I believe it’s time to share the titles of the faux companies I’ve formulated in my “Business English” courses. I’ve waited long enough, there’s no excuse for denying you readers any longer. Here are some of my favorites:
Funzo Toy Company
Cyberdyne Computer Systems
Metropolis Clothing Ltd.
Flash Mobile Corporation
Bullitt Car Dealership
SOMA Pharmaceutical Group
Madison Hotels
Eldorado Travel Agency
Mercury Mobile
Zaphod Toy Co.
Skynet Computers
Red River Real Estate
Note: I used to seriously lament teaching this Business English course. It involves a lugubrious commute from the main campus to a satellite campus of less-than-stellar students. Lo and behold these students aren’t even English majors; rather, they study a subject which is entirely different but somehow one or two english language courses are compulsory for their degree. That’s where I enter the picture.
In making the course (which I teach four times a week) tolerable, the names were the least I could do. This faux company premise for the course was also a measure to put responsibility on the students’ shoulders. They run their own companies, in theory, and I must evaluate their progress over the course of sixteen weeks. Many of the groups tried to submit their own Chinglish names for the company, but I vetoed this effort. There is no doubt that my cheeky efforts at pop culture and sci-fi references are lost on these students, but I can at least hope that one day a student may feel compelled to use google and discover the meaning behind their seemingly abstract company name. 
Rory Keane is an American-born teacher and writer who has logged nearly two years in China, and is working on another year-long stint in the Middle Kingdom. He writes about travel, sociopolitical issues, health, entertainment, and culture, among other topics.
