True Names:

[jrittenhouse]

Them Chinese-ers needs to pick them some real American names, like Mississinewa or Oconomowoc.  Or Cholmondeley St. John.  (Pronounced Chumley Sinjin, BTW)

“Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese - I understand it’s a rather difficult language - do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal

Comments

[txtriffidranch]

Yep, the people of Terrell get precisely the representation they deserve. It's also nice to get further confirmation that Texas no longer merely appoints village idiots: far too many of the exceptionally stupid ones get jobs on the Texas Legislature.

[txtriffidranch]

Oh, and I'm just amazed that she wasn't calling for her Czech and German constituents to do the same thing. After all, if English is good enough for Jesus Christ, it's good enough for the people of Texas, to mangle a quote from former governor "Ma" Ferguson.

[stickmaker]

Take it from a Smith, having a familiar name makes one _less_ memorable...

[jrittenhouse]

I married Susan Jane Johnson; she had a lot of problems with her name getting screwed up, too.

[stickmaker]

My sister married a Brown. I told her she should'a kept Smith. :-)

[wcg]

She needs to be reminded that a traditional Chinese name like Lee was good enough for General Lee, and just suck it up.

[crazysoph]

As I mentioned to the Texas friend who was head-desking over this article, the person who suggested this needs to be dumped into the middle of NOWHERE in one of those countries where she finds the names so difficult. Perhaps listening to the locals with simple names like "Han" or "Chin" struggle with Bet-t-ti Bu-wa-ra-owhn might help her re-tool her notions of what is "normal" versus what is simply local custom...

Crazy(and an American who is somewhat accustomed to living in places where she is the one having to explain her name and rely on the goodwill of the locals to Get It Right - so not a lot of patience with Ms Color-of-Shoe-Leather)Soph

[jrittenhouse]

Try having a native speaker of Chinese say "Rittenhouse", and have it come out more like Li Deng Hao.

[jrittenhouse]

I see a lot of Hong Kongers use a Christian name to 'Englishify' themselves: David Lee is really Lee Kwan Yew or some such.

Meredith's Chinese name (Jiang Yu Cai) is hard to pronounce for English speakers. That's why we decided early on to say - you will always have your Chinese name, and you also have your 'American' name. (When you go into Chinese customs, they always ask for both the 'English' name and the 'Chinese' name, FWIW.)

[aries_jordan]

Pretty name! What does it mean?

[jrittenhouse]

Jiang= River (family name, of course)
Yu = Jade
Cai = colorful - think rainbow type colorful, flamboyant

"Colorful Jade" of the "River" family, basically.

Sissy is "Elegant and Refined (Think a classy Victorian sitting room)Jade".

It fits their personalities.