Global company names often get Anglicized or Americanized to the point where they’re unrecognizable, but brands could see some benefits if their names are pronounced correctly.
Hyundai UK’s latest TV advert focuses on how to pronounce the company’s name — and it’s not how most Brits have been saying it.
“Hyun-day” the main character in the advert says, correcting the commonly used “Hy-un-dai” pronunciation in the U.K.
“We are proudly Korean with real character and purpose,” Hyundai Motor UK Managing Director Ashley Andrew said in a press release, explaining why pronunciation has become the focus of the ad campaign.
“2023 is the perfect time for us to properly reflect this in the UK,” he added, as the advert tries to “encourage more people to learn about Hyundai.”
So that’s how to pronounce the name of South Korea’s car manufacturing giant, but what about other global companies?
Adidas: addy-dass
“Adidas” is an abbreviation of its founder Adolf “Adi” Dassler’s name. The company was born from a feud between Adolf and his brother Rudolf, who founded Puma. It’s pronounced with an emphasis on the first syllable.
Allianz: al-ee-anz
“Allianz” is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the German word for “alliance.” The company’s Germanic roots can also be seen in its logo, which is a simplified image of the eagle featured on the German coat of arms.
Bvlgari: bul-gur-ee
Bvlgari uses the Latin alphabet in its spelling, meaning the pronunciation is as if the second letter were a “u.” The emphasis is also put on the first syllable of the word, unlike typical Italian pronunciation which highlights the second syllable. Greek jeweler Sotirios Voulgaris founded Bvlgari in Rome in 1884.
Dr Oetker: doctor ert-ker
This German food company was named after its founder Dr August Oetker in 1981 and is still family-owned today.
Fjällräven: fi-ell rair-ven
Fjällräven is Swedish for “arctic fox,” which explains why the animal can be found on the company’s products.
Givenchy: zhee-vawn-shee
Givenchy was…
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