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Q: English names Chinese People
Why do they 'have to' change their name to something English/Western style.
Japanese,Koreans,Indians also have names which are quite different from Western names (often difficult ,long)but I seldom see them changing their names.
Do Chinese people love to have Western names(unofficial indeed) or they do it out of some compulsion or professional
obligation etc ?
I heard many times this explanation : they pick a Western name so that it's easy to pronounce for a foreigner (typically, a foreign teacher).
I wonder if they would pick an Indian name if the teacher is from India ?
Probably 'professional obligation'.
That, and when learning English (or any language), it's appropriate, and sort of useful, to take on a name from the culture of that language. "Wang is learning English, but Charlie speaks English"... it's a mental thing.
DrMonkey:
Ha ha "Miguelito speaks Spanish, but Vaidyanaath speaks Telugu ! You call me Alex when I speak French" ^^
Shining_brow:
Ah, crap! I need another 5 names.... :(
(although, with my name, it confuses enough people anyway :p)
I work in a foreign company here, and many Chinese use western names because it is easier in an English speaking environment. Many Chinese names are very very difficult for foreigners to say. And if they are all part of an international team working via video conferencing etc, you can see where problems could crop up.
English is the international business language after all.
It happens in the west too. Not many big stars use their real names.... and yes I know that is because of the Equity organisation, but I doubt John Wayne would have done so well using his real name
.
diverdude1:
c'mon , tell us. wasn't it Marion something... any JW was a man's man. loved him in that WWII flick w/ kirk douglas.
"Why do they 'have to' change their name to something English/Western style."
1. They are not changing their names, they are merely adopting an English nickname
2. They don't 'have to' it is a suggestion by Chinese schools and Chinese English teachers. But because the CCP makes you all to be followers with no individual personalities , very few will opt not to have an English nickname.
Many expats and people learning Chinese in their home countries have adopted Chinese nicknames, I don't ever hear them complaining.
I've had a few students tell me they felt they had to (even when I told them English names were optional), so likely, there's some peer pressure, feelings of "I should have an English name like everyone else."
Another thing to consider is formality. For many Americans, Canadians, and other English speakers, title + surname is viewed as a little stuffy, and given names are much more common (in the the United States, it's very common to refer to professors by their given name). In China, people are more formal, with given names more for close friends and family. Coworkers are more likely to use either full names, or titles.
For Chinese, using Chinese given names might be too familiar, but a title + family name seems too formal (especially when interacting with Westerners who only go by a given name), so an English given name is a bit of a compromise. At least, this has been confirmed by several Chinese I know.
crimochina:
That doesn't come from the foreign teachers, that comes from their culture of being the same.
azazaz:
You are correct. Our given names are usually for close friends or families, if a coworker called my given name directly, it is a little bit odd.
I had to adopt a Chinese name in order to get my Chinese DL. Maybe it's a little of both, wishful thinking and ease.
