Foreignnameaphobia

A peeve related to some of my earlier name complaints is expecting people with “foreign” names to Anglicize their names.

I once sat in on a class that had many Chinese students. The professor said to the Chinese people in the class that he would never be able to remember or pronounce their names, so if they didn’t already use an English name (as many of them do in fact do), they ought to pick one. I found that offensive. There were also Greek, French, Spanish, Polish, Russian, and other “foreign” people in that class, but somehow he could manage their names. I always make a point of asking Chinese people for their actual names and I call them that, unless they really insist that they prefer the English name, and many have said they appreciate that I give them the option of using their original names.

As someone who has repeatedly had my own name messed up by mispronunciations and/or nasty or teasing remarks, I have sympathy for people with “difficult” names. However, if we all had patience and made a little effort, we shouldn’t have to force people to use names that are not their own, even if they are easier.

--Curly