# Name my new business Please **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 3, 2010, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-new-business-please/531174 "2010-03-03T20:41:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![shellyg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@shellyg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shellyg)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-new-business-please/531174/1 "2010-03-03T20:41:07Z")
I’m toying with the idea of starting a personal communication service that would pair (using a website/iphone app) lost tourists with student translators who would help anglophones with sticky situations (banking, getting stuff repaired, dealing with the phone/cable/electrical company) here in France. Basically a combination translation & personal concierge service. I’m just at the business plan stage of the game right now but I’m struggling to think of a catchy name. Perhaps an english/french or english/english portmanteau or just something clever. any ideas, mes ami? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-new-business-please/531174/2 "2010-03-03T21:20:02Z")
Take My Word For It? (maybe our instead of my) ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-new-business-please/531174/3 "2010-03-03T21:42:15Z")
Gained in Translation or Found in Translation (playing off the “lost in translation” phrase) ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-new-business-please/531174/4 "2010-03-03T21:55:04Z")
Hey, What’d I Say? Language Barrier Breakers Genuises In France ---
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-new-business-please/531174/5 "2010-03-03T21:57:30Z")
Have Merci ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-new-business-please/531174/6 "2010-03-03T22:09:59Z")
Need Help Fast I hope you see how perfect this is for a tourist in need searching for help. ---
**Author:** ![shellyg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@shellyg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shellyg)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-new-business-please/531174/7 "2010-03-03T22:29:08Z")
some of these are really funny, keep em coming, and thanks!!! ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-new-business-please/531174/8 "2010-03-04T02:23:37Z")
Immediately I think “mayday mayday” which is a distress call to English speakers, and actually is a bastardization of the French “m’aidez” = “Help me” Mayday M’aidez ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-new-business-please/531174/9 "2010-03-04T02:52:36Z")
This might be too nerdy for the average lost tourist to make the connection, but I’m thinking something like “My Cyrano”, “Cyrano For Hire”, or “SuperCyrano”, in reference to Cyrano de Bergerac, as in Edmond Rostand’s [play](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrano_de_Bergerac_(play)), where Cyrano provides his inarticulate friend Christian with the words to woo Roxanne. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-new-business-please/531174/10 "2010-03-04T03:16:51Z")
iPhrase? ---
**Author:** ![shellyg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@shellyg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shellyg)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-new-business-please/531174/11 "2010-03-04T05:57:43Z")
> [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > “My Cyrano”, “Cyrano For Hire”, or “SuperCyrano”, in reference to Cyrano de Bergerac Indeed that would probably go over too many ppl’s heads and hence be slightly harder for them to remember, but on the other hand, that is indeed very clever, thanks! Favorites thus far are **Hello Again** ’s suggestion of playing off M’aidez/Mayday and **cormac262** ’s suggestion of using ‘Merci/Mercy’ i’m really quite enjoying this thread, I hope some of you are too! ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-new-business-please/531174/12 "2010-03-04T08:06:39Z")
If the translators were to be Spanish to English I’d go with something like ¿Cómo Se Dice? Translations. I’m not sure what the French equivalent is. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-new-business-please/531174/13 "2010-03-04T08:36:50Z")
Pardon My French ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-new-business-please/531174/14 "2010-03-04T14:24:47Z")
Parlez Vous? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-new-business-please/531174/15 "2010-03-04T14:28:01Z")
Say What? ---
**Author:** ![cdsilv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cdsilv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cdsilv)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-new-business-please/531174/16 "2010-03-04T15:37:30Z")
Help me talk to this arrogant frog. (this would be for ‘Ugly American tourists only’…😉 ---
**Author:** ![palindromemordnilap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@palindromemordnilap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palindromemordnilap)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-new-business-please/531174/17 "2010-03-04T16:48:03Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > Parlez Vous? I was thinking this but maybe spelled ParleyVoo ---
**Author:** ![shellyg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@shellyg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shellyg)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-new-business-please/531174/18 "2010-03-04T17:02:14Z")
lol @ “Help me talk to this arrogant frog.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-new-business-please/531174/19 "2010-03-04T17:09:42Z")
Is _Francophone_ too obvious? I mean, what could be better?