Onoma Newsletter – June 2017

 

Dear clients and collaborators,

Colours deeply affect our mood and how we feel. Grey conveys sadness, black is associated with mourning, whereas green represents spring and hope. However, the meaning of colours is culturally rooted and that may raise translation issues and lead to misunderstandings.In this case, how should we interpret a Chinese who wears a green hat? Not as a person filled with hope for sure, given that the green hat means that his wife cheated on him. A Dutch, for instance, may enjoy wearing orange clothing, because it is after all the colour of the Dutch royal house while in Egypt that colour is related to mourning. Whoever works, as we do, with clients from all cultural groups must pay attention to these differences, if they do not wish to act as an elephant in a porcelain shop. We hope we have not made a slip so far.

I wish you all a summer full of colour.

Yours
Ester Ramos