Your product and feature names are integral to your brand. A lot of thought goes into making them memorable, appealing, and meaningful for your customers. But what happens when you expand into new markets? Do you translate your product names? And how do you ensure a consistent approach across teams and channels?
Rubric helps you manage your product and feature names throughout your global content. Our holistic approach delivers a consistent customer experience, while saving you time and preventing expensive mistakes.
Why product and feature names matter for localization
Your product names are branded terms that are often trademarked—think iPhone or Kindle. Feature names are the titles you give particular features or functionalities, like “QuickStart”.
Whatever names you choose, they need to make sense to your target audience. (This also applies to internal tools, which may be used by international colleagues.) And it’s crucial to use names consistently, so customers see the same terms at every touchpoint—from your packaging to your website, FAQs, and customer support.
We work with you throughout your product lifecycle for a consistently high-quality experience in every language. At the naming stage, we can provide strategic guidance and highlight potential localization issues. (How will this feature be used? Is a brand name necessary, or would a straightforward description be more practical?) For existing names, our expert linguists can advise whether a translation is needed—and ensure it’s culturally appropriate. You don’t want to risk a mistake like Mercedes-Benz, which branded itself “Bensi” in China—only to discover this translated as “rush to die”. The error resulted in reputational damage and costly rework.
To translate, or not to translate?
Whether or not you translate product names will depend on various factors, including:
- Clarity: Will users understand what the name means? Could there be ambiguity, or unfortunate connotations? (Sweden’s popular Plopp chocolate bar sounds less appealing to English speakers.)
- Branding: Does translating the name dilute your brand, or would it strengthen your reputation? (Many brands prefer one global name for simplicity—think of the UK Marathon bar rebranding to Snickers in the 90s.)
- Sales: Will customers be able to find your product? Can they read, spell, and pronounce it? And if you translate one name, how will this impact the broader product range?
- Legal: Are trademarks available in your target market (for English names or proposed translations)? Are there specific legal requirements? (In Canada, for example, product packaging must display English and French information with equal prominence.)
- SEO: What terms are users searching for in each language?
We recommend bringing all stakeholders together—including legal, sales, and brand—to make this decision. This gets everyone on the same page and prevents last-minute changes.
For each product name, we help you establish effective translation rules and consider whether these apply across languages or content types. For example, you might leave the name in English, but include a translation in longer text for added clarity.
Our goal is to give your customers the best experience, without creating extra work for you.
Managing product and feature names across your business
We help you create a joined-up naming strategy that provides a “single source of truth” for localization. By breaking down internal silos, improving communication, and establishing a consistent framework for terminology management, you can make the whole process much smoother.
At Rubric, we’ve helped our clients navigate a range of naming challenges:
Where did that name come from?
We work with your stakeholders to map out a transparent process with clear accountability. So, whenever a new product or feature name is introduced—by the marketing department, for instance—it’s added to a central glossary with clear guidance for translators.
Why has/hasn’t that been translated?
Working with multiple translators and languages can lead to inconsistencies, and querying these can take up your time and delay your release. We can help by curating a company-wide database documenting how each name should be treated in each language. This includes highlighting any exceptions (for example, rules for specific contexts or channels) and “Do Not Translate” terms.
We also support your content authors to standardize language and understand the translation process. That way, they can provide translators with the information and instructions they need to get it right first time.
Do we still use that name?
One client changed some of their product names as part of a packaging refresh. We flagged the need to reflect these changes in their glossary—remembering to delete the outdated names—to avoid confusing colleagues and customers.
Who made that change?!
Last-minute name changes can cause major headaches for localization. We saw this when a client’s legal team changed some product name translations at a late stage, leaving glossaries out of sync. Establishing a more transparent process for monitoring the packaging design lifecycle has helped them avoid last-minute queries.
One name… two features?
Building a feedback loop with translators can improve quality and consistency. In one case, our translator spotted that a client was using the name “Inform” for two different features—one to report issues, and one to see the latest news. This was potentially confusing to users and created ambiguity for translation.
How can we check consistency?
Once you’ve established a glossary, it’s essential to stick to it. Our robust quality checks make sure that happens, without slowing you down. For example, we can build automated quality assurance tools to check translation rules are followed, including for Do Not Translate terms. This gives you a fast turnaround with quality you can trust.
How do we manage product names through M&A?
Combining terminology as part of a merger or an acquisition can be complex, but Rubric takes away the pain. We provide impartial guidance to help you assess the scope and align glossaries for a streamlined approach.
We want to make managing your global content as painless as possible. So contact Rubric, and let’s talk about your product naming strategy. We help you map out what to translate and what to keep.