Chinese translation of English names

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How To Get The Best Chinese Translation Of English Names

It's fascinating how people from different regions approach Chinese translation of English names in such different ways.

Here are some common practice in China when you try to do English to Chinese name translation :

1- English names that are well known shall stay consistent with the published version of Chinese translation.

Names such as Obama, Regan and Washington etc. all have existing translated Chinese versions. They shall remain that way in all context.

2- The common practice for Chinese translation of English names is often based on the English pronunciation.

You don’t translate a last name such as “Black”, “Brown” or “Whitehead” according to its meaning. Rather you pick the Chinese characters that are closest to the its pronunciation.

3- A dot in the centre between the first name and last name is often used in the Chinese translation of English names.

For example Michael Jackson as 迈克•杰克迅

4- For a name that's from a non-English culture but in an English context, its Chinese translation should be based on the English pronunciation.

For example Slovaski, the Chinese translation would be 斯洛伐斯基

5- The Chinese translation of English names shall adopt common simplified Chinese characters that are suitable for names.

Not all Chinese characters are suitable for names. There are all sorts of factors you need to consider. For instance – the translation shall not be an easy target for a bad nick name; you should always try to choose characters that carry positive meanings; and these characters should be easy to pronounce. Etc.

6- When it comes to a company or a commercial entity, the Chinese name translation often need to consider some fengshui implications.

Whether you believe it's pure superstition or not, it's always a good idea to have a translated Chinese name that implies luck and fortune. That’s why one of the most lucrative online business in China is name-picking services.

If you have any trouble figuring out the characters, the easiest way is to go to a community based Chinese website and ask for help in a forum. You’ll likely get many answers to think about.

In Canada, though, it seems that the most popular Chinese name translation is for politicians. Whether it’s a federal minister or a provincial party candidate, almost every elected public figure at or above the provincial level seems to have their names translated into Chinese.

I guess it has to do with the large Chinese immigrant population in BC. In most cases, these people are not of Chinese origin at all.

These names tend to have 3 Chinese characters. Although there’s often some kind of pronunciation similarities between the English name and the chosen Chinese characters, the two name versions are largely far apart with no revelations at all, both in meanings and pronunciation.

I guess the benefit of having this type of translation is that some voters, particularly the non-English speaking Chinese voters might develop a certain level of closeness to the person with a Chinese name attached. Or at least that’s the intention.

I’d be interested to see any scientific research data to prove that theory.

But I have to admit, it’s very confusing at times. If you are a Chinese English translator, I’d like to hear from you on this subject - How do you approach name translation?