What's a Markenlexikon?

[Corrected story to spell lexicon with a K….lexikon.  Thanks Karsten!]

I got an interesting email the other day from Karsten Kilian, a Ph. D. student at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. He’s been working on what he calls the largest brand lexicon in the German-speaking world.

Unfortunately for me, I am not a member of anythin g but the English-speaking world.

When I first visited Markenlexikon I was as confused as an, well, as an English-speaking guy visiting any other German website.

SubaruHOWEVER, thanks to Google’s automagical translation service, the site started to make some sense. For example, the Subaru logo is explained

Subaru – Die sechs, in einem Oval dargestellten Sterne des japanischen Herstellers von Allradfahrzeugen symbolisieren das Sternenbild der Pleiaden. Dabei handelt es sich um die sechs Töchter von Atlas und Pleione, deren Schönheit den Jäger Orion derart becircte, dass dieser ihnen jahrelang nachstellte. Göttervater Zeus hatte schließlich Erbarmen mit ihnen und erlöste sie von ihrer körpferlichen Gesalt und ließ sie als Gestirne vom Himmel leuchten. In Anlehnung an die griechische Mythologie wählten die sechs Unternehmen, die sich 1953 zu Fuji Heavy Industries zusammen-schlossen das Sternenbanner als Logo.

And then the Google Translation…

Subaru – the six stars of the Japanese manufacturer represented in an oval from all wheeled vehicles symbolize the star picture of the Pleiaden. It acts itself around the six daughters of Atlas and Pleione, their beauty the hunter Orion it becircte in such a manner that this pursued them for many years. God father Zeus had finally pitying with them and released it of their koerpferlichen Gesalt and it let shine as Gestirne of the sky. Following the Greek mythology selected themselves the six enterprises, the 1953 to Fuji Heavy Industries together star banners closed that as Logo.

Ok, it’s not perfect but I can make some sense out of it.

Thanks for the link Karsten! Good luck with the project.

By the way, Karsten is planning an English version for 2006.

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