Today is Coca-Cola Company Foundation Day! 生日快乐！shēng rì kuài lè！
Coca-Cola was founded on May 8, 1886, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and has a long history of 136 years. Since its birth, Coca-Cola has stood out for its wonderful taste and low price, gaining the love of the public.
Coca-Cola in China:Back in 1927, the Coca-Cola Company set its sights on China and established a bottling plant in Shanghai, eager to quench the thirst for a new market. However, things didn’t quite go according to plan. Despite Coca-Cola being a global brand, the Chinese people were not familiar with it, and the taste of the drink didn’t quite hit the mark.
The soda looked like soya sauce, had a scent reminiscent of Chinese medicine, and the bubbles made it feel strange in the mouth. To make matters worse, the first Chinese translation of Coca-Cola, “蝌蚪啃蜡” (kē dǒu kěn là), was a tongue-twister that translated to “tadpole nibbling on wax,” a phrase that didn’t exactly evoke thirst-quenching goodness.
As a result, the company struggled to sell its products, and the factory started to accumulate a stockpile of unsold soda. Coca-Cola realized it had to do something drastic to win over the Chinese market. And so, in 1936, they launched a campaign to collect Chinese translations fromaround the world, even placing ads in The Times. The reward for the best translation was a whopping 350 pounds, a fortune at the time.
Jiang Yi, a famous Chinese painter, poet, and writer, lived in London in the 1930th. When he read the ad in the newspaper, he knew he had to take a shot. With a keen eye for marketing and a need for some extra cash, Jiang Yi quickly scribbled down his golden idea and mailed it off to the Coca-Cola Company. The marketing people were astounded when they read Jiang’s letter. His idea was so brilliant, so simple yet catchy, that they knew they had a winner. And indeed they did. Jiang’s translation, “可口可乐” (Kě kǒu kě lè), which means “delicious and refreshing,” not only kept the English pronunciation but also had a positive connotation that resonated well with the Chinese people.
The new name was a stroke of genius, and it quickly caught on with the Chinese market. It was easy to remember, and it perfectly encapsulated the essence of Coca-Cola. Jiang’s translation was so successful that it’s still considered the best among all the international markets to this day.
It was a move that paid off, and Coca-Cola was finally able to crack the Chinese market. So, are you one of the Coca-cola lovers? And are you familiar with the correct Chinese name of other beverages from its parent company? Let’s discover!
Coca Cola 可口可乐 （ké kǒu kělè）
Diet Cola 健怡可乐（jiànyí kělè ）
Zero Cola 零度可乐（língdù kělè ）
无糖可乐（wútáng kělè ）
Other Coca-Cola Company products:
Sprite 雪碧（xuě bì）
Fenta 芬达（fēn dá ）
Minute Maid 美汁源（měi zhī yuán）
Example:
1.请给我一瓶冰可乐。
qǐng gěi wǒ yī píng bīng kělè.
Please give me a bottle of iced Coke.
2. 你有健怡可乐吗？
nǐ yǒu jiàn yí kě lè ma？
Do you have Diet Coke?
3. 你喜欢喝雪碧还是芬达？
nǐ xǐ huān hē xuě bì hái shì fēn dá ？
Do you prefer Sprit or Fenta?
Would you like to learn more about Chinese names for beverage products? If so, feel free toleave us a comment and we’ll be happy to assist you.
