Some naming projects we work on require that names be screened for semantic meaning, usage, connotation, spelling and pronunciation in a variety of foreign languages.

Our partner for linguistic and foreign language connotation screening, Translations Direct, is one of the UK’s most respected agencies for translation and language-related services. In 1997 its founder Nelly Thelwall, a Swiss national based in Salisbury, England, saw a need for a more thorough approach and introduced a unique four-stage process including editing and proofing by native speakers of the target language.

Today, with experience in more than 50 languages/dialects, the company offers single- and multi-language services and is increasingly asked to help with overseas product testing and market research. So what is Nelly’s secret? “Clients appreciate our personal service,” she says, “but most importantly we deliver work that’s fluent, totally accurate and on time.”

During the course of a European naming project for a Dutch client, Translations Direct performed linguistic and connotation screens of names in Arabic, Danish, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish on a rush basis over a weekend to meet a Monday deadline. And for a recent Canadian project, Translations Direct screened nine names in ten European and fifteen non-European languages with a four-day turnaround!

With Nelly and her crew working for us, we can assure our clients that the name we create for them will not contain any nasty surprises in other languages.