Dear all, I'm considering setting up a single-person translation business (mainly from English into my mother tongue), and obviously I need to come up with a killer name for it. I've narrowed down the list of my ideas to only 'verbalize' (which I prefer to 'verbalise' visually-wise), because obviously it's sort of self-explanatory. However, I'm aware of the fact that the word means, inter alia, 'to be verbose', which makes me wondering just how strong is this association? Would native English speakers view this meaning as a potential problem? I've previously also considered calling the company 'Nonpareil' or 'Peerless', but that fails to convey the message of translation as work with words. I also want the name to comprise a single word only. Thanks!
I don't think 'verbalize' does have a connotation of 'verbose'. It's more positive, if anything: successfully put into words.
Thank you @entangledbank! I'll have to take the respective dictionary entry with a grain of salt then
I've never associated "verbalize" with verbosity or unnecesary verbiage. To me, it's just a pretentious word for "say" or "speak." It has negative connotations for me because it is the kind of word that is often used by some people to obscure the fact that they don't have anything to say or to suggest to the impressionable that they are more learned or important than they really are. It's from Latin, and using it instead of word of Germanic origin is something like sprinkling your writing with Latin phrases to show off your knowledge of that language, which used to be an indicator of an advanced education and the economic and social status that made that education possible.
Like Winstanley and entangledbank, I don't think of "verbalize" as connoting "verbose." While it can be used as a Latinate word for say or speak, it has the distinction of meaning "to put into words" without implying spoken vs written, where "say" and "speak" both primarily mean spoken, and only secondarily mean put into words. For example, a mute person cannot speak, but can still verbalize in writing or in sign language. So I don't see it as pretentious at all when used to name a translation company - it's precise, in a good way.
Thank you @Winstanley808 and @Truffula for your inputs, they're much appreciated! In fact, I never heard about that meaning either, but then I checked several online dictionaries and all of them had the 'to be verbose' meaning, so I asked in order to be on the safe side.
I don't associate verbalize with verbosity, although that does appear in dictionaries (including the American Heritage Dictionary, where I just looked it up) as a secondary definition. I go with definition #1: to put into words.
