Korean Job Discussion Forums

[v88]

My Korean name Is Han Man-du, although I sometimes go by Lee Kimchi, Han Chan-bap, and Che Pyun-tae.

So I don't really care what my kids want to call themselves. I think it's funny and a spark of humor and creativity in a rather dull profession that is taken way too seriously by an often dull people (especially in terms of education).

I actually get annoyed by any of my co workers who poo poos the practice as if somehow they were someone other than an ESL *beep*...because let's face it, if you were someone who took themselves and their job that seriously, you'd be doing something else.

However, that said. I agree with what the OP has written. The guy claimed some BS name as his English name. It's not English, so it's not an English name. If I had chosen to tell Koreans my Korean name was Hung Wai-lo or Atchy Tachibachi. I would be told that they weren't Korean names and that they weren't appropriate. If I chose the name Gong Gong Chill because I liked the sound of it, I'd again be told it was not a proper Korean name. I highly doubt many Koreans would be calling you any of these things if you introduced your self as such.

It depends a bit on context too, if students want silly names in my class. I'm cool with it, but if I meet some guy on the street who introduces his English name as Pitnit Yarb...I'll be giving him a dirty look and telling him to try again, cause that isn't English and it is not something that makes much sense if the point of your name is to improve your connection with English speakers.