A question for the Chinese Community

mikemac

Something I've wondered:

Work with a few Chinese people in work and I know a few outside work
Some were born in Ireland and I've been introduced to friends who are here on student visas.

What is strange is they have Chinese surnames but European first names, like Jack, John, Margaret, Julie, etc.

Now I went to wikipaedia to see what are common names in China.
Easiest search was to look at politicans and not a single European name here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Premiers_of_the_Republic_of_China

So I'm wondering why do they change their name? You only have one name so why bother changing it. If I ever work in China (can't see happening but who knows?) I ain't changing my name to Chinese version.

Is it because they think it's hard for us to understand/pronounce? Irish people who have names as gaelige don't change and rightly so!
Any idea why they do it? Just my opinion that should be proud of their name and not change

ejmaztec

There seem to be an awful lot of Johns at Indian call-centres.

ejmaztec

.....also, I went to school with lots of ex-patriate Chinese. They had biblical names because they were Christians. They hadn't changed them from something Chinese.

AlmightyCushion

It's so people don't know they're chinese, Duh! That way they can take poison us with lead and take over the world.

moco

Another question for the Chinese community while we're on the subject, where's the Chinese Embassy and does there be big queues in the visa office?

Monkey61

Because when Chinese people move to Ireland they pick an English name because their real names might be too difficult for us to pronounce or write. They either pick a name they like, or sometimes pick a name that sounds most like their own.

Aard

Some of them actually have unusual given names like Coco or Apple. But most of the time it's because they want a name that people here can pronounce instead of producing a mangled version of their real name (like when an American called a guy I know "Sea-Moose" instead of "Séamus" ).


Either that, or their original name is Wang.

Lockstep

ejmaztec wrote: »

There seem to be an awful lot of Johns at Indian call-centres.

Reason:

Supervisor: Ok, what's your name?
New recruit: Maharjah Nazharbamjev
Supervisor: From now on your called John.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

ant.lei

Most Hong Kongers have English names as nicknames. It's not just for the expats, it happens to most people in Hong Kong, especially the younger generations. Some of them even have official English names on their passports. It's a British legacy I think.

Miss Fluff

I work in China and everyone also has an English name, many of which are similar in pronunciation to their Chinese name. So an example is the name Chenxi who calls herself Jessie and Shandan who calls herself Sandy.

Some of the names give me hours of entertainment though as many of them don't have a word of English so they choose a name they like the "sound" of, in my company at the moment for example, some names are as follows:

Jesus
Gemini
Hunter
Seven
Eleven
Brain.....
.......and the best yet......
....Calorie!!! (ROFL:D)

In answer to your question Moco, the Embassy is in 40 Ailesbury Road. The queues can be quite long but the staff are efficient. It closes at 12pm every day and is not open at all on a Friday. If you tickets booked I would apply for your visa asap, it will take that bit longer coming up to the Olympics.

Jesus Wept

The Chinese, a great bunch ah lads.

ejmaztec

From now on, in solidarity with the Chinese, my name is Wun-hung Lo.

keefg

I worked for a couple of years with a Chinese guy called Jimmy (he's gone home now), I asked him where he got the name from as it was obviously not his birth name - he said his english teacher appointed his whole class with English names when they were 12 - and so it stuck.


Funny thing was....his real forst name was Dong! Now that's a much better name that Jimmy in my books. Imagine what you can say to the ladies....The name's Dong.......James Dong

True story BTW.

Aard

keefg wrote: »

he said his english teacher appointed his whole class with English names when they were 12

It could be worth becoming an English teacher just to do this.

CantGetNoSleep

Yeah i can only imagine the craic going home tellin the lads you named a child Bellend today

DEmeant0r

I'm a Irish Born Chinese, my parents gave me an English name when I was born so it'd be easier for everyone to pronounce.

merritt

Monkey61 wrote: »

Because when Chinese people move to Ireland they pick an English name because their real names might be too difficult for us to pronounce or write. They either pick a name they like, or sometimes pick a name that sounds most like their own.

This is it. I taught Chinese students for a couple of years in NUIM, and they explained how their teachers had prepared them for life abroad by getting them to choose English names. I felt I had to protest when 'Walter' introduced himself...

I gave them the option of using their own names, even if I couldn't pronounce it exactly, or these other names, and all except one opted for their own names. It's kinda sweet, really.

Zaph

DEmeant0r wrote: »

I'm a Irish Born Chinese, my parents gave me an English name when I was born so it'd be easier for everyone to pronounce.

Do you have a Chinese name as well that the family use? I work with an Irish-born Chinese guy who has two names, one that his Chinese friends and family use and one that the rest of us use.

DEmeant0r

zaph wrote: »

Do you have a Chinese name as well that the family use? I work with an Irish-born Chinese guy who has two names, one that his Chinese friends and family use and one that the rest of us use.

Yep I do, and my English name is actually on my passport as well.

arybvtcw0eolkf

They change they're names so we can call them something we can understand and pronounce, its really that simple.

I've three Chinese friends.

James, Sue and Cathrine and try as I might I can't get a handle on their proper names.

mazdafarl

DEmeant0r wrote: »

I'm a Irish Born Chinese, my parents gave me an English name when I was born so it'd be easier for everyone to pronounce.

God.... must be a great relief

wil

It's simple and completely logical really.
Try writing 日么安 in English or try writing Seamus in Chinese.
There is no translation and you can't spell tonal differences with our alphabet so it's much easier all round to just use a common, similar sounding or likeable Western name instead. It makes officialdom much easier all round. Many Chinese forenames are unpronounceable for our western tongue.
Also as Chinese write their surname first, using an unfamiliar Chinese name ends up with multiple variations, misspellings and confusion between surname and forename.
And of course using a western name does dull down the discrimination factor a little.
I guess there is also an element of English being the business language of the world and predominant in IT, internet etc that having an English name is considered socially advantageous.

Shure even having an Irish name in the UK can be a hassle with some of the obstinate inability to pronounce or spell it correctly.

And in reverse, Guinness for which there is no translation, in Chinese is "Black Dog beer", a damn good name and memorable.
Even better when you see it as an offering on Buddhist shrines, that's devotion.:cool:

SimpleSam06

wil wrote: »

Many Chinese forenames are unpronounceable for our western tongue.

Say what now? You might try telling that to the many fluent western speakers of Chinese languages. Our western tongue is no different to their Chinese tongues, except maybe a bit longer, interestingly. I find the whole thing a bit condescending tbh, we've mastered your names but you couldn't possibly master our names so we'll use an ignert white name for ya.

ROCKMAN

There my theory about chinese or more likely Chinese's takeaways , Have you ever noticed than where ever you see a Chinese restaurant anywhere in the world there is a MacDonalds within a half a mile. THESE ARE FRONTS FOR THE CHINESE SECRET SERVICE AND THE C.I.A . and the english names are just code names .They are watching each other and US It's the new cold war, you heard it here first.:cool:

Duckjob

SimpleSam06 wrote: »

I find the whole thing a bit condescending tbh, we've mastered your names but you couldn't possibly master our names so we'll use an ignert white name for ya.

In fairness, there's a lot of cases where people over here couldn't be arsed when faced with the proper Chinese name.

A Chinese friend of mine was telling me that when she moved into the place she's currently renting, she told the landlord her Chinese name, and he said "I'm going to call you Rose". Ignorant ****wit. Her Chinese name isn't even that hard to pronounce - where she works everybody uses her Chinese name.

SimpleSam06

Duckjob wrote: »

A Chinese friend of mine was telling me that when she moved into the place she's currently renting, she told the landlord her Chinese name, and he said "I'm going to call you Rose". Ignorant ****wit. Her Chinese name isn't even that hard to pronounce - where she works everybody uses her Chinese name.

Well Irish landlords are traditionally a shower of twats, in my experience. Not all of them, but the majority. Its a good point, but I still don't see that the Chinese getting in the insult first is a very diplomatic move.

Lockstep

In the Gael Thucht there was a Korean named Michael (The Irish way of saying it, pronounced Mee-hall and a Philipino named Padraig)


There was also a black guy named Fionn.


Fair play to them for learning Irish and taking up the names.

DEmeant0r

mazdafarl wrote: »

God.... must be a great relief

Huh? What's that supposed to mean?

arybvtcw0eolkf

Duckjob wrote: »

In fairness, there's a lot of cases where people over here couldn't be arsed when faced with the proper Chinese name.

A Chinese friend of mine was telling me that when she moved into the place she's currently renting, she told the landlord her Chinese name, and he said "I'm going to call you Rose". Ignorant ****wit. Her Chinese name isn't even that hard to pronounce - where she works everybody uses her Chinese name.

Bruce?.

Duckjob

Mairt wrote: »

Bruce?.

eh? No.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Duckjob wrote: »

eh? No.

I betch'ya its Suk Mi Cum.

Neamhshuntasach

I was only talking about this topic with mates last night. I have a pretty unique Irish first and last name as gaeilge and i've gone through life having to spell things out, tell people how to say it etc. And one thing i hate is when i tell people what my name is, they ask me what it means in English. So i tell them the literal translation and then they refer to me by the English version. Anyways i'd feel like i'm selling myself out by changing my name. It's part of who i am

Duckjob

Mairt wrote: »

I betch'ya its Suk Mi Cum.

Bloody westerners. Can't get it right.

It's Fuk mi Bum actually.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

Tar.Aldarion

DEmeant0r wrote: »

Yep I do, and my English name is actually on my passport as well.

What's your chinese name? And what is your cousins English name?

DEmeant0r

Neamhshuntasach wrote: »

I was only talking about this topic with mates last night. I have a pretty unique Irish first and last name as gaeilge and i've gone through life having to spell things out, tell people how to say it etc. And one thing i hate is when i tell people what my name is, they ask me what it means in English. So i tell them the literal translation and then they refer to me by the English version. Anyways i'd feel like i'm selling myself out by changing my name. It's part of who i am

In all fairness, I feel more Irish than I do Chinese.

Flukey

ejmaztec wrote: »

From now on, in solidarity with the Chinese, my name is Wun-hung Lo.

So does that mean you are unable to get it up?

The Al Lad

I worked with a chinese toilet cleaner who's name was whoflung dung, we had to change it to John

copacetic

moco wrote: »

Another question for the Chinese community while we're on the subject, where's the Chinese Embassy and does there be big queues in the visa office?

another question for the chinese community: how long have ye all been members of boards?

CodeMonkey

Neamhshuntasach wrote: »

Anyways i'd feel like i'm selling myself out by changing my name. It's part of who i am

Jesus, it's just a name. Having an english first name is also a very popular thing to do in hong kong for young people as mentioned by someone else. This had been going on for decades. Most chinese people probably feel the same about their surnames though which never get changed.

I am also an irish born chinese but my parents never gave me or my brothers english names. Both my brothers have given themselves english names though when they're a little older but I never bothered.

another question for the chinese community: how long have ye all been members of boards?

1994 / 1995? Since the quake.ie days, I've abandoned and changed boards names a couple of times. I don't think you're referring to the irish born chinese when you say chinese community. Most of my friends are irish.

CodeMonkey

CodeMonkey wrote: »

Most chinese people probably feel the same about their surnames though which never get changed.

So whose surname do the babies take, the mothers or the fathers?

Neamhshuntasach

Neamhshuntasach wrote: »

So i tell them the literal translation and then they refer to me by the English version.

Why don't you tell them the meaning....mine means my ancestor chopped his enemies head off and put it on a stick! Let them try calling you that!

CodeMonkey

Moonbaby wrote: »

So whose surname do the babies take, the mothers or the fathers?

Errrm, fathers.

Baaahh!

ejmaztec

I can smell bras burning:p

It's nothing to do with feminism it is to do with common sense.
If someone is going to make mush of your whoha, the least you can expect is that they will carry your name forward. Not the wimp's with the cigar.

ejmaztec

Moonbaby wrote: »

It's nothing to do with feminism it is to do with common sense.
If someone is going to make mush of your whoha, the least you can expect is that they will carry your name forward. Not the wimp's with the cigar.

Being a male, I'm naturally biased. I never smoked a cigar as I was too busy tearing my hair out after listening to my wife moaning for 9 months (x 4). I even had to carry heavy sacks of coal into the house during those times, something that preyed heavily on my delicate frame. They don't half go on, don't they?

For some reason, she even got my name wrong. She kept calling me Hugh Basta*d.

Neamhshuntasach

CodeMonkey wrote: »

Jesus, it's just a name.

Being from a country that was practically robbed of its language and culture my Irish name represents more than just a name to me. I'm proud that my family never took the soup

EamonnKeane

Moonbaby wrote: »

It's nothing to do with feminism it is to do with common sense.
If someone is going to make mush of your whoha, the least you can expect is that they will carry your name forward. Not the wimp's with the cigar.

But it's not your name, it's your father's name. So you "lose" either way.

DEmeant0r

Moonbaby wrote: »

It's nothing to do with feminism it is to do with common sense.
If someone is going to make mush of your whoha, the least you can expect is that they will carry your name forward. Not the wimp's with the cigar.

wtf? this thread has gotten way off topic. And yeah it's just a name, it's not like you lose your every freedom by having a different name.