不知Google之
meaning if you knowit you knowit, if you don't, google it. (

laf...

Ofcoz i'm chinese

cnbruce [PersonRank 0]

18 years ago #

Logo:)

http://www.cnbruce.com/blog/images/2006/google/googleguge.jpg

http://www.cnbruce.com/blog/showlog.asp?cat_id=32&log_id=909

Johnny Ng [PersonRank 0]

18 years ago #

A lot of research went into this name; the result is more connotative than denotative. It literally translates into something like "valley song" because it's derived from an expression that loosely means happiness after a successful harvest. The characters themselves aren't supposed to mean anything anyway (just as Google isn't a real-life word), but they conjure up pleasant attitudes. And this was better than "doggie" or "ancient dog" which are other terms that sound like "Google" in Chinese.

some people against GuGe [PersonRank 0]

18 years ago #

A grassroots anti-GuGe campaign is being waged by some hardcore Chinese Google fans. As of 10:40 pm Monday evening April 17, 944 had signed an online petition against using the new Chinese language name, GuGe "谷歌". 468 prefer the original English name (indeed, the Chinese version is the first time Google has changed its name to another language); 177 say they'd prefer 狗狗 (dogdog). They'd like the company to rethink the name. Rough translation:

"Google, we love you, but we do not love "GuGe"" [Song of the Grain].....
"The name "GuGe" makes us feel ill! Even more, it makes us disappointed!"
Google, do you hear us?

We believe that the name GuGe will influence the hearts and minds of Chinese Google users and Google supporters, and could even eventually affect Google's influence in China. We don't feel the company respected the vast majority of users during the process of choosing a Chinese name for Google, nor did we experience Google as having a consistently transparent, equal, and open corporate culture...

GuGe makes you think of:

in any case, it's something that is not google
it's a bird name
a poor peasant busy doing the spring plowing
...

link:
http://www.NOguge.com

Hito [PersonRank 0]

18 years ago #

I would say if you just focus on the meaning, "gu ge" is fine in Chinese. But native speakers would feel strange when they pronounce it. Also, It sounds like an ancient song or something worse.

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