Choosing a name is a serious business. As more and more new ethnic Chinese migrants settle in the US, they obviously need to be cautious when selecting an English name. Some Chinese people try to stand out from the crowd by choosing names that sound like their Chinese names. For example, some Chinese women and girls whose name is Yiting choose to be called “Eating” in English.
The World Journal Web site reports that because some Chinese people are not very familiar with other countries’ cultures, they often make bloopers when choosing an English name. For instance, women whose Chinese names contain the syllable qian may like to pick Cherry as an English name, but in English the word cherry is not just a kind of fruit, but may also refer to a virgin’s hymen. Some names sound funny when they are paired with certain surnames. For example a Chinese person named Jolly Wang got laughed at whenever he told people his name. Only later did he find out that in Southern slang “wang” means what children call a “willy,” while “jolly” is another word for “happy,” so together they sound like “happy willy.”
There is another story about three ethnic Chinese women who called themselves after their favorite fashion brands — Chanel, Gucci and Tiffany. That is a joke that Americans’ could not have made up themselves. Some Chinese people take it a step further by naming themselves after their favorite thing — Money. When Americans hear a name like that, they might not know whether to laugh or cry.
(Liberty Times, translated by Julian Clegg)
Photo: Reuters
照片:路透社
取名字是一件慎重的事,隨著美國華人新移民的增加,取英文名字當然也要慎重!有些華人為了讓名字與眾不同,就用自己的中文名字取諧音,像有一位華人女孩叫「依婷」,英文名字就取了「Eating」。
世界新聞網報導,有些華人因為還不是很了解外國文化,取英文名字時就常鬧笑話。例如中文名字裡有「倩」的女孩,喜歡將英文名字取「Cherry」,但事實上,Cherry除了有櫻桃的意思外,還有處女膜的意思。而有的名字和姓氏搭配起來就會鬧笑話,例如一名華人Jolly Wang,每次報上名字就會被笑,後來才知道wang在南方俚語中是小弟弟的意思,而jolly則有開心之意,加在一起就變成「開心的小弟弟」。
還有三個華人女孩用自己喜歡的品牌取名,分別叫「Chanel」、「Gucci」與「Tiffany」,這是美國人無法編出的笑話,更有甚者,居然也有華人用他最喜歡的Money取名,實在令美國人哭笑不得。
(自由時報)
A: The 2024 Paris Olympics is set to open tomorrow (Saturday Taiwan time), and will run until Aug. 11. B: How many Taiwanese athletes will compete in the Olympics? A: About 60 Taiwanese athletes will participate in 16 sports. B: I’ve heard some Olympic gold medalists, such as weightlifter Kuo Hsing-chun, and badminton duo Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin, will compete in the Olympics again. A: Asian tennis star Hsieh Su-wei, who is the World No. 1 in women’s doubles, is also on the Taiwan team. Let’s give our support to the Taiwanese players. A: 巴黎奧運自7月26日(台灣時間27日),至8月11日要登場啦。 B: 台灣有多少選手參賽? A: 台灣有60名選手參賽,將參加16項運動種類。 B: 這次奧運金牌舉重名將郭婞淳、羽球男雙李洋/王齊麟都會參賽。 A:
A perfect wedding is a celebration of happiness and commitment. However, organizing a traditional wedding, with all its customs and procedures, can be both time-consuming and exhausting. What’s more, contemporary couples often prioritize unique and creative wedding experiences over conventional rituals. Therefore, hiring professional and experienced wedding planners has become a popular choice. These experts not only assist couples in the comprehensive preparation for their weddings, but also simplify the planning process to meet all the specific expectations. The role of a wedding planner can be divided into three vital phases: pre-wedding, during the wedding, and post-wedding. Before the
A: Wow, two Taiwanese swimmers have qualified for this year’s Olympics in Paris. B: I know one is the Taiwanese-American swimmer Angie Coe. A: And the other is Eddie Wang, Taiwan’s “King of Butterfly.” B: Didn’t Wang miss a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) test and face an 18-month ban? A: But the Chinese Taipei Anti-Doping Agency (CTADA) argued that this was a case of miscommunication, so in the end WADA decided not to ban him from swimming. A: 這次巴黎奧運,還有兩位台灣選手在游泳項目取得參賽資格! B: 我知道,一位是台美混血女泳將韓安齊。 A: 另一位則是台灣蝶王:王冠閎。 B: 他不是因為錯過了「世界運動禁藥防制組織」(WADA) 的藥檢,原本要被禁賽18個月? A:「中華運動禁藥防制基金會」(CTADA)主張這只是溝通不良,所以WADA最終並未禁賽。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
People have a fascination with wild animals, and zoos may be the only chance for some to observe animals closely. Whether it’s rarely-seen creatures like kangaroos and koalas, curious animals like sloths and pangolins, or even endangered species like rhinos and orangutans, humans enjoy watching the behavior of creatures on display. The keeping of wild animals in cages is nothing new, though. There is evidence from ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian wall carvings showing that the first efforts to keep animals in enclosed pens began thousands of years ago. Later, various animals were kept in private collections called menageries by well-off