> contain between 4 and 12 letters PAX https://www.ikea.com/de/en/cat/pax-system-19086/
Clue to their DB setup?
How does IKEA come up with names for its products?
191–200 of 342 posts
Re: How does IKEA come up with names for its products?
#192I learned (some) Swedish at age of 35 and it was quite a moment when IKEA product names became meaningful to me. Plate PLATE, fun!
Pretty much like when as a kid I learned enough of English to realize all those songs around actually have lyrics, pretty dumb sometimes
Re: How does IKEA come up with names for its products?
#193As a Swede in London, it's annoying that IKEA staff don't understand you when you pronounce the names correctly.
You have to change letters (e.g. å is not a with an accent. It's a different letter) and read it like you don't know the language.
Re: How does IKEA come up with names for its products?
#194I remember that in Dutch product catalogs, IKEA often used the name Gammelgaard (referring to Niels Gammelgaard, a Danish product designer). In Dutch, "gammel" means "rickety. "
Re: How does IKEA come up with names for its products?
#195I learned (some) Swedish at age of 35 and it was quite a moment when IKEA product names became meaningful to me. Plate PLATE, fun! Pretty much like when as a kid I learned enough of English to realize all those songs around actually have lyrics, pretty dumb sometimes
My first memory of being angry with not knowing English was when we were trying to read the pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh cards and I clearly remember it being gibberish. Otherwise it's difficult to remember what it was like to not know a skill before you learned it, at least it is for me.
Re: How does IKEA come up with names for its products?
#196As a Swede in London, it's annoying that IKEA staff don't understand you when you pronounce the names correctly. You have to change letters (e.g. å is not a with an accent. It's a different letter) and read it like you don't know the language.
> As a Swede in London
At least you’re definitely right.
Try speaking or writing English English to US English natives.
Re: How does IKEA come up with names for its products?
#197For a Swede it must seem kind of strange to understand the product names. You see an ACORN toy, a NIGEL bookshelf, and the CROYDON sofa... which sounds like it belongs in a council estate flat. Definately more fun would be the Polish version. How many people can pronounce the BYDGOSZCZ sofa, the PRZEMYSŁAW bookcase and the PSZCZOŁA soft toy?
> BYDGOSZCZ sofa This may not even be that far off from reality, looking at the sort of names rando brands on Amazon often have...
No joke, I came across a cosmetics brand recently called "Pooplunch"
Re: How does IKEA come up with names for its products?
#198If you ever find yourself in southern Sweden (or Copenhagen and fancy a train ride across a cool bridge) the IKEA museum at Älmhult is well worth a visit: https://ikeamuseum.com/en/
I was there three days ago, can comfirm. And if you want to stay overnight, you _of course_ sleep in the neighbouring IKEA Hotel! And if you check-in to the hotel first, you‘ll get a voucher for free entrance to the museum. Did I mention that an absolutely excellent breakfast is included in the very reasonable room rate? And in case you visit the museum in the near future, they currently have a special (temporary) ex…
But, in common with today's tech billionaires, ties to the Nazis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingvar_Kamprad#Fascist_involve...
Re: How does IKEA come up with names for its products?
#199As a Swede in London, it's annoying that IKEA staff don't understand you when you pronounce the names correctly. You have to change letters (e.g. å is not a with an accent. It's a different letter) and read it like you don't know the language.
I'd suggest you look at it as funny and not annoying: IKEA in London, being a very multicultural place, likely has many non-native English speakers as well!
When all else fails, you can always go back to the basic international language of gesturing, pointing and acting out the use of something to get to your point. (Or more boringly, point at the name on your phone)
You could also try adapting pronounciation to what they might expect first, and then if you establish a friendly conversation, offer the real Swedish pronounciation next.
It sounds like that would be very much what use of Swedish names in a global brand should invite, and not annoyance for Swedes :)