What do you call a foreigner with a weird name?

the_syco · 09-03-2005 01:20PM #1

Yo.
What do you call a foreigner with a weird name? In "The Last Samuari", one of the non-speaking Samurai was called "Bob". In a place I used to work, one of the guys was "christined" Bob, as we couldn't pronounce his name.

I've known people who visit places such as Vietnam to call the locals "Bob" as their actual name was unpronouncable.

And before you start shouting "racist", I'd like you to ask how a chinese person gets an english-sounding name. I always though it was the translation of their name, untill I found out from a few of them, that on working in their first job, the boss couldn't remember their name, so the boss called them Sean, James, Paul, etc.

=-=

I call them Bob.

Blisterman · 09-03-2005 02:24PM

I know Irish people who just come up with names for people and stick with them. I'm Jimmy.

Gilgamesh · 09-03-2005 02:26PM

I normally take Bob, if I could name a Planet I would call it Bob

fragile · 09-03-2005 02:29PM

Batman

I am MAN · 09-03-2005 02:32PM

Rick Johnston.

azezil · 09-03-2005 02:34PM

I just call everyone Mandy...

Sleipnir · 09-03-2005 02:36PM

why don't we just call everyone Bob?
It would save us having to remember everyone's name.

Or will we just do that to the foreigners?
Oh no, that would.......be.........?......ah.

MorningStar · 09-03-2005 03:27PM

I think it offensive to not try and get these peoples names correct. If they can pronounce it you can. I have an Irish name and while I worked in the UK certain people choose to pronounce it incorrectly or call me "Paddy"/"Mick".

It was intentional bullying. While you may not mean something by it somebody else might use it to bully.

Dr. Loon · 09-03-2005 03:29PM

the_syco wrote:

Yo.
What do you call a foreigner with a weird name? In "The Last Samuari", one of the non-speaking Samurai was called "Bob". In a place I used to work, one of the guys was "christined" Bob, as we couldn't pronounce his name.

I've known people who visit places such as Vietnam to call the locals "Bob" as their actual name was unpronouncable.

And before you start shouting "racist", I'd like you to ask how a chinese person gets an english-sounding name. I always though it was the translation of their name, untill I found out from a few of them, that on working in their first job, the boss couldn't remember their name, so the boss called them Sean, James, Paul, etc.

=-=

I call them Bob.

Why not just put a bit of effort in and learn their name. I remember in our local there was a chinese lounge boy, we asked him his name one night and he said Jim. We asked him his proper name, and he told us. I can't remember it now, but I made the effort to call him by his proper name. Would you like if Chinese dudes wouldn't learn your name, and called you Chun Fat instead? Or am I missing the point?

frany · 09-03-2005 03:35PM

MorningStar wrote:

I think it offensive to not try and get these peoples names correct. If they can pronounce it you can. I have an Irish name and while I worked in the UK certain people choose to pronounce it incorrectly or call me "Paddy"/"Mick".

It was intentional bullying. While you may not mean something by it somebody else might use it to bully.

Yes I agree with you. Actually my ID is my English one but my irish family don't like to call that. They think my real Korean name is better.

*Page* · 09-03-2005 03:37PM

Gilgamesh wrote:

I normally take Bob, if I could name a Planet I would call it Bob

ha ha in school a girl drew a picture and we named it bob then she was called bob and now we all are bob to each other(",)

ps i get called natalie(not my name) natasha(not my name) sophie(not my name) or Smally(nick name!!)

pickarooney · 09-03-2005 04:52PM

I think if I were Chinese I'd just call myself John or something rather than go through the laborious task of trying to get every thick-tongued mumbler in sight to pronounce my name with the right intonation and inflection.
I always get called by local versions of my name, and use it myself when abroad, it's just a lot easier.

smoke.me.a.kipper · 09-03-2005 04:57PM

'dave' like trigger does to rodney in only fools.

Megatron · 09-03-2005 05:21PM

I'd Learn how to pronounce thier name. simple.

In finland my names is pronouced Yamis , I'm irish , and no matter how hard i tried i couldn't get them to say James. however i change 1 letter in there and they pronouce that perfect ... jamer .... bloody weird .

Plus on the point of been in a different country ( I.e. UK) and beeing called Paddy/mick is really ****ty , so while i was living over there and people who tried to keep it up calling me that .. i'd just start ranting at them about being opressed for 800 years , and that it was my time to steal all thier women ;P

They got the idea after the first time , every time.

And no .. i didn't get too many women

Gilgamesh · 09-03-2005 05:45PM

*Page* wrote:

ha ha in school a girl drew a picture and we named it bob then she was called bob and now we all are bob to each other(",)

ps i get called natalie(not my name) natasha(not my name) sophie(not my name) or Smally(nick name!!)

so how should we call you :cool:

shelsfan · 09-03-2005 06:19PM

There was a flash film before with George W Bush and he couldn't pronounce the Nigerian president's name in a press conference, so he just called him, "Mister man who came here from Africa"
Has a nice ring to it doesn't it?....

penguinbloke · 09-03-2005 06:41PM

I have trouble remembering names so for women it's betty or susan for men it's billy or johnny no legs just makes it easier.

although after one drunken night in space my new name was Saul McRainbow
and there was also a newly christened Betty Rooney and a Gavin MacMcIntosh walking around

Hobbes · 09-03-2005 06:56PM

Try learning to say thier name.

If they are Chinese though they tend to have an English name as well as a chinese name (not because someone couldn't say thier name and gave it to them). You can ask them if they have one and can you call them by that.

Blitzkrieger · 09-03-2005 07:26PM

'Bud' is always good for anybody who's name you can't remember. Or 'You', if it's a woman.

"How are YOU doing?", "Nice to see YOU again", etc., etc.

kano476 · 09-03-2005 09:13PM

theres some spanish guy in my school and his name sounds like potato - so we just call him potato, also anyone from anywhere east of russia and west of china is "the bulgarian" even though one of them is from uruguay.

they don't seem to mind/notice

aidan_walsh · 09-03-2005 10:14PM

Charlie if they're Vietnamiese, Jerry if they're German.

But seriously, I like to try to make an effort to learn their names... I just think of it as should I move "there" and "they" can't pronounce my name, how would I like to be forceably renamed? Not one little bit, I tell you...

Slunk · 09-03-2005 10:58PM

"man" or "bud" normally do the trick but theres a chinese guy in my class in college and we just call him "conor". I dont think he minds, he tried to get us to say his name properly at the start of the year but to no avail, ever since he has been "conor"

Flukey · 10-03-2005 12:57AM

A person's name is their name and that is what we should try and use. We shouldn't just use something else because we find it hard to pronounce it. We should make the effort. If the person themselves has another name that they answer to, then fair enough, but we should try and use the proper name.

pickarooney · 10-03-2005 01:07AM

I actually get a bit annoyed when people stop mid-sentence and twist their mouths to say my name in its normal form, then twist them back to continue the sentence. It just sounds forced and weird, like when your answering machine goes: "you have reached the answering service of PADDY MCGRORY!!!!. unfortunately PADDY MCGRORY!!! is not here right now but if you leave a message PADDY MCGRORY!!! will call you back."

It may be just me though.

Pet · 10-03-2005 05:55AM

What kind of name do you have, is it Chinese or Japanese? Most IRISH people can't pronounce my surname properly, so much so that I now go by the Irish "O" version cos it's easier..

Thumper Long · 10-03-2005 11:08AM

HORSE is a name for all occasions, I don't discriminate by race, color, creed everybodys horse.

bbblueyes · 10-03-2005 01:23PM

I think it all depends on the person. My friends all had nicknames, mine was d*ckhead and my name is a frikkin month. They just didn't call me by my name. I'm sensitive but I didn't get all whiny and crap over it. No one ever got my last name right and I'd rather they not use it than abuse it. As long as it's not something demeaning or racist, which I don't believe calling someone Bob is (unless they have no arms or legs, then it's not funny anymore), then I don't believe it's mean.

Sleipnir wrote:

why don't we just call everyone Bob?
It would save us having to remember everyone's name.

My friend preferred to be called Bob because she though Angela was too hard for people to remember.

*Page* · 10-03-2005 01:30PM

no-one gets my name right. i'm irish and i dont have an irish name. my teachers in school made up names(in irish) for me because my name has no translation!!

so i just smile and nod, i rarely get pi$$ed off about it but there was this one time........

plus people laugh alot at my surname so i say it really quick and people think i said something different,
"smode" instead of my real surname

SantaHoe · 10-03-2005 01:41PM

I once worked with a few Chinese guys who had english names, as far as I remember they chose the names themselves... the names were actually really cool, not standard names like Bob and James, but names of things from nature... I wish most Irish people would be so adventurous... we wouldn't have a million Connors and Johns. :rolleyes:

Over the course of my working there, I picked up a wee bit of Chinese (mandarin? I'm not sure) and one thing they kept picking me up on was my pronunciation/intonation... it seems to me that even though you've got the sound of each letter in each word pronounced right (at least in your own mind) it doesn't make sense to a Chinese speaker unless the formation of each sound is spot-on... like we'd understand a German speaking broken english, but I think if we're that far off when speaking Chinese, the words become something non-sensical.
I guess it takes practice working on your vocal muscle-memory to be able to form some of these sounds... I'd almost get cramps in my tounge trying to get it right.
*Cue 15 minutes of*
Me: sur
Him: no! no! ... "s.. urh.. hr"
Me: surr
Him: no! no! (etc)

So I think my point at this stage, is that although we think we're being clever trying to pronounce their name, it's probably still miles off and doesn't sound anything like it.
If it were me, I'd be like "Ok, whatever just call me Jim, I'm not standing here for 2 hours trying to teach you this stuff." .. especially if everyone you meet is like "wha? <insert rubbish pronunciation here>?!"

Although I think if you know someone over a certain amount of time, it's nice to know their homeland name, but I can see how having an easier name (for english speakers) can save you the pain of telling someone your name over and over again, say if you've just met someone in a pub.

This is just my own (limited) take on it anyway, I'd be curious to hear from a Chinese speaker on the whole "bad pronunciation = makes no sense" idea.

][cEMAN** · 10-03-2005 01:50PM

I have trouble remembering people's names at times, so rather than call some people by their name and not mentioning other people's names, I either call them 'man' or 'kid'.

Man if I don't know them too well, kid if I do, or if I like them.

Some people find being called 'kid' offensive, especially as they're usually older than me, but it's my term of affection.

Though I like 'bob'. Most people from around my way just call everyone 'boss'

"Aright boss? What about ye boss?"

NikNik · 10-03-2005 02:24PM

I know someone who's dead set on changing their name to "Endrick" because of an inside joke. They've already started to receive mail with the name.

I'd change my surname.......something deadly like "Ferrari" or "Brazil" or "Rockafella" (any suggestions?)

On Topic: Like Santahoe said, Asian names are more meaningful. For example, a Thai girl I went to boarding school with had a name (can't remember it now) that meant "little prawn". Her dad named her that cuz it's what she looked like when she came out......

I wonder what they would call Jackie Stallone

What do you call a foreigner with a weird name?

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