I have this headcanon (that honestly might even be just canon and I just forgor) that Cybertronians have these really long bespoke Cybertronian names that are complex enough to be full descriptions, so when translated into English they not only have to take the closest translation but also simplify it into the shorted synonymous phrase. I hc that neocybex is VERY fast compared to organic language so in the time it takes to say a Cybertronian's english name they could more or less say their Cybertronian name as well.
Example, the name "Concept of movement in speed and direction" may be only a couple seconds of clicks and buzzes to get across but its a mouthful in english, so her name is Velocity. A nickname for it might be "little change in speed and movement" as a diminutive, but again that translates weird, so her friends (Nautica) would call her Lotty.
"Slow calculated pursuit (of a target)" would translate to just Prowl. Prowl would be the closest translation and not, say, "Hunter" because "One who pursues and hunts" is probably an entirely different name in Neocybex. "Little one who packs a big punch"? Bumblebee. "Humble tool who makes adjustments and stabilizes"? Ratchet. "The howling noise of the cosmos" Starscream. "Air sharp enough to cut" Windblade. And so on, and so on.
For names that are definitely "namey" (Elita, Chromia, Arcee, Megatron, Optimus) they def all have a root word which they are based on, but I assume some bots just have a preference for their naming conventions to translate to something even moreso adjusted to the language they're speaking. For example if your name translated was "Little plant with the white petals" You could absolutely be called Whiteflower, but it would sound more like a Name to just go by Lily or Daisy.
