The top ten reasons to call ourselves Iolante
There are a hundred reasons to call this website Iolante. Here are the top ten.
1) A safe choice
The Internet has been going a few years now. A lot of translators and translation agencies have websites and need distinguishable names. So a lot of translation related names we came up with when searching for a company name were already taken. Eventually we decided that going for a female first name like Iolante would be a relatively “safe” choice. So we did.
2) But why call ourselves Iolante and not Iolanthe?
That is because we like to keep things simple. We think that “Iolante” is a relatively simple, short name. Convenient when spelling out email or website addresses over the phone. It should be pronounceable in most European countries without too much twisting of the tongue. Pronouncing an English”th” is not easy for non-British people.
3) But why spell it Iolante and not Iolanthe, Iolanta, Yolanthe, Iolanthia or Iolanthea?
Iolante is a Greek female first name. In Greece, the name does not contain an “h”. One drawback of our chosen name seems to be that Google prefers what it knows and, in the UK, that is “Iolanthe” (with the “h”). So, if you search online for “Iolante” (as a single word), in the UK Google will show you search results for “Iolanthe”, in Poland for “Iolanta” and other variations of the name in other countries, depending on local popularity. Google does this because they assume you have misspelled the name or are looking for whatever everyone else is looking for. Please just insist that “Iolante” is the correct spelling, and you will find us!
4) A unique name
The need to find something unique. The name “Iolanthe” was already famous for being a comic Gilbert and Sullivan opera. “Iolanta”( Op. 69) is Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s last work, a lyric opera. Iolante seemed the way forward.
5) No negative associations
As Iolante is a rare and somewhat old fashioned name in the UK, Germany and other western European countries, we hoped that no one would have negative associations with the name. “Iolanta” is actually a very popular first name in Poland. Still, at least we have an “e” at the end.
6) Originality
“Iolanthe” is the English spelling of the name Iolante; “Iolanta” the Polish spelling. “Iolante” is the original Greek spelling and means “violet flower”. We like it original.
7) Alternatives considered and rejected
Alternative names we considered using instead of Iolante were: translators direct, international translators’ hub, translators 4u, real translators, translation profees, extreme lexeme, prolexis, protrans, prolangue, transelangue, languetout, profilics, profilingual, profilinguish, nofrillics ;-), eurolators, TDI (translators direct international), translateral, multilators (too much like mutilators?), translational and many more. However, we decided not to make use of any of these options because they
- were either already taken (or a very similar name already exists),
- may conjure up unfavourable associations,
- are too “English” and not international enough,
- may not be taken seriously,
- might be misunderstood,
- are too clever by half,
- are too difficult to spell over the phone…
8) Finding a needle in the Google haystack
We also reckoned that having a different name, will, ultimately, make it easier to pick us out of the haystack that is the Internet. We were proven right very quickly. Within less than three months of being online, when searching for “Iolante translators” it is not the “Iolanthes” of this world who are listed but our company, Iolante Ltd, marketing tool for freelance translators.
9) Being catchy
We hope it will be catchy!
10) A play on words
And last but not least. It is actually a play on words. How? In Latin “io” is an interjection, meaning “hurrah”, “lante” is part of the word “lanterna”, meaning “lantern” or “light”. So, taken together, Iolante (and definitely not Iolanthe) stands for “Hurrah, light” (at last)!
What is this supposed to mean?
Iolante’s directors firmly believe that translators need to have as many chances as they can at earning a decent living. In our opinion being part of a franchising operation gives them this opportunity. So we would like to be a light in the jungle that is the translation industry. “Enfranchising” translation professionals instead of making as much profit out of them as possible.