Job Discussion Forums

[fox1]

maya, I think that sounds really cool, interesting, unique.. the story about your name!!

[canuck]

[abufletcher]

If you are committed to trying this, you might consider using one of the "bilingual" names that international-minded Japanese (and those in mixed marriages) sometimes give their children. One example I can think of is "Ken" which in addition to being a valid English name is also Japanese.

There must be others but I can't think of them at the moment.

[abufletcher]

[Speed]

[Lynn]

In my high school French class we all chose a French name. I took Japanese my sophmore year and asked for a Japanese name. The teacher took a while, but she eventually gave me a Japanese name. I tried using this in Japan (as a nickname, not on my bank accounts or anything) but no one would use it. Japanese flat out REFUSED to use it. They said that only Japanese can have Japanese names, even for nicknames.

[Sherri]

I have a Japanese last name--by marriage. In Japan I used to get a kick out of seeing people's faces in the bank or pharmacy when "Suzuki-sama" was called and I got up to go to the counter. That was the last thing they expected.

I have to admit though that it never once crossed my mind (in 14 years of living there) to change my first name to a Japanese one. I can easily believe what Lynn said, that people would not want to use it.

It used to really irritate me when my students would ask to be called by a western first name because their Japanese name was too hard to pronounce. But now, here in the US, I am secretly relieved when my Taiwanese students ask to be called by their western name. It is so much easier to remember.

My husband is having all kinds of problems with people getting his first name right. Even though there is a sizable Japanese population here, they are all second and third generation--so have western first names. Some people asked him to choose a nickname, but he couldn't come up with one he liked, so they just gave him a Hawaiian name which he now uses around them.

I had some friends in Japan with really hard names for most Japanese people to pronounce, two that stand out: "Belva" the other was "Roxanne". They all thought her name was "Rox" with "san" added to it. Very confusing.

Why do you want to change your name fox 1? For ease of pronunciation? For fun? Why don't you try it out and let us know what kinds of reactions you get.
Regards
Sherri

[abufletcher]

I teach a graduate level course on English for Scientific Presentations for people in a Master in Agricultural Science program. Many of these students will continue on for a Ph.D. and will very likely be presenting papers at international conferences.

One of the things I work on from the very start is the way they say their names when speaking to non-Japanese listeners. The natural Japanese way of saying a name sounds to most non-Japanese like incomprehensible machine-gun rattling, e.g. "My name is hiroakinishnaka" and this become even worse because of the "silent vowels" in many names ("hiroakhnishhnaka"). I have them practice saying their name at a much slower pace with a clear pause between first and last names ("My name is (pause) HIRO-ake (pause) NISHI-naka"). Said like this I think "foreigners" will have a much easier time remembering a "foreign" name.

[Henry_Cowell]

Why don't you all just accept the fact that fox WANTS a Japanese name? So give him one. Please suggest some Japanese names that fit his character and personality.

Examples
ばか者
知識がない

[Lynn]

[Lynn]

[quote="abufletcher"]

[lajzar]

My favourite is Emiri. Surprised the hell out of me when i saw that her name was usually written in kanji.

[freddie's friend daniel]

[abufletcher]

[Gordon]

My sister is a grade 1 teacher in Canada and she swears that boys names starting with a "J" were always trouble.