According to Reuters, a new translation service is available for expecting parents. For just 1,000 pounds – that’s about US $1,678 – the firm will translate a name into 100 languages.
The firm suggests this service will prevent parents from naming their kids things like Suri. (Speculation has run wild about the name’s meaning ever since Tomkat chose the appellation.) They also warn about the perils of Kai (apparently it means “stop it” in Yoruba) and Zuma (which means “Lord frowns in anger” in Nahuatl.)
Humphrey Bogart once quipped “You’re not a star until they can spell your name in Karachi.” If you’re Gwen Stefani, I can imagine that you could fret about how your little one’s name will appear in the press in Shanghai and Dubai and hey, maybe even amongst the Ancient Aztecs. (Actually, Nahuatl is spoken by more than a million people, mostly in Mexico. But still.)
And yet somehow, I can’t help think that if you’re into Extreme Baby Naming you can live with the possibility that your kid’s name might not work well in West Frisian or Igbo.
That’s a lot of money for something so pointless. I mean, 100 languages, really? I can see checking into the top 20 languages or something in case your child becomes a world traveler, $1,600 to know that your kids name doesn’t mean something negative in a language you’ve never even heard of? That’s nuts! I wonder how many people will actually do this?
I have a better idea: people can pay ME a thousand dollars (give or take) and I’ll take the trouble to research their name for them in 200 different languages!
Kai also means “food” in Maori!
I think I’d rather spend $1,600 on something more useful… like a holiday!
Which is why I can’t freaking believe people still occasionally use it here. I saw it suggested no less than three times on a Kiwi parenting board in “What should I name my boy?” thread.
My two year old knows what kai means.
Kai is a perfectly legitimate and traditional male name in Scandinavia. I think this service would be kind of pointless. Its also a bit pricey.