Should international students have an English name?

Now is an era where international students born in the 1990s are all over the world. Zhu Jie, a freshman who loves to venture out and write, traveled across the ocean to England and became a member of this group of students studying abroad, telling everyone about her new life that is gradually unfolding.

When they first entered junior high school in China, the English teacher asked each student to give him an English name. I sat in front of the most common bulky computer at the time, surfing the Internet and looking at a string of unfamiliar letter combinations arranged from A to Z. When I saw C, I was already dizzy, so I randomly selected a short "Cathy". Later I discovered that Cathy is just Catherine's nickname, which means it is not a formal English name. After reading "Wuthering Heights", I even wanted to find an opportunity to change my name to an English one.

Studying abroad is such a great opportunity to change your name. Many international students do not use the English names they used in elementary school or junior high school. After all, names like Tom and Ann, if they have little connection with their real names, but were just named because they were easy to pronounce and could not be spelled incorrectly when they were children, may they seem childish and ignorant when they grow up. While you are in a new environment, quickly change your name to a more dazzling and cool English name.

It’s just that I went to Singapore to study in high school. I originally thought that in that country, which is very connected to the West, everyone must have an English name, but I didn't expect that to be the case. Many Singaporean Chinese students only have Chinese names, which are written in pinyin in most cases. Many names are also very picturesque. Some of the names for girls include "Ting", "Qian" and "Jia", while "Xiang", "Wei" and "Jie" are common among boys' names. Occasionally, you can even see words that are not common in the names of young people in China today, such as "Heng", "Xiu", and "Bao", which is quite surprising.

Later I got to know Singaporean society and realized that most of the older generation of Singaporean Chinese immigrated from China and retained a romantic sentiment towards their motherland. You can imagine that some old Singaporean gentlemen who are rooted in Chinese culture thought over and over again like an old scholar when choosing a name for the younger generation in their family. The name of my best local friend in Singapore was actually found by an elder who traveled thousands of miles deep into the hinterland of China and asked for it in an ancient and mysterious temple. I am amazed by the social history and culture that can be gleaned from people’s names and their connection with Chinese culture.

Of course, there are also many Singaporeans with English names. After all, after experiencing the long-term rule of the British, some quite Westernized families, or devout Christians, would give their children English names. When some children in Chinese-style families grow up, they are fascinated by Western culture, or have received Western education for a long time, and they will also give themselves English names. But even these people will definitely keep their Chinese names, although they may only be able to spell them in pinyin and not write Chinese characters.

So during the years in Singapore, I never used an English name once. I'm glad that people accept my real name so easily, and I'm glad that my name doesn't make me look too different from the locals.

However, after entering college in the UK, a completely English-speaking country and a Western society, it seems to be a matter of course to choose an English name. At least it can avoid the embarrassment of mispronunciation of the name. After careful consideration, I decided to use the English name Juliet.

There are three reasons why we chose such an English name. First, the pronunciation is similar to the pinyin of my Chinese name, and the glyph is similar to the Chinese pinyin of my first and last name inverted. Second, although Shakespeare's Juliet is also a tragic figure, she symbolizes romance and selfless love, not the crazy and selfish love of Catherine in "Wuthering Heights". Third, the name is easy to remember. According to psychological theory, people are more likely to remember names that evoke associations. The name Juliet is well-known because of a famous play, but in real life it is rare to have the same name, so it is both familiar and unique.

It turns out that this name is indeed easy to remember. When you introduce yourself to people in the UK, you basically have to say it once so that others will not forget it. People who have only met each other once can still call out this name when they meet again a month later.

After the official start of school, in the first class of each subject, the teacher will call on everyone’s name and then ask everyone if they have a “preferred name” (the name they want others to call them), and everyone will give their nicknames. , English names, etc., and ask the teacher to write them down next to the students’ real names.

Every time the teacher calls on me for the first time, I listen very, very carefully. When he calls me, I often see a look of uncertainty on the pronunciation on the teacher's face, raise his eyebrows, and then look around with his eyes wide open. There are more Asian students in British classrooms these days. Many of them are second-generation immigrants from Western society or are of mixed descent. They may have quite British names. When the teacher saw a name that looked Asian, it was difficult for the teacher to guess the name based on the face. They will tentatively and slightly vaguely say: "Jie?" I will raise my hand to indicate it is me, and then say "You can call me Juliet." (You can call me Juliet.)

Just when I said this sentence, I still felt a slight sense of loss in my heart. Maybe he suddenly had a new name and it took him time to adapt. Perhaps it is always a bit unwilling to rely on a name that does not originally belong to you to start barrier-free communication.

But one day, when I met with the Academic Advisor (equivalent to the student's personal counselor), I habitually introduced myself: "I'm Jie Zhu, you can call me Juliet", The teacher interrupted me and said: "May I listen to your Chinese name again?" (Can I listen to you say your Chinese name again?)

I repeated it to him with some surprise and emotion. . This doctor from Germany told me over and over again, with the unique German rigor and seriousness on his face, until his pronunciation was accurate. Then he simply said to me: "You don't have to give in to the surrounding culture too easily." (You don't have to give in to the surrounding culture too easily.)

This sentence The words are deeply engraved in my mind. From then on, I made a point of saying my Chinese name louder. For those who are more involved with the British people, I will guide them to understand the meaning of my Chinese name. I believe that after a while, many people will also remember my Chinese name.

For international students like me, who only really entered Western society in college, I still have an Asian soul and a Chinese soul in my body. Giving an English name is a good thing. It is an attempt to integrate into Western society and make it easier to interact with Europeans and Americans. The question is, to what extent should the English name be used to replace the real name? Who doesn’t want his real name to be known to his blond classmates and teachers?

I think again of Singapore, a society that inherits the Sino-British society. Here is an example: A Chinese Singaporean who was deeply influenced by Western culture returned to his motherland from the UK and was determined to devote himself to the cause of national independence. In order to truly return to the local culture and represent the local people, he put aside the relationship that had followed him for thirty years. English name Harry. Many years later, Lee Kuan Yew's name resounded in the world's political arena.

On the surface, English names are easier to remember quickly in Western societies, while real names are closer to the hearts of people in the motherland. But in the long run, standing anywhere depends on strength and connotation, and they come from the true self. At present, it seems that for me and a large number of international students with English names, we have not lived in Western countries for a long time, so our real names are our true self. This is the name on the exam paper, the name on the passport, and the name given by the parents. But what will happen in the future?

Speaking one's own name answers the question "Who am I?" Choosing between different names answers the question "Who would I rather be?" This seems like a small question. This question is actually worth pondering for international students who are subconsciously looking for self-identity.