Brand Name Translation: Language Constraints, Product Attributes and Consumer Perceptions in East and Southeast Asia

The primary purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between foreign brand name translation and product-related cues-such as physical quality, perceived origin, and brand name-on consumers' perceived quality, price, and purchase intentions. In translations from alphabetic to character-based languages such as Mandarin, two generic methods of brand name translation are available: (1) direct translation for the meaning of the brand name and (2) phonetic translation for the pronunciation of the brand name. The results from a series of structurally related experiments designed to investigate the effects of brand name translation in a cross-cultural context indicate that for an unknown brand, a phonetic translation may be mandatory, whereas for an existing strong brand name, it may be best to retain the original name.