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Similar sounding names in Khmer and English
Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2019 7:30 pm
by explorer
Have you ever noticed most (maybe 99%) of hotels, guest houses, restaurants and bars, have the name in Khmer and English sounding as similar as possible. For Example, in the following picture, Golden Sun is pronounced similar in Khmer as it is in English. (I should mention 'guest house' in Khmer is 'pte somnu.' So this is actually 'Pte Somnu Golden Sun.') The advantage with this is, taxi or tuk tuk drivers who don't speak English, normally know the place, because the name is pronounced very similar. In this example, if a person just said Golden Sun, they have probably heard of it.
Some products also have the Khmer and English name pronounced as close as they can. For example, Coca Cola. Cambodians normally call it Coca. People who don't speak Khmer can easily ask for it at a shop.
A small number of places (maybe 1%) have a name in English which sounds completely different from the name in Khmer. For example, The Dog House. The Khmer name is a translation of the English name, and is pronounced Pte Chkae. I suspect they miss out on some business, because taxi or tuk tuk drivers who don't speak English may have seen Pte Chkae, but may have no idea what a person is talking about when they want to go to The Dog House. Of course, once they have learnt where it is they should remember. But they have to remember two names for the same place, one for Cambodians, and one for English speaking people.
topic33572.html
Anyone starting a new business, I suggest you keep the Khmer and English names sounding as close as you can.
Re: Similar sounding names in Khmer and English
Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2019 7:37 pm
by Kratom123
explorer wrote: ↑Fri Nov 01, 2019 7:30 pm
Have you ever noticed most (maybe 99%) of hotels, guest houses, restaurants and bars, have the name in Khmer and English sounding as similar as possible. For Example, in the following picture, Golden Sun is pronounced similar in Khmer as it is in English. (I should mention 'guest house' in Khmer is 'pte somnu.' So this is actually 'Pte Somnu Golden Sun.') The advantage with this is, taxi or tuk tuk drivers who don't speak English, normally know the place, because the name is pronounced very similar. In this example, if a person just said Golden Sun, they have probably heard of it.
Some products also have the Khmer and English name pronounced as close as they can. For example, Coca Cola. Cambodians normally call it Coca. People who don't speak Khmer can easily ask for it at a shop.
A small number of places (maybe 1%) have a name in English which sounds completely different from the name in Khmer. For example, The Dog House. The Khmer name is a translation of the English name, and is pronounced Pte Chkae. I suspect they miss out on some business, because taxi or tuk tuk drivers who don't speak English may have seen Pte Chkae, but may have no idea what a person is talking about when they want to go to The Dog House. Of course, once they have learnt where it is they should remember. But they have to remember two names for the same place, one for Cambodians, and one for English speaking people.
topic33572.html
Anyone starting a new business, I suggest you keep the Khmer and English names sounding as close as you can.
Pudea cheggi and dog house sound as close together as cheese and zebra
Re: Similar sounding names in Khmer and English
Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2019 7:39 pm
by John Bingham
Interesting post. I'm not so sure about the Coca-Cola thing though, I have had difficulties when asking for "Coca", it is pronounced more like "Cocaaaah" in practice.
Re: Similar sounding names in Khmer and English
Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2019 7:49 pm
by Phnom Poon
Kratom123 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 01, 2019 7:38 pm
Pudea cheggi and dog house sound as close together as cheese and zebra
what's pu-day-a che-gy?
I think explorer's romanization is much better
Re: Similar sounding names in Khmer and English
Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2019 8:03 pm
by Kratom123
Phnom Poon wrote: ↑Fri Nov 01, 2019 7:49 pm
Kratom123 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 01, 2019 7:38 pm
Pudea cheggi and dog house sound as close together as cheese and zebra
what's pu-day-a che-gy?
I think explorer's romanization is much better
I don’t think so
Re: Similar sounding names in Khmer and English
Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2019 12:49 am
by Anchor Moy
John Bingham wrote: ↑Fri Nov 01, 2019 7:39 pm
Interesting post. I'm not so sure about the Coca-Cola thing though, I have had difficulties when asking for "Coca", it is pronounced more like "Cocaaaah" in practice.
Lol. Put on your best French accent. Coca is French for Coca-cola, and in French they always accent the last syllable of the word. Hence co-kaaaaaaaaaaaa.
Quite a few words for (western) food and drink in Khmer come from French. Bread (bpung from pain), butter (ber from beurre), etc.
Re: Similar sounding names in Khmer and English
Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2019 2:05 am
by adders28
Anchor Moy wrote: ↑Sat Nov 02, 2019 12:49 am
John Bingham wrote: ↑Fri Nov 01, 2019 7:39 pm
Interesting post. I'm not so sure about the Coca-Cola thing though, I have had difficulties when asking for "Coca", it is pronounced more like "Cocaaaah" in practice.
Lol. Put on your best French accent. Coca is French for Coca-cola, and in French they always accent the last syllable of the word. Hence co-kaaaaaaaaaaaa.
Quite a few words for (western) food and drink in Khmer come from French. Bread (bpung from pain), butter (ber from beurre), etc.
I thought that was spanish for cocaine
Re: Similar sounding names in Khmer and English
Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2019 3:02 am
by Mishmash
Actually the Law on Commerce says they must sound the same in the original language and any Khmer translation!!
I dunno what my Company name is in Khmer but a Khmer reading the Khmer version would say A1 MEP Supply.
You can't just put any old translation - it's chosen by the MOC according to their rules.
Khmer logic (ermmmmm....)
Strange but true.
My kids names are phonetic also on their certificates including my family name.
So "you little shits destroyed my house playing soldiers again A*pi****" comes out quite well