| Regarding whether John Smith should have a Chinese name (Shi Dawei) in China, I don't think that's a matter of 'should' or shouldn't.
I agree with Michael's comment on having an English name does not always break the cultural barrier. But I don't quite agree with the ".. it could be *your* problem if the "other person" has information you need but decide not to talk to you because he is afraid that he might get your name wrong..". --- If the other person has genuinely tried pronouncing your name and really cannot (quite unlikely), then such a case isn't it common practice to comeup with a nickname only used by a few to address you (till they get a hang of your name)? My boss is a Chinese. Initially he found my name hard to pronounce, so he used 'nim' till he could manage pronouncing my name correctly. |
Why I Don't Have an English Name