Integrative Responses to Culture Mixing in Brand Name Translations

Abstract

The present research demonstrates that integrative responses to culture mixing, in the context of Western brand names translated into Chinese, can influence consumer evaluations of the products. Specifically, we examine young, educated Chinese consumers’ evaluations of three types of brand name translation: phonosemantic (culturally mixed), semantic (monocultural), and phonetic (monocultural). Results from two studies show that young, educated Chinese consumers who are highly biculturated (i.e., knowledgeable about Western and Chinese cultures) tend to integrate the autonomy values associated with a phonosemantic brand translation, which in turn lead them to evaluate more favorably culturally mixed phonosemantic (vs. monocultural semantic or phonetic) brand translations. At the individual level, favorable attitudes toward culture mixing are more likely to emerge among individuals with a higher (vs. lower) endorsement of autonomy values. At the product level, favorable attitudes toward culture mixing are fostered when consumers encounter products that are higher (vs. lower) in value expressiveness.