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Using your own name as company name, or a more commercial name?
Thread poster: Nele Van den Broeck
Nele Van den Broeck
Nele Van den Broeck  Identity Verified
Belgium
Local time: 08:30
French to Dutch
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TOPIC STARTER
4 languages at the moment, might be 6 "later on in life" Jun 8, 2015

At the moment I will be translating out of 3 languages (French, Spanish, English) into Dutch, so ideally I would have to "show" 4 languages in my logo.
That's why I chose the globe, because I wanted to write the languages around it.
I'm still studying 2 more languages (and I would love to be able to translate out of 5-6 languages later in life, which is not entirely impossible since I still have at least 40 years of working ahead of me).
With my globe idea, I would put my na
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At the moment I will be translating out of 3 languages (French, Spanish, English) into Dutch, so ideally I would have to "show" 4 languages in my logo.
That's why I chose the globe, because I wanted to write the languages around it.
I'm still studying 2 more languages (and I would love to be able to translate out of 5-6 languages later in life, which is not entirely impossible since I still have at least 40 years of working ahead of me).
With my globe idea, I would put my native language inside, and my source languages outside... exactly to give my clients the impression "oh, she's translating out of these languages" immediately.

But I do get that the globe might be too universal, and more something for an agency.
However, I don't know how to do it otherwise.
I can't use flags the way Gitte does, because first of all: 4 flags in one logo is already a lot, but what would happen if it gets to 6 languages one day?

Ok, I think it might be better just to start from scratch again.

If anyone has good suggestions: please tell me.
Concrete suggestions: maybe not in here because I don't want a name or so to that I would take, to be taken by someone else who is just watching this thread (as someone of you advised someone with a concrete idea in another thread)
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564354352 (X)
564354352 (X)  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 08:30
Danish to English
+ ...
Concrete ideas... Jun 8, 2015

... is maybe asking quite a lot, as we are all in the same business, and any 'brilliant' idea might be something people would want to reserve for themselves.

The trouble with using a globe in any form in your logo is that it is probably the most overused logo in the language business, and it has therefore become a bit of a cliché. As are any combi names that include 'trans', 'lingo', 'lingua', 'word', 'logo' and 'text' (including my own company name), to mention just a few.
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... is maybe asking quite a lot, as we are all in the same business, and any 'brilliant' idea might be something people would want to reserve for themselves.

The trouble with using a globe in any form in your logo is that it is probably the most overused logo in the language business, and it has therefore become a bit of a cliché. As are any combi names that include 'trans', 'lingo', 'lingua', 'word', 'logo' and 'text' (including my own company name), to mention just a few.

Be creative and dare to stand out. You could opt for any other word(s) that say(s) something about your particular 'brand'. What are you going to focus on? Many languages (always a danger if you want to convince people that you are an expert at any of those languages)? Being international (we all are)? Fast turnovers? Excellence? Attention to detail? Service? Experience (well, if you have 40 productive years ahead of you, maybe not)? Good communication? Personal service? There are loads of things you could stress through both your company name and your logo.

There's a poll on at the moment about the use of logos, and even there, you can see that people choose logos that are very different, and not necessarily anything that screams 'translation'.

Even Proz has a logo that says nothing about this forum (if it does, I haven't noticed, at least).

You can choose anything you like, maybe choose something that says something about you as a person, just make it something that your clients will associate with you...
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Nele Van den Broeck
Nele Van den Broeck  Identity Verified
Belgium
Local time: 08:30
French to Dutch
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TOPIC STARTER
Not that many languages for a Belgian... Jun 8, 2015

At the moment I speak 4 languages quite fluently (C1 level, but my reading comprehension is far better, speaking is my big weakness).
But here in Belgium, if I mention that I graduated as a translator French, Spanish, English > Dutch, all I get from people is: oh... only those? Only four languages in total?
And didn't you study Chinese or Russian?

Here in Belgium a lot of people (think they) speak 3-4 languages. The only more or less "special" language I studied is Spa
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At the moment I speak 4 languages quite fluently (C1 level, but my reading comprehension is far better, speaking is my big weakness).
But here in Belgium, if I mention that I graduated as a translator French, Spanish, English > Dutch, all I get from people is: oh... only those? Only four languages in total?
And didn't you study Chinese or Russian?

Here in Belgium a lot of people (think they) speak 3-4 languages. The only more or less "special" language I studied is Spanish, because here in the Dutch speaking part of Belgium, every kid between 12 and 18 years old learns 4 languages at school: Dutch, French, English and German, since we have 3 official languages here in Belgium.
I don't feel comfortable enough yet in German, but would like to improve my German knowledge and would like to get better at Polish as well...Maybe I will translate out of those 2 languages one day, maybe I won't, I don't have a crystal ball (maybe I could take that as a logo? a crystal ball?).

My friends do describe me as a "spellingnazi" or "grammarnazi", but I don't think that I want to take any of those as a trading name, probably not, right?
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Neptunia
Neptunia
Local time: 08:30
Italian to English
a logo idea Jun 8, 2015

You should figure out another way of using your name somehow. What is the etymology of den Broeck? It must mean something- Pants? Badger? Brook? Brick? I think anything like that could be turned into a really nice image to accompany your name that might be more memorable than something purely commercial.

 
Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz
Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz  Identity Verified
Poland
Local time: 08:30
English to Polish
+ ...
... Jun 8, 2015

Nele Van den Broeck wrote:

Ok, I just did some more research (I hadn't even considered the fact before that it might not have been permitted to use another name than your own, for me it was "obvious" that this would be ok).

What I found out:
In Belgium there are two different things: the legal name, and the trade name.
For people with sole-proprietorship, your last name will be your legal name, without exceptions.
You can use your legal name as trade name, but can also choose a completely different trade name. The trade name should be mentioned on your invoices, publications, .... (not your legal name).
There is only one rule: you cannot use a trade name that is already used by another company, or that creates confusion because it looks similar to another company name.

If I would use my legal name as trade name, it would be Van den Broeck Vertalingen.
However, Van den Broek Vertalingen (only one character difference) already exists, so I am quite sure that would fall under the "create confusion"rule.
I think that the only thing I can do now, is to go for a different trade name, or do you see other options?


It's not your fault that your names are similar and both of you are in the same line of business, but the first-comer may enjoy the favour of the law anyway. Bottom line, in practice what matters is what the courts say (even though Belgium is not a common-law jurisdiction).

I'd go for 'Nele Van den Broeck Vertaler', inserting the appropriate abbreviations for your master's degree and anything else that gives you a title, honorific or postnominal worth mentioning, unless it's the Flemish way to shun such adornments.

You're a translator, not a translation maker!

[Edited at 2015-06-08 22:09 GMT]


 
Nele Van den Broeck
Nele Van den Broeck  Identity Verified
Belgium
Local time: 08:30
French to Dutch
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TOPIC STARTER
Not really something I can use I think... Jun 9, 2015

Neptunia wrote:

You should figure out another way of using your name somehow. What is the etymology of den Broeck? It must mean something- Pants? Badger? Brook? Brick? I think anything like that could be turned into a really nice image to accompany your name that might be more memorable than something purely commercial.


I've been told that my last name means "van het Broek" and "het Broek" is some sort of a swampy nature area. I'm more of an inside person most of the times, and definitely don't like swamps... I especially think swamps are not a really good thing to be associated with, since you can easily drown in them. I would not like to drown in my translations either...

And Lukasz, I don't think we Belgians are that proud of a university title anymore (at least not the young people, because almost every young person went to university here nowadays, earlier on that was something completely different), and I don't have a PHD or something like that.
I also think that after some years of experience, my experience will become faaar more important than the fact that I attended university and got a Master's degree in Translation...

Now I wonder if there are a lot of Belgian translators who use something with translator/vertaler instead of translations/vertalingen...
Every Belgian translator I know personally, uses something with translations, emphasizing their product instead of the person behind it...

Oh and I have noticed before that using my first name isn't a good idea either since apparently it is very hard to pronounce...
In Spain for example, my teachers and the native Spanish students I worked with settled by calling me Nellie, because the silent -e at the end of my name just doesn't work for them.
French people don't get it right either, British people pronounce it in an acceptable way, Americans most of the times pronounce it in a horrible way...

[Edited at 2015-06-09 07:44 GMT]


 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 08:30
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
Initials? Jun 9, 2015

I have a good friend who simply calls herself AVDB for business purposes.

You don't need to know what the letters stand for, but when mails, letters and documents are exchanged, people can see them and your full name. It solves the pronunciation problem to some extent, though letters are pronounced differently in different languages, and N is not easy on the phone...

You could also use initals of something else - your languages + vertaling/translation for instance, or s
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I have a good friend who simply calls herself AVDB for business purposes.

You don't need to know what the letters stand for, but when mails, letters and documents are exchanged, people can see them and your full name. It solves the pronunciation problem to some extent, though letters are pronounced differently in different languages, and N is not easy on the phone...

You could also use initals of something else - your languages + vertaling/translation for instance, or something more imaginative.

Just a thought.

If you want a logo, perhaps a neat monogram in a distinctive colour or combination of colours, but something that would work in monochrome.

Keep it Simple is a good rule!
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Nele Van den Broeck
Nele Van den Broeck  Identity Verified
Belgium
Local time: 08:30
French to Dutch
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
I do think I have a distinctive style and colour that is really "me" Jun 9, 2015

I'm already doing the "marketing" (although it's for something completely different, and only on a hobby basis) for two creative "groups" and made up the name and logo myself (although for both it also took me a while to get it "right" the way we wanted it), which I use in flyers which we spread all around our city and the towns surrounding it.

You can have a look at in on Facebook if you want:

The first one is a knitting/crocheting/tatting group called Wolateljee De Ma
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I'm already doing the "marketing" (although it's for something completely different, and only on a hobby basis) for two creative "groups" and made up the name and logo myself (although for both it also took me a while to get it "right" the way we wanted it), which I use in flyers which we spread all around our city and the towns surrounding it.

You can have a look at in on Facebook if you want:

The first one is a knitting/crocheting/tatting group called Wolateljee De Maneblussers.
Wolateljee is more or less "Yarn workshop", but in our regional dialect, and De Maneblussers refers to a legend about our city that tells the story of our Tower in the Middle Ages. One day, all of the citizens thought the moon was on fire (but it was just the moon behind it that in fact...) and they tried to put out the fire.
In our logo I included that tower, a ball of yarn behind it which reflects the moon, our name (Wolateljee De Maneblussers) written in red/yellow yarn (the colours of our city) and a pair of knitting and crocheting needles.

The second one is a Facebookpage for Bizjoe Magnifique, which crafts jewelry in tatting and crochet. The name had to represent something elegant, that's why I chose Magnifique and playful at the same time, which is the reason why I chose Bijou written the way it's pronounced in Dutch... For the logo, I took a picture of some tatted earrings, and placed the name Bizjoe Magnifique under it in the form of a necklace.

For both groups (which are related) I use Lucinda Calligraphy as a font in their publications, and something between purple and pink as a colour that keeps on coming back. For some reason, that font and colour are really "me"...

But still: I need to incorporate somewhere that my languages are (at the moment, let's say at least for the next 5-10 years) French, Spanish, English > Dutch.
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Neptunia
Neptunia
Local time: 08:30
Italian to English
uh oh swampy area Jun 9, 2015

Too bad! It seems like "some sort of a swampy nature area" is indeed one of the hardest things to make into a catchy symbol. I'd go with the initials suggestion: NVdB evokes a world of possibilities.
By the way, my real name is from a word that has something to do with a parcel of land to grow crops to pay the taxes, so it is equally unfit.


 
Christina B.
Christina B.  Identity Verified
Sweden
Local time: 08:30
French to German
+ ...
Maybe too much for business cards Jun 9, 2015

Hi!

Keep i simple! A Business Card with a name, a logo and four languages/flags may look a bit overcrowded.

I chose Dialog as a business name because I do translations (French, Swedish to German)but also some language teaching and interpreting. My first idea was to have three small flags "flying round" a big letter "o" in the word Dialog, but this turned out to be impossible, the flags just got too small on the Business Cards. The same could happen to your globe. ... See more
Hi!

Keep i simple! A Business Card with a name, a logo and four languages/flags may look a bit overcrowded.

I chose Dialog as a business name because I do translations (French, Swedish to German)but also some language teaching and interpreting. My first idea was to have three small flags "flying round" a big letter "o" in the word Dialog, but this turned out to be impossible, the flags just got too small on the Business Cards. The same could happen to your globe.

Why not choose a name (I like Gitte recommendations) and a style you like and use this instead of a logo, together with flags. Perhaps change one or two letters in the name a bit (make them bigger, longer, make the last or first letter put an "arm" around the flags...)

If you want to use flags (square or round? Perhaps devide the whole business card in four triangels?) it will be difficult with a pink colour for the name or the background because of the red colour in the flags.

As to a name: Something with bridge, understanding, communication, link..., something from greek mythology? Or just something that you like and that is easy to rember (Chocolate translations?)

Good luck!
Christina

[Edited at 2015-06-09 10:25 GMT]

[Edited at 2015-06-09 10:27 GMT]
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Roni_S
Roni_S  Identity Verified
Slovakia
Local time: 08:30
Slovak to English
My problem was in that Jun 9, 2015

although English is my native (main and only) language (as of the age of 4), I was born in a non-English speaking country and so I feel a disadvantage when using my personal name, as it gives the impression that I'm a native speaker of my source language. A language I am not proficient in when it comes to writing. People seem very sensitive to that where I live. So I went with a company name as opposed to my own name.. But simple is best, no matter what you choose.

 
Robert Rietvelt
Robert Rietvelt  Identity Verified
Local time: 08:30
Member (2006)
Spanish to Dutch
+ ...
I use 2 names Jun 9, 2015

For agencies I am Robert Rietvelt, for direct clients I am ESPANED.COM, which also shows on my invoices. So, ESPANED.COM stands for a freelance translator named Robert Rietvelt. Works as a charm for me, no problems.

About multiple languages, be carefull. If you add too many, clients might not believe anymore, even if you do master all of them , happened to me, so I skipped Portuguese and French, and only translate from English, Spanish and German to Dutch (from Holland, not from Bel
... See more
For agencies I am Robert Rietvelt, for direct clients I am ESPANED.COM, which also shows on my invoices. So, ESPANED.COM stands for a freelance translator named Robert Rietvelt. Works as a charm for me, no problems.

About multiple languages, be carefull. If you add too many, clients might not believe anymore, even if you do master all of them , happened to me, so I skipped Portuguese and French, and only translate from English, Spanish and German to Dutch (from Holland, not from Belgium, which is another important point to take into consideration).

Last but not least, as far as I can see "Broeck Vertalingen" or "Broeck Translations" don't exist yet as such.

[Edited at 2015-06-09 15:57 GMT]
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Nele Van den Broeck
Nele Van den Broeck  Identity Verified
Belgium
Local time: 08:30
French to Dutch
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TOPIC STARTER
Another big point to take into consideration Jun 9, 2015

I think I want to offer either Polish or Greek (I love both, but will probably choose) and try to improve German...
I don't want to actively offer German, but just if already existing clients ask me: can you translate this text (in a field I'm used to) from German to Dutch, that I will be able to make them happy with a positive answer...
I do want to offer Polish or Greek actively one day (20 years from now probably)....

Christina Baier: I do love your Dialog! And I was
... See more
I think I want to offer either Polish or Greek (I love both, but will probably choose) and try to improve German...
I don't want to actively offer German, but just if already existing clients ask me: can you translate this text (in a field I'm used to) from German to Dutch, that I will be able to make them happy with a positive answer...
I do want to offer Polish or Greek actively one day (20 years from now probably)....

Christina Baier: I do love your Dialog! And I was thinking about bridge and communication and so on as well, but especially in Latin it doesn't seem to work.... Pons Vertalingen? A bit strange I guess.
Maybe I just have to forget the Latin idea, although I liked the universal image of it... and the fact that it will not be privileging certain groups of clients...

Englishpartner: that's a very good reason to choose a trading name I think!
I have to remember to give my children a universal name later on.
When I was still in Spain last year, I was speaking with some Spanish friends, a couple of their friends thought I was native Spanish (which I really liked), until they heard my first name and they noticed they couldn't pronounce it the correct way....

Robert: Broeck Vertalingen? The only suggestion with my own name that I still consider "acceptable" at this point, is NVDB Vertalingen (although I don't really like abbreviations). "Broeck" is only half of my last name and makes it sound a bit harsh in my opinion. It would be like "Velt Vertalingen" for you.
I do like your 2 names idea though.

I was thinking about using a commercial trading name (since I can't use my whole last name), but signing e-mails with my entire name (and the trading name beneath it), making a website with my trading name as domain name, but specifying in the "about"section that I work as the only translator for my country etcetera...
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Angela Malik
Angela Malik  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:30
German to English
+ ...
I did both Jun 9, 2015

When I first started translating, I used my own name, then switched to "AR Technical Translations" and planned to change that to something less personal later. After LOOOOONG deliberation and waiting for that moment of inspiration, the name finally came to me: Bright Light Translation.

Generally a good marketing rule is to look bigger than you are, which is why I never liked the idea of using my own name for long. But then again, I DO operate outside of my own languages (German, Rus
... See more
When I first started translating, I used my own name, then switched to "AR Technical Translations" and planned to change that to something less personal later. After LOOOOONG deliberation and waiting for that moment of inspiration, the name finally came to me: Bright Light Translation.

Generally a good marketing rule is to look bigger than you are, which is why I never liked the idea of using my own name for long. But then again, I DO operate outside of my own languages (German, Russian, English) and I DO outsource, so when clients approach me with something outside of my own field of expertise, I can still handle their requests.

I chose Bright Light because my personal field of specialisation is lighting management systems, building automation, etc. Bright Light could also mean a good idea, a moment of inspiration, etc. It has nice rhyming, and it's simple and can be understood by both German and English speakers (generally most of my work especially in my field of expertise comes from German-speaking clients).

And it also doesn't limit me to only clients who want a specific type of translation in a specific language combination. BUT of course this last point will only be a valid consideration if you want to open that door for yourself.

What I can say is that after rebranding into Bright Light Translation I have seen tremendous growth and it is still continuing, and I do believe there is a correlation there.

Ultimately you shouldn't rush this decision, as you don't want to build a reputation on one name only to decide to switch to another later. Choose something you know you'll be happy with in the long term.
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Andy Watkinson
Andy Watkinson
Spain
Local time: 08:30
Member
Catalan to English
+ ...
Less haste.... Jun 10, 2015

Nele Van den Broeck wrote:
I'm just starting out as a professional translator (I would like to really start next month in fact)

At the moment I will be translating out of 3 languages (French, Spanish, English) into Dutch.

I think I want to offer either Polish or Greek (I love both, but will probably choose) and try to improve German...


And you "hope to start out next month".

If I were you (and I suppose I was at the beginning), I'd start by making a name for myself.

Do you actually need a "business name"?

A case in point: I remember when a former student of mine set up her own translation business in the mid-eighties, which she invited me to become a partner in.

I thought - and still do - that the name she chose was excellent: "Know-How" (no Internet at the time, obviously; it was advertised in the translation agency section of the Yellow Pages, etc..so no need to specify the service offered), ergo no Lingua, Text, Trans, Gloss, Inter, etc..

Snappy, to-the-point and an expression known in any country worth doing business with.

I declined.
Too much attention paid to the trade name, the size of the business cards, the colour of the stationery, the presentation of the hard copies, how much to charge for additional 3 1/2 diskette copies, you name it; but too little to the translation business itself.

If you're not going to actually* be an artificial person, use your own name (and stop worrying about the image your trade name projects but rather the unflattering image your profile picture gives - I would not be seen dead scoffing down dinner as my "business persona").

First things first.

(*) I never apologise for split infinitives


 
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