Checking a Brand Name Across Languages Before You Launch

This guide is for founders, brand managers and naming agencies who are choosing a company, product or range name for use in more than one country. It explains what a linguistic brand check covers, how it differs from a trade mark search, and how to run both in the right order.

Renaming after launch is expensive. Packaging, signage, domains, app store pages and marketplace listings all carry the name, so a problem found after launch costs far more than one found at shortlist stage.

What is a brand name check across languages?

A linguistic brand name check (also called linguistic screening or name evaluation) is a structured review of a proposed name by native speakers of each target language. Each linguist reports on meaning, sound, spelling and cultural associations, and gives a risk rating.

It is not a legal clearance. A name can pass the linguistic check and still be unavailable as a trade mark, or be available yet sound ridiculous to local shoppers. Most brands need both checks, and the linguistic one is usually quicker, so it is often used to shorten the list before legal searches.

What does a linguistic brand check look for?

A linguistic brand check looks for anything a native speaker would notice on first hearing or reading the name. The main points are:

• Meaning. Does the name, or part of it, mean something in the language, including slang, regional usage and youth language?
• Sound-alikes. Does it sound like an offensive, comic or negative word when spoken aloud, including in local accents?
• Pronunciation. Can local people say it easily, and will they say it the way you intend?
• Spelling and script. Does it use letters, accents or combinations that are unusual, or does it need transliteration into scripts such as Cyrillic, Greek, Arabic or Chinese?
• Descriptiveness. Is it simply the local word for the product, which would make it weak as a brand and hard to register?
• Associations. Does it recall a competitor, a political movement, a religious term or a well-known local brand?
• Fit with the category. Does it sound suitable for, say, baby products, finance or luxury goods in that culture?

Most linguistic screening reports use a simple rating for each language. A typical scale looks like this:

Why does language matter for trade mark registration?

Language matters because trade mark offices refuse names that are descriptive or offensive in their territory, and in the EU one language is enough. Article 7(1)(c) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 bars marks that consist exclusively of signs that may designate "the kind, quality, quantity, intended purpose, value, geographical origin" or other characteristics of the goods. Article 7(1)(f) bars marks "contrary to public policy or to accepted principles of morality".

The key provision for multilingual brands is Article 7(2):

"Paragraph 1 shall apply notwithstanding that the grounds of non-registrability obtain in only part of the Union." (Regulation (EU) 2017/1001, Article 7(2))

In practice, a name that is simply the Polish or Portuguese word for your product can be refused as an EU trade mark, even if it is a coined word in English. A linguistic check across all EU languages catches this before you pay the filing fee.

How do you search for existing trade marks in the UK and EU?

You can run free preliminary searches yourself on the official databases, then ask a trade mark attorney for a full clearance opinion. The EUIPO advises that you "can save time and money by searching for registered trade marks that may conflict with yours before you apply".

EU and international searches

The EUIPO explains that TMview is free and "contains information on trade mark applications and registrations from all EU national IP offices, the EUIPO and also many IP offices from outside the EU". Search for identical and similar names in the classes of goods and services you will use.

UK searches

For the UK, GOV.UK offers a trade mark search to "check if a similar trade mark to your brand already exists in the UK". Since Brexit, an EU trade mark no longer covers the UK, so UK and EU searches and filings are separate.

Official filing costs

The EUIPO states that "The basic online fee of €850 covers 1 class of goods or services", with €50 for the second class and €150 for each class from the third. GOV.UK says registering a UK trade mark "costs at least £205" and usually takes around 3 to 4 months from application if there are no issues. Attorney fees, if you use one, are extra.

How do you run a brand name check, step by step?

A brand name check works best as a funnel: broad linguistic screening first, legal searches on the survivors, then a final review of the chosen name. This order keeps the paid legal work to a small number of names.

1. Shortlist. Choose three to ten candidate names and list every market where you will sell, advertise or register.
2. Brief the linguists. Explain the product, audience, category and intended pronunciation, and send the names in the logo style if available.
3. Linguistic screening. Native linguists in each market report meaning, sound-alikes, pronunciation and associations, with a rating.
4. Remove red names. Drop any name rated red in a priority market.
5. Preliminary trade mark searches. Search TMview and the UK database for identical and similar marks in your classes.
6. Professional clearance. Ask a trade mark attorney to assess the remaining names in each jurisdiction.
7. Check digital availability. Confirm domains, social media handles and marketplace brand registries.
8. Plan the supporting copy. Once the name is fixed, adapt the tagline; see our guide to translating marketing slogans and taglines.

What are the common mistakes when checking a brand name abroad?

The most common mistake is checking too late, after the name is already on packaging or in a funding deck. Others we see regularly include:

• Relying on online dictionaries. Dictionaries miss slang, regional words and sound-alikes that native speakers hear instantly.
• Checking the written form only. Many problems appear only when the name is spoken, for example in radio, video or voice search.
• Ignoring minority languages. Belgium, Switzerland and Spain each have more than one widely used language.
• Treating the EU as one market linguistically. One problematic language can block an EU trade mark.
• Using one bilingual colleague. A single person's view is not a balanced read of a market, especially across age groups and regions.
• Forgetting marketplaces. On Amazon, the brand name appears in every title; see our guide to translating Amazon listings for European marketplaces.

A brand name check is one part of a wider transcreation effort. Our guide to transcreation vs translation explains how names, slogans and campaigns fit together.

How TranslationWorks can help with brand name checks

TranslationWorks is a UK-based translation agency that can review proposed brand and product names with native-speaking linguists in each of your target languages, reporting meanings, sound-alikes, pronunciation and cultural associations. TranslationWorks is certified to ISO 17100, the international standard for translation services. This work sits within our transcreation services and our custom language services, and can be followed by transcreation of your tagline and launch copy. TranslationWorks does not provide legal trade mark clearance, so we recommend pairing our linguistic findings with advice from a trade mark attorney. We are ISO 27001 registered, which matters when unannounced names are shared. Send your shortlist and markets through our free quote form.