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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: How do your students get their english names?
I love the question about the english names for the students. But how did they get them? From former teachers? family? translation of their name?
12 years 26 weeks ago in Family & Kids - Chengdu
Most students I met were givin their name by the Teacher
some times they are dirived from letters in thier Chinese name
Like He becomes Helen or Bin changes to Ben
it can have problems to.
western first name and Chinese family name can be very funny
I know a guy as Dumb Fish
HugAPanda:
Haha.. that's cute. I hope I get to name some of my students.
book, movie characters, sports heros, translation of their chinese name (swallow), written version of their chinese name (anna) , or their chinese name may sound similar
Some teacher or school secretary assigns them. I try to encourage them to decide on one for themselves.
I've found that many get their name from a teacher, but also books feature prominently... as well as transliteration and translation. Sometimes, it's just because they like the soud of the word. And, of course, US basketball players (Kobe, Bryant, etc)
Some of the names they pick are nothing short of bizarre. I have a private student who has called himself Einstein. Apart from the fact that I thought it unsuitable he also can't spell it or remember it. Einstein he aint!!
A female teacher called herself Edison??? I asked her why she picked that name. She had heard that it was famous in the western world. I didn't have the heart to tell her he was a male!
I have a young boy in class who called himself Honey. Yep right. He's going backwards in his English lessons because I can't bring myself to pick him and call his name to do anything!!!
If you put 2000 Chinese English students together and yelled out: "Amy! Please step forward," you would have almost 40% of them take a pace forward!! Ask for a "Lucy" and there's another 30%!
I have started naming kids too. I look up the Chinese meaning of their name and find English names with a similar meaning. Then I give the kid a choice of 2 or 3 names from that list. I think it's better than giving them a name from a movie or basketball player but what do I know? Personally I actually prefer their Chinese names and will try to make sure I learn the correct pronunciation. Isn't that what we ask them to do with our name?
As far as I am concerned, some Chinese people chose some certain English names just because of the deep meanings of those names.
I have had students come to me an say "i want an English name that means 'Power/success.......' " or some other word. And they wait for me to give them one immediately. So I smile and say 'it takes a lot of people a few months to think of a name for a new child. I can't give you a name RIGHT NOW.' That seems to satisfy a lot of them.
I did meet shy boy at an English Corner who didn't have an English name, so i suggested he find one. When i met him the following week he said he chose 'Courage' because it had taken a lot of courage for him to speak to me.