February 14th 2010 saw the first day of the year of the Tiger.

May we wish everyone a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year.

To celebrate, we’ve added a few goodies onto our Lantern8 Group website:

• Your Chinese zodia animal calculator – use this tool to work out which Chinese animal year you were born in.
• Free Chinese zodiac animal wallpapers – download a free desktop background for your computer.

The naming of a company quite often happens at an early stage – maybe when the initial ideas about the business are being noted or when you are finalising who your target market is. Names may be chosen based on a variety of factors. Perhaps it’s a particularly memorable name, or a name that conveys what your company can offer, something a bit more complex.

One thing that is almost certain is that you put a not inconsiderable effort into choosing your company name. Maybe friends and family were used as a sounding board or potential clients were asked what they think of the name. When it comes to using a Chinese name for your company things become a whole lot more complex – getting it right could be the key to ensuring credibility for you and your company.

There will certainly be many options available when choosing a Chinese name. Maybe you will go for a translation that has a similar sound to your name in English. We can help with deciding upon Chinese characters that will provide a similar sound but at the same time have positive meanings. Another option would be to choose a name that describes what your company does – we can help with this too.

In short, choosing a Chinese name for both your business and yourself is not a straightforward task. Make sure you get it right be choosing us to help with these important steps.

The dawn of the digital era has brought fundamental changes to the way we do business. The use of e-mail, cheap international VOIP calling and instant messaging applications shapes our working lives. Through this change one thing has remained constant; the importance of the business card. This is especially true if you look East towards China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

A typical business meeting will begin with the exchange of business cards, and the first opportunity for you to show your respect to your business partners, colleagues or clients. A slight bow of the head and acceptance of a business card with two hands will make a good impression that will demonstrate your cultural awareness. Your business card should be offered in a similar fashion.

Having received a business card, don’t put it away. Instead have a read, however briefly, place on the desk in front of you if possible. If you have any questions about the persons role within their organisation or about their organisation itself, now may be the time to ask them.

It may be worth investing in a smart business card holder to hold any cards you receive, placing a card in a holder will provide a much better impression than simply placing into a pocket. The use of business card holders throughout China, Taiwan and Hong Kong means that it’s best to keep your own card to standard size and shape, otherwise it will run the risk of not being filed and instead misplaced.

If you have any comments about this or would like to share your experiences then please contact us.