Having trouble choosing a name for your baby? There could be a further complication. Are you sure the name you've picked doesn't mean something obscene in Swahili?
If this is the sort of thing that worries you, a London-based company is offering parents the chance to check the meaning of baby names in other languages.
Today Translations will carry out a "basic name translation audit" of names for £1,000 - checking their meaning in 100 languages.
Apparently if Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes had shelled out they would have discovered that their daughter Suri's name means "pickpocket" in Japanese, "turned sour" in French, and "horse mackerels" in Italian.
Frankly, I'd rather keep the £1,000 and run the risk that my daughter's name means something bizarre in another language.
But the company reckons that the service will attract celebrity clients - ie, those with more money than sense - who are known for choosing unusual names.
If singer Gwen Stefani and husband Gavin Rossdale had checked out their son Zuma's name, they would have found out that it may mean "peace" in Arabic but it also means "Lord frowns in anger" in the Aztec language of Nahuati.
Meanwhile Wayne and Coleen Rooney would have discovered that Kai means "probably" in Finnish, "pier" in Estonian, and "stop it" in the west African language of Yoruba.
However the organisation admits it is stumped by the translation of some names - such as Jermajesty -- the son of Michael Jackson's brother Jermaine.
Perhaps the company could offer another service - "basic name assessment audit". In other words, informing the parents "That's a ridiculous name. Think of something else."
Would you pay £1,000 to find out what baby names mean in other languages?
Source: Reuters